By MARK TODD
Staff Writer
mtodd@starbeacon.com
Reports of yellow perch found dead in Lake Erie won't put a dent in the area's sport fishing business, experts agree.
State wildlife officials have spotted between 50 and 500 dead yellow perch on Lake Erie shores extending to Pennsylvania. Commercial fishing nets may be to blame for some of the deaths: Deep-water fish may be harmed by the change in pressure as they are pulled to the surface.
Nets wouldn't explain the fish kills in the lake's eastern basin, including waters off Conneaut, an area beyond the reach of commercial nets, officials said. Tests have ruled out a virus, according to reports.
Experienced lake fishermen are used to the phenomenon, said Walt Ermansons of Andover, who operates Trophy Charters out of Ashtabula and Port Clinton.
"Fish kills are nothing out of the ordinary," said Ermansons, a charter captain for more than 25 years. "Nature has a way of taking her own. There are peaks and valleys."
Given the vast number of healthy perch thriving in the lake, the number of dead fish is "almost meaningless," Ermansons said.
He recently completed some charters in the lake's western basin, where fish were thriving.
"The number of walleye is amazing," Ermansons said. "We have a near-record population."
Fishermen have reported seeing dead fish about five miles off the Ashtabula County shoreline, said Matt Zlocki, area manager of the Ohio Division of Watercraft's Ashtabula office.
"There is some concern (among anglers)," Zlocki said. "They are seeing fish floating, and they want to know why."
The situation won't deter Lake Erie's sport fishermen. "A lot (of the attraction) is still the challenge of fishing," he said.
The perch situation isn't a big topic of conversation in Conneaut. "I haven't heard one thing about it on our end," said Denver Spieldenner, Conneaut Port Authority chairman.
A lot of boaters used the Memorial Day holiday to make their first trip onto the big lake, Zlocki said.
"This weekend was slamming (for boat traffic)," he said. "But I didn't see a lot of fish coming in."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
Staff Writer
mtodd@starbeacon.com
Reports of yellow perch found dead in Lake Erie won't put a dent in the area's sport fishing business, experts agree.
State wildlife officials have spotted between 50 and 500 dead yellow perch on Lake Erie shores extending to Pennsylvania. Commercial fishing nets may be to blame for some of the deaths: Deep-water fish may be harmed by the change in pressure as they are pulled to the surface.
Nets wouldn't explain the fish kills in the lake's eastern basin, including waters off Conneaut, an area beyond the reach of commercial nets, officials said. Tests have ruled out a virus, according to reports.
Experienced lake fishermen are used to the phenomenon, said Walt Ermansons of Andover, who operates Trophy Charters out of Ashtabula and Port Clinton.
"Fish kills are nothing out of the ordinary," said Ermansons, a charter captain for more than 25 years. "Nature has a way of taking her own. There are peaks and valleys."
Given the vast number of healthy perch thriving in the lake, the number of dead fish is "almost meaningless," Ermansons said.
He recently completed some charters in the lake's western basin, where fish were thriving.
"The number of walleye is amazing," Ermansons said. "We have a near-record population."
Fishermen have reported seeing dead fish about five miles off the Ashtabula County shoreline, said Matt Zlocki, area manager of the Ohio Division of Watercraft's Ashtabula office.
"There is some concern (among anglers)," Zlocki said. "They are seeing fish floating, and they want to know why."
The situation won't deter Lake Erie's sport fishermen. "A lot (of the attraction) is still the challenge of fishing," he said.
The perch situation isn't a big topic of conversation in Conneaut. "I haven't heard one thing about it on our end," said Denver Spieldenner, Conneaut Port Authority chairman.
A lot of boaters used the Memorial Day holiday to make their first trip onto the big lake, Zlocki said.
"This weekend was slamming (for boat traffic)," he said. "But I didn't see a lot of fish coming in."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.