Erie Algae

[SethV]

Looks like we may have another nasy year of Erie Algae.  From the Detroit News:


Algae problems bloom

Until the last few years, Lake Erie had been generally free of major algae problems for more than three decades. But the spread of two different forms of algae recently has raised alarms among residents and researchers, and the drops in water levels may exacerbate the situation this summer.

Algae can form when sunlight penetrates to the nutrients that collect on lake bottoms. With an average depth of 62 feet, Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, making it particularly susceptible to algae.

"If the lake level is down, that's less water for the sun to penetrate," said Thomas Bridgeman, a professor at University of Toledo's Lake Erie Center. "I would say the trend over the last few years has been that it's getting worse. And there's no reason to think that pattern is going to change this year."

The algae has become so bad in the western end of the lake that it is easily visible in satellite images. Boaters find themselves cruising through hundreds of yards of green muck to reach clearer waters far from shore.

[mikesmiph]

"green muck" oh yummy

[motocross269]

That stuff was horrible last fall.....After fishing a tornament on Erie I had to come home and strip all of my reels down because the stuff gunked up the line so bad...It smells like crap also...

[Skulley]

Last year was the worst I have ever seen in the last 5 years.  You had to go almost to Leamington to get away from it. The weather will be the determining factor as to how much will actually grow.....and yeah it smells horrible.  I stayed up in the Detroit River during the peak of the algae bloom last year so I wasn't too bothered by it and it gave me an opportunity to check out spots that I hadn't fished in years. 

BD