Hadley Jackson, Kurt Oldenburg, Gerry Goddard
April 20, 2015  From Left: Hadley Jackson, Kurt Oldenburg, Gerry Goddard
 
Story: C. Richard Campbell
Photography: David Ferris
 
Kurt Oldenburg, Fisheries Ecology Supervisor, Lake Erie Management Unit spoke to the Club about the fish in Lake Erie. From an historical perspective, we learned that Port Dover was once the base for the largest fresh water fishing fleet in the world. Today, much of the commercial fishing has shifted to western, warmer end of Lake Erie. From a past of bountiful catches of fish, the primary Lake Erie fish that we see in restaurants and supermarkets is Yellow Perch and Pickerel.
The management of the Lake Erie fishery is a little more complex than scooping up some young fish and counting them. A scientific formula is used to calculate the amount of fish that can be caught each year. While the formula is understandable for a non scientist, the hard part is determining the existing population, future regeneration, mortality rates, etc.
Lake Erie has experienced invasive species such as Lamprey, Zebra Mussels and now a nasty one, Asian Carp. All of these do not belong in Lake Erie. Man has introduced them just like the pollution, heavy metals, Phosphates, untreated human sewage. In spite of the all these threats, there exist today a viable fishery to manage in Lake Erie.
 
Editorial Note:
Any errors in reporting this story are not from the speaker Kurt Oldenburg. Attribute them to the memory of the reporter. 
Living close to Port Dover and Lake Erie, we have been fortunate to enjoy fish from an early age. Many will remember when a pound of Yellow Perch or Pickerel was less than a prime cut of steak. Kurt and his colleagues can manage the fishery. The rest of us should think about what we can do to make the lake cleaner and less polluted.