May 24th, 2012 by Irene Miles
The
World Wildlife Fund has recently released a map that contrasts the most intensively fished areas of the world’s oceans between 1950 and 2006. The resulting graphic clearly illustrates the startling growth in fishing, and helps to demonstrate the potential for severely depleted fish populations worldwide.
From The Washington Post:
“Between 1950 and 2006, the WWF report notes, the world’s annual fishing haul more than quadrupled, from 19 million tons to 87 million tons. New technology — from deep-sea trawling to long-lining — has helped the fishing industry harvest areas that were once inaccessible. But the growth of intensive fishing also means that larger and larger swaths of the ocean are in danger of being depleted.”
The article includes a number of links that provide additional information, including a link to the complete report from World Wildlife Fund in PDF form.
May 23rd, 2012 by Irene Miles
Community members, stakeholders, and several agencies have been involved in an extensive cleanup project in Muskegon Lake for the last few years, and just this month they celebrated the project’s completion.
The Great Lakes Legacy Act project began with the development of a master plan and secured funding, with the goal of cleaning and restoring the lake’s natural habitats. By doing so, fish and wildlife populations can be restored, and the lake will be cleaner and safer for recreational use as well.
Caitie McCoy, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s environmental social scientist, has been heavily involved in several remediation and community outreach projects, including outreach for the EPA during the entire Muskegon Lake cleanup and restoration.
Caitie wrote to update us on the great progress that they’ve made restoring the lake. “The project removed 43,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and mercury from Muskegon Lake, which flows into Lake Michigan. It also included habitat restoration in the area.”
Muskegon Lake is one of several designated “Areas of Concern” that the International Joint Commission identified for cleanup and restoration. Funding for the project was provided by the EPA and the
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, with efforts and support from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership.
Caitie was onsite for the project completion, and worked with John Karl from Wisconsin Sea Grant to compile video footage. That footage will be part of a video being produced about Great Lakes Legacy Act cleanup projects including Muskegon Lake. Check back here to the blog later this year when we’ll have the video posted.
(Pictured above is Dennis Kirksey of Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership, a landowner in the area who played a large role in helping the project reach completion.)
May 22nd, 2012 by Irene Miles
A proposed water trail along Lake Michigan’s shoreline would improve access to 450 miles of the lakeshore, making it easier for recreationists to enjoy the water.
“The trail will eventually run from the Wisconsin-Illinois border north to the tip of the Door County Peninsula and south along the Green Bay shoreline to the city of Green Bay.
The Lake Michigan Water Trail was selected as one of the top 100 state projects as part of President Barack Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors program that encourages increasing outdoor recreation opportunities close to home.”
The project involves several agencies and could provide expanded opportunities for businesses near the lakeshore.
May 21st, 2012 by Irene Miles
A data collection project is currently underway that would help communities prepare for and prevent flooding in the Great Lakes basin. There are also six technical workshops for coastal management and associated professionals to be held next month at several locations around the Great Lakes.
“Federal officials are studying how to help Great Lakes communities better prepare for hazardous floods.
‘It will be the most comprehensive study ever conducted of shoreline flooding,’ said Ken Hinterlong, a senior engineer with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. So far, only ‘…the first phase of the project is done, which is a basin-wide data collection for Lake Michigan and Lake St. Clair.’”
Visit the link above for the full article including a link to the full workshop schedule.
May 16th, 2012 by Irene Miles
Loyola University in Chicago is committed to the environment in a number of ways, and one of their approaches holds benefits for Lake Michigan as well.
<span”>The University recently installed their seventh green roof system, this one on Cuneo Hall. Green roof systems provide a number of benefits, but one of them is the reduction of rainwater runoff. By providing natural materials to absorb, filter, and utilize the water, it reduces pollution and runoff volume that can wind up negatively impacting the Lake.</span”>
From the article on Earth Techling:
“A green roof acts like a natural sponge that absorbs stormwater and curtails runoff,” Aaron Durnbaugh, the university’s director of sustainability, explained in a statement. He went on to note that the university’s Chicago campus is located on the shores of Lake Michigan, which makes reduced runoff a real priority for protecting local water quality.”
