Pressure is mounting on the U.S. and Canadian governments to explore ways to restore water levels on Lakes Michigan and Huron that have been lowered nearly two feet due to historic dredging on the St. Clair River. The two lakes, which are actually one body of water connected at the Straits of Mackinac, have been below their long-term average for more than a decade, and forecasters say in the coming months they could plunge below their record low.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will open bids on Wednesday (9-26-12) for the first-ever electric fish barrier to be constructed in the Iowa Great Lakes. It will also be the first in the entire state.

Officials from Michigan and Ohio are ramping up efforts to find out if any live Asian carp are in western Lake Erie – and they’d like anglers to help out by providing any information they might turn up.

A round of recent water samples from the Sandusky Bay and Sandusky River – the results of which were announced this week -- included some that tested positive for the presence of Asian carp environmental DNA. Those are in addition to older, previously announced water samples that had tested positive for carp eDNA from Sandusky Bay in Ohio waters and north Maumee Bay in Michigan waters.

Lake trout hatched and raised at the Allegheny National Fish Hatchery have been stocked in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario since the early 1990s as an effort to re-establish self-sustaining populations in these lakes.

Historic populations disappeared during the 20th century. Evidence shows that lake trout are reproducing in the wild at Lake Ontario, but none do so yet at Lake Erie.

The hatchery now is tagging lake trout that soon will be released. Tags will show fisheries biologists whether lake trout were stocked or hatched in the wild, as well as other valuable information.

CNN described Lake Michigan as offering a beach “for nearly every taste,”  and is well-deserving of its new title “best for beaches.”

In the article published August 31, CNN dishes out titles of best for fishing, kayaking, wilderness adventures, scuba diving, water skiing, windsurfing, snow sports, wine tasting and desert house boating.

The spread of zebra mussels into more Minnesota lakes and rivers was confirmed August 28th by Department of Natural Resources when they announced that the invasive mussels have invaded Lake Ore-Be-Gone in Gilbert. After a report of mussels in the former iron ore mine that’s now a popular fishing lake, DNR divers confirmed adult mussels had infested an area near the lake’s boat landing. This is the first time zebra mussels have been found in a mine pit lake and the farthest north they have been found in Minnesota.

Erie County organizations received more than a quarter of the $913,800 in coastal zone management grants recently awarded by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The grants support programs that measure the effect of various pollution sources, improve public access, preserve habitats and educate the public about the benefits of the state's coastal zones, according to a state news release.

The University of Michigan is expected to get nearly $300,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to study the possible effects of Asian carp on the Great Lakes.

Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan announced the grant funding Monday August 27th for the Ann Arbor-based school.

Reseachers were able to show off the first success of a project Tuesday August 28th to restore spawning habitat in the St. Clair River’s Middle Channel for lake sturgeon and other native fish. Workers in the spring built about an acre of rock reef in the river near Algonac. On Tuesday, researchers marked the early success of the project with the Huron-Erie Corridor Restoration Celebration along the city’s waterfront.

The search for Asian carp in Lake Erie has moved to the Sandusky River and Sandusky Bay, where 20 of 150 water samples collected in early August tested positive for the presence of silver carp environmental DNA, or eDNA.

Samples were also taken from the Maumee River, Maumee Bay and Western Lake Erie. The results of those samples should be available in September.