For Friday, May 3, 2024 🔎 💧

1 – Michigan Sea Grant has an update on walleye populations in Saginaw Bay.

The organization says populations have rebounded over the last decade due to water quality and habitat improvements. 

But researchers need to know more about where fish are spawning to help manage walleye and protect habitat. 

Some walleye are residents of the bay. Others migrate into the lake to spawn. 

A team led from Michigan State University is placing more than 300 acoustic tags on walleye. They’re also installing acoustic receivers at the mouths of rivers and on reefs. The setup will track fish to shed light on differences in spawning between resident and migratory walleye. 

The team is working with anglers to help gather the data, tagging fish after they’re caught. The project began in 2022 and is due to run until December 2026. 
…

2 – The Sierra Club of Michigan is pushing for environmental justice legislation. 

The environmental group says major wins were achieved last year, including passing some of the most ambitious and comprehensive clean energy legislation in the country. 

On May 15, Sierra Club will be lobbying in Lansing, urging lawmakers to support a Water Affordability Package and a Polluter Accountability Package. 

According to sponsors in the Senate and House, the water legislation would create affordability programs for low-income households funded by a $2 monthly fee on water meters and philanthropic donations. 

The polluter package would set more stringent cleanup standards, prevent sites from becoming “orphaned” and make it easier for those harmed by pollution to seek justice.

– 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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