May 15th, 2012 by Irene Miles
Grand Valley State University
successfully deployed their wind research buoy in the middle of Lake Michigan last week, 37 miles off shore. The buoy, a joint project between Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, and the University of Michigan, is one of only two in existence, and the only one operating in the Great Lakes.
Researchers are looking forward to data on a variety of factors related to possible wind energy generation in the Great Lakes. In addition to studying wind velocity and related factors, the research takes into account water temperatures, wave activity, and animal life in order to provide the most complete picture
for potential wind farm development offshore.
May 10th, 2012 by Irene Miles
Sometimes, what can be considered a problem in one area of the world might prove to be a solution to a problem somewhere else on the globe. One such case is the use of Asian Carp as a high-protein food source for Haitian children impacted by the devastating earthquake in January of 2010.
From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
“Some innovative thinking is now turning the problem fish into a high-quality protein source for the children at Zanmi Beni, run by Operation Blessing International. Researchers at NOAA’s Louisiana Sea Grant program and the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter have successfully produced canned Asian carp pleasing to the Haitian palate. Ultimately, the product could deliver high-quality protein to people in need, be a boon to fishermen, provide a new opportunity for canneries, and reduce the population of an unwanted invasive species.”
Louisiana Sea Grant Fisheries Specialist Julie Anderson attended IISG’s Asian Carp summit and was able to network with several people including Carol Engle of the University of Arkansas. Carol’s work had involved developing a USDA-approved process for canning Asian Carp, making it possible to safely prepare, store, and ship the food where it was needed.
May 9th, 2012 by Irene Miles
Much like a gardener hopes that the seeds they plant will eventually bloom into a lush garden, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant awards Discovery Grants, or “seed” grants, to a number of projects in the hopes that the initiatives will grow into something larger. In recent years, IISG has funded 35 projects focused on key concerns the program is committed to address; here are six new projects for 2012:
– Charles Werth, a civil engineer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will study the potential benefits and cost-effectiveness of installing green roofs in urban areas, considering effects on runoff, water quality, and other factors.
– Nandakishore Rajagopalan of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center will explore the feasibility of establishing saline aquaculture in Illinois – in other words, a saltwater fish farm. This initial study will focus on the economics of establishing such an industry and explore the possibilities for a few key species.
– Daniel Larkin, a conservation scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden, will establish a network of researchers and professionals who manage phragmites, an invasive reed grass, to discuss recent advances in control and collaboratively develop management plans to reflect the newest science and best techniques available.
– Maria Sepulveda, an ecotoxicologist at Purdue University, will build on previous IISG studies that looked at the distribution of pharmaceuticals or personal care products in Lake Michigan by examining the effects that these chemicals have on species throughout the food chain, both individually and in potentially toxic combinations.
– Marcelo Garcia of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will use results from an Asian Carp egg survival model to develop a tool that identifies where and how to implement targeted control methods. The tool would help decision makers prevent the spread of the invasive species.
– Brian Murphy of the University of Illinois Chicago will examine Lake Michigan as a potential source of bacteria that might be used in new medicines.
These Discovery Grants provide funding for initial research that has the potential to grow into larger future projects, or for projects that bring research results to a broader audience and could be expanded on by fellow researchers and agencies.
May 7th, 2012 by Irene Miles
Invasive species, as you probably know, can have devastating effects when they take hold. They can negatively impact, and in some cases permanently alter, entire ecosystems, disrupting industry and tourism, and affecting home and business owners near those areas.
With summer on the way, there’s no better time than now to spread the word about invasive species and how we can stop them. And that is why May is Illinois Invasive Species Awareness Month.
Now is the perfect time to get people involved in the work of preventing the damage they can do right here in Illinois.
In addition to the links above, don’t forget to visit our Clean Boats, Clean Waters web page for simple and useful ways that boaters can join in the fight to prevent invasive species from spreading. You can also find information on how to volunteer for our Clean Boats Crew and provide in-person advice and tips at local boat ramps and marina.
