Area News Headlines
These news headlines brought to you by these fine sponsors:
Fisheries research vessels out on water to expand knowledge of Great Lakes
Craig Routzahn
Fri, 26 May 2017 05:46:24 EDT
|
click on the picture to enlarge
|
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has all four of its fisheries research vessels are back on the water, beginning their annual surveys of Great Lakes fish populations. As the Summer boating and fishing season gets in to high gear the research vessels conduct surveys to examine and collect information on all aspects of the lakes’ fish communities and their habitats. Fisheries assessment and evaluation work on Lake Huron is done by the research vessel Tanner, the DNR’s newest vessel launched in 2016. The vessel focuses on specific assessments of Lake Huron lake trout and walleye populations, as well as broader fisheries assessments in Saginaw Bay and the St. Marys River that evaluate fish community changes in these valuable Great Lakes systems. The Saginaw Bay evaluations also are conducted jointly with the Research vessel Channel Cat, which is based in Lake St. Clair at the fisheries research station in Harrison Township. Throughout the summer, DNR vessels are visible residents of Great Lakes ports. When in port, the public is encouraged to visit the vessels and talk with the crews about fisheries assessment operations.