LAKE HURON COMMITTEE

Water Tower Inn
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
20,21 March 2001

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

LHC: Chairman John Schrouder (MDNR), Tom Gorenflo (CORA), Dave McLeish (OMNR)

1. Lake Trout Deployment Plan for 2001

The LHC endorsed a lake trout stocking plan for 2001 (see attached )

Bryan Henderson (OMNR) will report at summer LHC meeting on potential of stocking Klondike strain in Ontario waters, and Ontario will report on issues of transporting eggs across the border.

2. 1998 Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act Paperwork Requirements for Buying and Selling Fish

John Maffei (OMNR) briefed the LHC on new Ontario requirements for reporting fish sales. The LHC supported notifying MI fish wholesalers about the Ontario law change. Maffei will supply copies of the new Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and the draft letter. 

3. 2001/2002 Priorities for Lake Huron Technical Committee

1. Complete publication of State of the Lake Report.
2. Task group review of lake trout stocking guides (re-2000 agreement).
3. Understanding predator-prey dynamics, i.e. impacts on forage, lake trout stocking; sea lamprey control in St. Marys; chinook salmon recruitment study;. Detailing forage assessment needs lakewide
4.Identification of needs and expectations for the GLSC "big boat" program
5.Lake trout rehabilitation, i.e. ongoing astroturf and fry stocking experiments. 
6.Work on environmental objectives, with 2nd year GIS funded.
7. Complete assessment plan for St. Marys River.
8.St. Marys sea lamprey management plan, i.e.provide input to M. Jones’ decision analysis tool.
9. Sturgeon rehabilitation plan.
10. Comprehensive review of walleye stocking and rehabilitation practices

4. Leete team building training.

The LHTC/LHC sees a need for training in more effective decision making. They will request GLFC (CAP) funding for team training to be conducted in late August or early September, 2001.

5. Sponsoring CAP projects--

The LHCs sponsors three projects for CAP funding:

1.Leete training 
2.Whitefish/diporeia workshop (McLeish).
3. Bathythermal habitat (lake trout, sea lamprey, chinook and whitefish) Study (Bergstedt, et. al)…The LHC requests that the GLFC consider funding thermal tags for sea lamprey and lake trout should GLRA funds not be available. (Backup support from the commercial fishery to cover the whitefish tags is also being requested.)