Letters: I'm betting we're in for more fish studies

The Muskegon Chronicle By The Muskegon Chronicle The Muskegon Chronicle
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on October 20, 2011 at 10:53 AM
G1016WIER2.JPGSalmon attempt to jump from one holding pen into another at the Little Manistee Fish Weir near Manistee. Our letter writer points out salmon are an invasive species in the Great Lakes.

Fish populations in danger! The great lakes need urgent help! The zebra and quagga mussels are killing the lakes! Sure they are, what did you expect?

All invasives are killing the lakes in some fashion, they all eat something. Strange thing in Lake Huron, with just the loss of alewives, yet still having a mussel problem, all native fish are starting to rebound not seen in 40 years. In Lake Michigan by cutting the main predator (salmon) and in the middle of trillions of mussels, the alewives had a "bumper crop spawn" in 2010? How is this possible? Are the mussels selective on which fish they starve? They should be affecting all fish right? We're probably in for more studies, nothing wrong with studies, if you can act on the facts, the real facts.

You see campers, every invasive species we have and soon to have is under the protection of the alewives and salmon, both invasive species themselves. We can't blame the fish, nature dictates their actions. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has decided what's best. We're all supposed to be fighting invasive species, but the alewives not only get a green card but 5-star treatment, carte blanche!

Alewives dying on the beach again, what was the DNR response? Look how big the salmon are getting!

If we can't stop these people I suggest the lakeshore communities start saving for beach cleaning machines, these people want 40-pound salmon, and don't care how many alewives die on the beach. If you manage a lake for invasive species, one shouldn't be surprised you have an invasive species problem! If I was to call the MDNR fishery people hypocrites or even irresponsible, I would be being very polite. We have native predators for zebra quagga mussels, but they also eat alewives and salmon, so studies it is!

Tom Matych

Twin Lake

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