Great Lakes

Scientists Concerned About The Bottom Of The Food Web In The Great Lakes

By Lester Graham | Michigan Radio • Apr 15, 2021
Mark Edlund / St. Croix Watershed Research Station, Science Museum of MN

Right now, scientists are on a ship taking samples and measurements of the Great Lakes. They’re trying to determine how the lakes will fare this year and watching for trends.

One trend, the warming climate, could mean changes for the base of the food web in the lakes. But, the researchers are not yet sure what those changes might be.

New Restrictions On Commercial Fishing Amount To ‘Extortion,’ Say State Lawmakers

By Lexi Krupp | Interlochen Public Radio • Jan 26, 2021
John Levanen / FLICKR

In a scathing letter, several Michigan legislators urged the state Department of Natural Resources to renew all commercial fishing licenses and permits from 2020.

That’s after the DNR announced new restrictions that close the fishery for part of the year and limit the depth where fishers can catch whitefish to 80 feet.

Lake Michigan Drops 12" Since July, Still Way Above Average

By Daniel Wanschura | IPR • Jan 6, 2021
Dan Wanschura / Interlochen Public Radio

All five of the Great Lakes closed out 2020 at lower levels than they were a year ago. But according to new projections from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the upper lakes are still expected to remain high in 2021.

Since peaking in July, water levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron have dropped by about a foot. But those are still 31 inches above their long-term average.

Michigan State Sailing Club Connects Students With Great Lakes

By Megan Landon: Current Sports Beat Reporter • Apr 30, 2020
Sailing
Eva Rossell

Michigan State students of any experience level can sail with the student club, learning life lessons through friendship and competition.

Sea Lamprey Populations At Near Historic Lows In Lakes Michigan And Ontario, According To Report

By Ben Thorp • Nov 12, 2019
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region / Public Domain

The worst invasive species in the Great Lakes, Sea Lamprey, are showing significant declines across the region.

Senators Pushing To Increase Great Lakes Cleanup Funding

By • Aug 26, 2019
Satellite image of Great Lakes
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Flickr Creative Commons

Michigan's U.S. senators are seeking more federal funding to continue a wide-ranging Great Lakes cleanup program.

New Study Finds Asian Carp Capable Of Surviving Off Different Food Sources

By Ray Pringle • Aug 14, 2019
Asian Carp photo
LouisvilleUSACE / flickr creative commons

A new study finds Asian carp may be able to survive off a wider variety of food sources than previously anticipated. 


Great Lakes Around The World Face Similar Issues

By Ray Pringle • Aug 14, 2019
Researchers from Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research lifting a water monitoring buoy out of Lake Erie
WKAR-MSU / Ray Garcia

Algae pollution, plastic pollution and waste run-off plague the Great Lakes here in the United States. But similar problems also threaten large bodies of freshwater worldwide. The seven African Great Lakes and Lake Baikal in Russia, two of the world’s largest systems of freshwater, also face these problems daily.


Five Governors Push Presidential Candidates To Aid Great Lakes

By • Jul 29, 2019
Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Amanda Pinckney / WKAR

Five Democratic governors of states in the Great Lakes region Monday urged the candidates in next year's presidential election to support a plan for safeguarding their shared waters by boosting federal spending on treatment plants and environmental cleanups.

Democratic Presidential Hopeful Inslee Opposes Michigan Pipeline Plan

By • Jul 10, 2019
Via AP Photo/Al Goldis

Democratic presidential hopeful Jay Inslee waded into a Great Lakes regional controversy on Wednesday, calling for the defeat of a plan to construct a disputed oil pipeline tunnel beneath a channel that connects two of the lakes.

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