Fishery alive and thriving in Lake Huron
On the Dockside——–by W.R. Valentine—- In case anyone is interested, the fishery is alive and well this season along Presque Isle County?s 72 miles of beautiful Lake Huron coastline. The diversity is excellent with plenty of salmon, lake trout, steelheads and walleye out there waiting to be taken. Sizes are down but the fish are healthy, lean, and, especially, good eating. Many of the trophy hunters will certainly disagree, as they are only interested in lunkers and hardly ever taste their catches. There is no doubt the fishery is changing but recent indications are that a more stable and stronger fish population is feeding on more sustainable food sources. For example, the salmon are eating more smelt (a native forage species for game fish) instead of alewives (an invasive species) because the baitfish profile of the lake is evolving.
SMELT LIKE deeper water and savvy anglers are going deeper and colder to bring delicious six-12-pound salmon to the dinner table. Some other good news from the fish squeezers is that the salmon are also eating gobies, one of those nuisance fish brought into the Great Lakes by the ?salties? coming up the seaway. Next time, fellahs, don?t take a picture, take a napkin and enjoy what many say are the perfect-eating sized salmon meals to be had anywhere on the planet.
In addition, many of the locals swear by the buttery taste of lake trout cooked on the grill. And who can complain about walleyes in their live wells? Furthermore, the steelhead fishing off Rogers City has been excellent so far this year. Many people agree there has been too much ?talking-down? of the fishery by certain people in the government and on the ?outdoor circuit? in the past year or so.
THE FACTS are people are catching fish and enjoying what they catch. Tell those naysayers to stop grousing and get going out on the big lake this weekend. It?s not just about landing the biggest fish. How about bringing home the best meal? Also on the Dockside this week are a bevy of wreck divers taking advantage of warmer water temperatures and better visibility. One of these dive boats is the ?SeaQuest,? a 26-foot Marinette built in Louisville, Kentucky in 1966 and owned by skipper Paul Ehorn of Elgin, Illinois. Ehorn is that intrepid type of underwater explorer who will not take no for an answer when it comes to wreck diving and the law of salvage. He has had his run-ins with various gove
The 160-foot Bentley was built in 1867 and sank 11 years later in 1878. Ehorn claimed ownership of the wreck when he discovered it but the state did not recognize that claim and the matter went before the U.S. District Court where the judge ruled in favor of Ehorn in a declaratory judgment. ?The bottom line on shipwrecks is that unless a vessel is on the National Register or has been declared eligible for same or is embedded, the state has no claim of ownership,? Ehorn continued.
The law is fairly clear on the meaning of ?embedded? which essentially means that the ship must be well immersed in the lakebed or riverbed under the water. If a ship is laying on the bottom or only partially sticking in the mud and is not on the National Register or deemed eligible for the register, then the person who discovers the ship may claim ownership of the vessel under federal statutes pertaining to the law of salvage. Ehorn summed it up briefly saying, ?Basically, if you own the wreck, you can?t be charged with stealing from yourself.?