Fishermen who ply the waters of Lake Erie are likely to see some changes in limits next season. This week the Ohio Division of Wildlife announced a proposal intended to stabilize the walleye and smallmouth bass populations in the lake.
The announcement, made at the 25th annual Fish Ohio Day, is being made now so it can go through the steps needed before it can take effect. Those steps include public hearings later this summer, consultation with anglers and continued review of up-to-date research. The final decision will be made by the Ohio Wildlife Council.
The proposal calls for a springtime limit of three per day in March and April and a season long minimum size of 15 inches. Beyond March and April, the creel limit would remain at six per day.
The division is proposing to close the fishing season for smallmouth in May and June, when they are spawning and guarding their nests.
For some time the division has said that size limits for keeper walleye and a closed season for smallmouth bass were unnecessary. There is a closed season for smallmouth on the Ontario side of the lake.
However, cold and windy springs the past few years have resulted in a string of bad hatches of walleye. Last year’s walleye hatch was the worst on record.
The problem for the bass has been the influx of the round goby, a nuisance species that has been attacking the Great Lakes for the past 15 to 20 years. Gobies, which you are not supposed to throw back into the lake, are small bug-eyed fish that like to prey on bass eggs.
They hang around a bass nest, and when the adult is distracted from guard duty, dart in and devour the eggs and offspring.
It is said that between 300 thousand and 400 thousand fishermen work the Ohio part of Lake Erie each year. Currently the quota for walleye is supposed to be 3.4 million. Last year, only 2.5 million were taken. The new proposals are intended to reduce the catch by 40 to 60 percent.
The tobacco/auto racing forced separation continues.
The winner of this year’s premier NASCAR series will be the last Winston Cup champion. Next year’s champion will own the Nextel Cup Championship.
Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?
Nextel and NASCAR recently signed a 10-year agreement giving the cell phone company sponsorship of the series. RJR tobacco told NASCAR in February that it wanted out of the contract it had just extended for five years. Pressure on the industry and increasing restrictions on marketing diminished the series’ value to RJR, which had been the sponsor for 32 years.
The Nextel contract is worth $700 million. That’s $70 million a year. RJR had been spending only about $45 million a year.
On the other hand, pressure on the tobacco/racing alliance in Europe have eased slightly. The FIA, which governs Formula One, is backing off on its intent to ban tobacco sponsorship.
The European Union had wanted a ban on tobacco ads in 2005. The FIA took that matter to court to try to set back the effective date. That case still is pending.
This past week, the FIA said it now will only recommend, not require, that tobacco advertising be avoided beginning in 2007.
It’s also interesting to note that the restrictions only apply to races held in countries that are part of the EU and the FIA is slowly moving out of Europe. The countries of Belgium and Austria have lost their Formula One races and been replaced by Bahrain and China.
But NASCAR’s big series is safe. At least until cellphones become politically incorrect.