As heard on Friday Edition, 9 a.m., June 8, 2012, Q-90.1 FM, Delta College …

More Walleye on the Move

Saginaw Bay is a major source of walleye for Lake Huron, according to first-year results from a four-year, federally funded study.

The study is examining the movement patterns of walleye in Lake Huron. Researchers have been surprised to learn that out-migration from Saginaw Bay to the main basin of the lake occurs earlier in the year than previously thought, and in greater numbers than expected.

This is according to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (pdf). Officials there say evaluating the movement of walleye throughout Lake Huron will help with ecological management efforts in years to come.

The study is tracking two populations of walleye: One group originating in Saginaw Bay and another originating in western Lake Erie.

Researchers are monitoring the walleye using acoustic transmitters implanted in hundreds of fish in each location.

A state official estimates that as many as 2 million adult walleye are migrating from Saginaw Bay into the main basin of Lake Huron.  The tracked walleye are migrating in early June, earlier than expected.

Scientists aren’t sure why certain walleye make such a migration. It may be based on food sources or cooler temperatures.

The study is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and being conducted jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Carleton University, and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Life’s a Beach

If you want the know the condition of a Great Lakes beach, there’s an app for that.

Real-time information on swim advisories and other environmental conditions is now available via a free smartphone application.

The myBeachCast app was developed by LimnoTech of Ann Arbor,  in partnership with the Great Lakes Commission, the state of Michigan, and other states.

The app covers more than 1,800 lake and inland beaches that are monitored in the Great Lakes region.

The app allows users to find local beaches based on a phone’s location, view beaches and their status on a map, save favorite beaches, and get driving directions.

The app is for Android phones, but information also can be accessed online by iPhones and other devices.

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