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Phil Bencomo / Lake Superior Magazine
Duluth-Superior's First Saltie of 2015
The season's first saltie sailed into the port of Duluth-Superior on April 13. The Malta-flagged, 465-foot Kom loaded durum wheat, destined for mills in Italy.
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Phil Bencomo / Lake Superior Magazine
Duluth-Superior's First Saltie of 2015
The Kom sails under Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge on April 13. Last year's first saltie didn't arrive until May 7 due to an exceptional ice season on the Great Lakes.
In another sign of spring, the first saltie of the season sailed into the port of Duluth-Superior. The Kom arrived on April 13.
+ The captain was spotted wearing a familiar hat during the welcome ceremony:
Gene Shaw / Visit Duluth
Kom Captain
Hey, we know that hat!
More shipping news
Thunder Bay had a brand new laker in port on Tuesday morning — a sight its captain said means good news for the city.
Seann O'Donoughue, captain of the CWB Marquis, said the five-month-old, state-of-the-art ship could make as many as 18 trips a year to the northwestern Ontario city.
Also this week, Canadian vessel operator Fednav announced that it will outfit its 12 new ships, currently under construction in Japan, with ballast water treatment systems. Such systems, designed to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, will be required on Great Lakes starting next year.
Isle Royale wolf count drops to three
The population of wolves on Isle Royale seems to be down to three wolves, according to the most recent winter count, while moose numbers continue to climb rapidly. The imbalance between wolf and moose populations is a concern for the island because an unchecked moose population might overgraze the plant ecosystem. As researcher Rolf Peterson once told us, "If you love trees, you love wolves." – Konnie LeMay
"Save the Finlandia" fundraiser coming to a close
An Indiegogo campaign to renovate Thunder Bay's historic Finnish Labour Temple ends in three days. As of this writing, the Finlandia Association is $1,080 short of its $15,000 goal. The building houses a community space, performance hall, museum and the Hoito restaurant.
+ Rick Olivo, Ashland Daily Press: "Wildfires flare up locally."
+ WDIO, Duluth: "Great Lakes Aquarium breaks ground on $394K 'discovery center.'"
+ ABC10, Ishpeming: "DNR warns residents of wildfire dangers."
+ Gord Ellis, CBC Thunder Bay: "Lake Superior perch fishery hurting steelhead stock?"