SANDUSKY — Many shallow draft harbors used by Lake Erie’s recreational boaters and charter fishing fleet are sorely in need of dredging and infrastructure maintenance to be continually safe and reliable. However, current funding for such projects is dependent on Congressional “earmarks,” and is therefore inconsistent. In an effort to change this system, the Great Lakes Small Harbors Coalition is asking local port authorities, municipalities, and coastal townships to adopt a resolution that will be used to petition the federal government for sustainable, needs-based funding.

COLUMBUS — Fish farmers interested in growing yellow perch may soon have a faster-growing option that could also decrease pressure on wild populations, thanks to Ohio Sea Grant researcher Hanping Wang, director of the Ohio Aquaculture Research and Development Integration Program at the Ohio State University South Centers in Piketon. By selectively breeding the fish, Wang has developed yellow perch stocks that grow 28 percent to 42 percent faster than the typical fish and have potential to reach market size of 8.5 inches in just one year. This is a serious improvement over typical yellow perch, which often take two years to arrive at the same size, and could reduce costs for care and feeding of the fish by 30 percent to 40 percent.

Black Swamp Conservancy added 11 new protected properties totaling nearly 1,000 acres to its conservation holdings in 2009. That brings the Conservancy’s total protected lands to 8,363 acres.
The new properties, all protected through perpetual land conservation agreements with the Conservancy, include:
• A scenic overlook near Sidecut Metropark in Maumee
• A 247-acre family farm near Tiffin

COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and other state officials are working to protect Ohio’s greatest natural resource, Lake Erie, from Asian carp and other invasive species.
Last week, Fisher participated in an Asian Carp Summit with officials from the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies. Fisher stressed to federal officials that tougher measures need to be taken to prevent the spread of Asian carp.