Michigan's Sturgeon Season This Year

Was over faster than the time it takes for you to spell Acipenser fulvescens.

OutdoorLife: Michigan’s Shortest Fishing Season Lasted Just 17 Minutes This Year, a New Record

With a maximum of 7 fish allowed to be caught, the season closed in 17 minutes as the limit was reached.

Some of the fish caught were huge, with the biggest weighing  a whopping 78.3 pounds.

That's quite the fish.

PETArded - PETA wants to takeover historic lighthouse for Fish Empathy Museum

PETA wants Grand Haven lighthouses for fish empathy center

I'm really not sure what a fish empathy center would entail, but suspect a lighthouse in Grand Haven is not the best place for it.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has applied through a federal program to take over the structures and lighted catwalk that are frequently photographed for dramatic sunsets, thick winter ice and crashing waves.

The area gets nearly 2 million annual visitors, including anglers casting lines into the Grand River channel and heading out in boats for Great Lakes salmon.

"We want to renovate the Grand Haven lights as a memorial to the billions of fish killed annually by sport fishermen, as well as for their flesh (commercial fishing industry)," said Lindsey Rajt, manager of PETA's campaigns department. "We also want to make it a fun and educational place."

Note to PETA: Fish are tasty, good for you and a decent source of protein.

Tentative PETA plans call for an education center, where visitors would learn about fish. There also would be a cafe, offering vegetarian fare including "faux fish."

Signs would likely announce the lighthouse as home of PETA's Fish Empathy Center.

I assume this is just a ridiculous publicity stunt. We already have numerous places where people can learn about fish - acquariums or millions of dinner plates nationwide. After all what does one do in a Fish Empathy Center - do you get in the water and chant "glub, glub, glub"? These kinds of stunts further properly marginalize PETA as a voice of nothing more than lunacy and indeed self-parody.

Indeed, the far more rational locals are rightly unimpressed by this stunt:

Locals are dumbfounded by the proposal.

"It doesn't make any sense to me at all," Capt. Dan Tebo said Tuesday, a mile offshore in his Grand Haven-based fishing charter boat the D'Ann Marie. "We fish here for the fish. That's what God gave them to us for."

Darn straight, and fish are even tastier when dipped in batter or grilled to taste.

Ice isn't always safe to go on, but it may give us something new to dive on

Detroit Free Press: Deputy pulls self from icy Cass Lake after falling

An Oakland County Sheriff's deputy was able to pull himself out of Cass Lake after he fell while checking a sport-utility vehicle and snowmobile that had fallen through the ice Sunday.

...
After walking out onto the ice to verify no one was in the lake, the deputy fell through up to his shoulders on his way back to shore but was able to get out, according to sheriff's department reports.

Lucky for him and good to know he made it out ok. Flls through the ice can be life-threatening - cold water and difficulty getting out can be killers. Going on the ice now with all the thawing and refreezing thats been happening is a very dangerous

On the upside maybe I'll have something new to dive on once the season begins anew:

Both vehicles were still in the lake Sunday night, officials said this morning.

Mind you, I;m pretty sure they will pull them both out of the water before I get a chance to dive on them, especially if they are near the boat launch area. Its events like this that make me want to go to double tanks (for redundancy and safety under overhead enbvironments) and get my Ice diving certification.....

The Dangers of Ice Fishing

As the season of winter approaches, with its freezing of the lakes and subsequent opening of the season of ice fishing, I thought it best to post this cautionary video.