PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Mary Jane and I just returned from Alaska. We travel the ‘mainland’ the first week ,spending the second part of our time with friends at their fly-in lodge on Kodiak Island. The trip provided many comparisons with our fishing and boating opportunities here in Michigan. While in Cordova (accessible by boat, ferry or plane) we talked with members of the local watershed council whose work is focused on keeping oil out of their storm drains. They are giving out bilge pads to boaters with the phrase: “Don’t run-off salmon, keep storm water clean.” Cordova is located at the delta of the Copper River (and the famed Copper River Red Salmon). We shared our experiences with storm water run-off including the situation with our net pen project. And, speaking of net pens, we checked our their net pen project—a join effort of the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation and the Cordova Sporting Club. Their project started in 1990 and they rear both Chinook and Coho in their net pens. Salmon runs started out slow on many streams in Alaska, forcing limited fishing or closures to sport fisherman to ensure
adequate spawning stocks. Unlike our three rod rule, fishermen are limited to one rod, whether from land or boat. The debate is on-going as to limiting the daily sportfishing catch of halibut to 1 per person to avoid over fishing. High fuel costs, as they are doing here, are cutting into recreation time on the
water. While we all are faced with similar concerns, problems and threats to our fishery, the one we in Michigan don’t have to worry about is sharing a stream (and your fish) with large brown bears. Really large brown bears!
I invite you to participate in our members’ one day fishing contest, join us at our member picnic on August 21 and help out with our upcoming events in September.
Have a great summer. Spend time enjoying the natural resources we have at our fingertips. Share those resources with family and friends. And, take an active role to help protect those resources for
future generations. Rog Belter
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