For Friday, April 19, 2024

1 – The state has a draft plan for recreational fishing in Saginaw Bay and is asking for the public’s help in finalizing it. 

The Department of Natural Resources is accepting comments through June 1 on the draft Walleye and Yellow Perch plan. 

Officials say adult yellow perch abundance in Saginaw Bay has declined as walleye have expanded. Perch remain a focus of improvement.

According to an executive summary, the management plan aims to achieve a vision for Saginaw Bay that includes a walleye population that provides abundant and diverse angling and harvest opportunities, is self-sustaining, and remains in balance with the prey base.

For yellow perch, the goals include a population that contributes to a balanced prey base while not being the dominant prey item. 

More information is online at Michigan.gov/DNR/Managing-Resources/Fisheries/Walleye.

Send all comments via email to DNR-Fish-SaginawBayPlan@Michigan.gov by June 1.

…

2 – The vast majority of Great Lakes litter is plastic. 

That’s the news in a report from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, summarizing 20 years of data collected from more than 14,000 beach cleanups. 

The nonprofit alliance says the data reveals “alarming and consistent patterns.” 

Most litter is plastic and many are single-use items which contain plastic. For the last 10 years, the top litter items collected have been tiny plastic pieces, cigarette butts, tiny foam pieces, plastic bottle caps and food wrappers. 

The report says that while it’s important for individuals to reduce their plastic use, substantially reducing plastic pollution will require action from businesses, governments and manufacturers. 

The group is calling for Extended Producer Responsibility policies to hold producers responsible across the life cycle of their products and packaging. 

Such EPR policies have been in place for years in Europe and Canada. Measures have been passed in California, Colorado, Maine and Oregon, and are being considered in New York for the Great Lakes basin. 

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM in University Center, Michigan, near Bay City (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes

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