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Is Lake Superior’s herring fishery in good health?
Commercial fisherman Steve Dahl, based in Knife River, Minnesota, was interviewed for a Minnesota Public Radio story about the herring (which some call cisco) fishery:
Minnesota's 25 or so commercial fishermen who ply the waters off the North Shore have caught a lot fewer cisco in recent years. The herring, or cisco, fishery is always unpredictable, said Steve Dahl, a commercial fisherman who works out of the Knife River marina on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
The last few falls have been tough for Dahl, whose nets have yielded fewer herring at a crucial time of year.
+ Steve told us about his life as a fisherman in a 2012 Lake Superior Journal.
Anglers rescued in Ashland
The fire department saved 10 people in Chequamegon Bay on Monday after the ice broke up and set them adrift, Rick Olivo recounts in a harrowing story for the Ashland Daily Press.
Two groups of five people each were fishing on 4- to 6-inch-thick ice, usually strong enough to support people, but the ice had been weakened by the storm on Christmas night. The fire department’s “Ice Angel” rescue boat barely made it back to shore.
Thunder Bay airport courts U.S. travelers
The Thunder Bay International Airport will launch a marketing campaign next year to lure Americans north for international flights, TBNewsWatch reports:
The CEO of Thunder Bay International Airport believes there is room to grow the airport's popularity among U.S. travellers wanting to fly overseas.
Airport officials had already been noticing an increase in the number of Minnesota license plates in the parking lot.
It's one of the reasons that Ed Schmidtke gives for 2016 being the biggest year for passenger volume in the airport's history.
Thanks to the strong U.S. dollar and stiff competition, flights to Europe are often much cheaper from Thunder Bay than from a U.S. airport.
Video: The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alder breaking ice in the Duluth harbor this week in a time-lapse by Paul Scinocca.
Bringing the Alexander Henry home: The Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal has an update by Matt Vis on a local group’s efforts to bring the retired icebreaker Alexander Henry back to Thunder Bay as a museum ship. The Lakehead Transportation Museum Society will launch a $50,000 fundraising campaign in the new year.
Ontonagon gets state funding for beach improvements: “A $45,000 Recreation Passport grant was announced Tuesday for Lake Superior beach walkway lighting renovations,” writes Ralph Ansami for the Ironwood Daily Globe. Many other communities in the Upper Peninsula received funding for improvements to recreational facilities, too. Here’s the full list.
Long-running bear study seeks public’s help: Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point are asking the public to report new bear dens in northern Wisconsin, writes Sara M. Chase in the Ashland Daily Press. The team would like to increase the number of radio-collared bears in the study.
Island parallels: A writer from the Maine-based Island Institute visited Madeline Island this fall and found many striking similarities and shared challenges.
St. Marys River bouncing back: That’s according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, which says, “Wastewater infrastructure upgrades in the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie Ontario and Michigan have contributed to the health of the river by reducing nutrient inputs.” SooToday has more.