[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/1...83027627246.txt

Lake fish may be storm's victims

DNR staff collect samples of fish Wednesday. Photo by Robb Quinn

By Matt Field
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, December 16, 2010 5:10 PM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — The past week’s winter storm that dumped more than 14 inches of snow on the city may have killed countless fish and other creatures dwelling in Lake Michigan.

The beach along Washington Park was the scene of aquatic carnage Wednesday afternoon, with frozen gobies, trout, crayfish and mudpuppies scattered across the sand.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources biologist Brian Breidert speculated the storm and the massive waves it sent slamming into the beach and against the Michigan City lighthouse washed the fish and other critters onto the beach.

“Most of these species are bottom dwellers,” he said. “It probably churned them up and sent them onto shore.”

Breidert said fish kills are rare on Lake Michigan.

“They very well could have been pummelled against the rocks and subsequently died,” he said.

As he walked across the brown muck, driftwood and fish bodies — his eyes trained to the ground — Breidert said many fish typically move to deeper water in the winter where the water is warmer. The fish on the sand did not have the chance to do so by the time the wind and waves struck.

“These fish just didn’t acclimate to moving offshore and probably just got trapped in this storm,” Breidert said.

Many of the fish were an invasive species of goby from Europe likely brought to the Great Lakes in the ballast water of transoceanic ships.

Breidert said the mudpuppies were among the day’s more interesting finds. Mudpuppies have legs, but never leave the water, according to National Geographic. Some of the washed-up amphibians appeared to be almost a foot long.

“I’ve not personally ever seen a mudpuppy on Lake Michigan,” he said.

Along with other DNR staff, Breidert collected samples of fish for further examination.

The band of dead fish extended several feet from where water lapped against the shore. Breidert pointed to the still murky lake as an indication of how turbulent the recent storm had been.

Pictures from the storm, which subsided Tuesday, show waves breaking over the lighthouse pier. The National Weather Service had warned of wind gusts reaching 40 miles per hour.

[edgeywood]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/1...83027627246.txt

“I’ve not personally ever seen a mudpuppy on Lake Michigan,” he said."

Same here, it was so weird looking, I took a picture...

[Ang]

Ew! THAT'S at the bottom of the lake? Kinda prehistoric looking...

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...19153874238.txt

Storm stirs up lake

By Mike McKee
Outdoors
Published: Friday, December 17, 2010 5:10 PM CST
They’re creepy enough to make you think twice about going in the water.

But, who knew they were in Lake Michigan? Or this many of them?

Hundreds of dead mudpuppies, a rather large, slimy salamander, washed up on the beach east of the Michigan City pier this week.

“There are probably over 500 of them,” Randy Brindza of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, said.

“But, they are only a small number of (the aquatic life) what washed up. There are thousands of gobies, mussels and rusty crayfish in the storm debris.”

Brindza and others saw very few sportfish.

The biomass deposited on the Michigan City beach is likely the largest around these parts since the alewife die-offs of the 1960s and 1970s.

DNR officials believe last weekend’s vicious storm caused the demise of the bottom-dwelling critters, although they collected samples for further study.

NOAA reported 20 and 25-foot waves on Sunday evening. The storm surge Sunday afternoon raised the water level three feet on southern Lake Michigan.

“That’s a lot of water pushing up Trail Creek — and when it comes down it brings everything with it.”

Brindza mentioned beaches to the west had considerably less debris and dead fish.

“It appears the way the currents and winds ran, most ended up just east of the pier.”

Apparently, the churning combination of monster waves and the flushing of Trail Creek, were more than the available aquatic life had ever encountered.

In Thursday’s edition of The News-Dispatch, biologist Brian Briedert pointed out that Lake Michigan was warmer than usual for this time of year and many of the fish that perished typically migrate away from the shallows before the winter storms hit.

He also said he had never encountered a mudpuppy on Lake Michigan.

Neither have I, nor have any fishermen I’ve ever talked to.

Although, I vaguely remember a friend collecting a pair of “waterdogs” on a Little Calumet tributary 40 or more years ago.

A group I was with caught quite a few while ice fishing for walleye on Lake Erie in the 1980s.

The debate there was whether to kill them because they ate sportfish eggs and baitfish or to release ‘em because some of the really huge walleye and smallmouth fed on them.

The mudpups that washed up on the Michigan City beach were mature 12-inchers.

In Indiana they are regulated under reptiles and amphibians. Unlike other salamanders, mudpuppies never develop lungs and spend their entire life in water.

And they are fairly common in clean lakes and rivers throughout the Midwest where they prefer shallow water with plenty of places to hide.

Seems like the Michigan City pier is the ideal habitat. Only if anybody knew.

Michigan Lake Trout

A proposal to extend the lake trout season in Michigan’s portion of southern Lake Michigan to Jan. 1 through Oct. 31 was approved at its’ Natural Resource Commission meeting on Dec. 9.

The new regulation will go into effect April 1, 2011. The minimum size limit in Michigan remains 20 inches and the daily bag limit is also unchanged at three.

Indiana has no closed season, a 14-inch limit and daily bag of two.

Michigan previously had a May 1-Sept. 30 lake trout season.

For local anglers, the five-month extension means not having to release those impressive fish in the spring while extending opportunities in the fall. There used to be an outstanding shallow-water fishery for spawning lakers in October at New Buffalo.

Outdoors Report

Ice is not nice — yet

I see some adventurous souls were on Clear Lake in LaPorte this week, but it really isn’t safe right now. With the snow cover, most shoreline areas are mush. My 90-pound Lab went through (happily) at a couple lakes on Thursday and the areas away from shore barely had two inches of solid stuff.

However, I hear the walleye are hot on Lake Maxinkuckee where there is no snow cover and four to five inches of clear ice.

Steelhead were being caught by hearty anglers in the middle and lower stretches of Trail on Thursday. Spawn sacks are the top bait right now.

Harbor areas were murky and had quite a bit of ice.

Deer-muzzleloading season closes Sunday. The deer-late archery season goes through Jan. 2

Crow season opened Monday, duck season closed Tuesday and Canada geese are legal through Jan. 16, then again Feb. 1-15.

[edgeywood]

Ew! THAT'S at the bottom of the lake? Kinda prehistoric looking...

Freaked me out...and it was frozen stiff! Another reason to stay away from the rocks!

[Ang]

Freaked me out...and it was frozen stiff! Another reason to stay away from the rocks!

I believe seeing that with my own eyes woulda freaked me out a little, too.

[lovethiscity]

I believe seeing that with my own eyes woulda freaked me out a little, too.

me seeing it with your eyes would have freaked me out, too!

[Ang]

me seeing it with your eyes would have freaked me out, too!