FISHING
CONSERVATION
n
THEIR CAUSE AND EFFECT ON LAKE ERIE
40
estled in the heart of the rust belt, lake erie is one
of the most storied lakes in the country. From host-
ing one of the most important naval battles of the
war of 1812, to the $34 billion in shipped goods that tra-
verse its waters each year, it is truly a “Great” lake.
in case you haven’t heard, there are a couple bass liv-
ing in it as well.
part of that storied history is lake erie’s role as a bell-
wether for environmental controversy.
in 1969, Time magazine likened the lake and its tribu-
taries to “convenient, free sewers.” later that year, the
cuyahoga river, which flows through cleveland and into
lake erie, famously caught on fire, spurring an onslaught
HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS
By TJ Maglio
of national media attention. this public outcry drove the
passage of some of the most landmark environmental
legislation in history, including the clean water Act, the
safe drinking water Act and the Great lakes water
Quality Agreement.
since that low point, and through the combined
impact of those laws and the efforts of federal, state, and
local authorities, community organizations, and sports-
man groups, lake erie has rebounded and is home to a
multi-billion-dollar tourism industry.
As with every success story though, there are constant
challenges – the most recent of which is an uptick in
unsightly and sometimes unhealthy algal blooms
fLWfisHing.com i spring 2019