Toxic algae blooms should be a concern with Lake Erie fishing, boating, swimming
To HAB or HAB not seems a matter hardly debatable, at least where Lake Erie is concerned.
Shallow, warm and surrounded by agriculture and development, the lake has been on the minds of certain watchers since gaining international attention during the summer of 2014 when a harmful algae bloom (HAB) made the city water of Toledo undrinkable for a time.
The blue-green algae bloom had been worse in 2011 and has been worse since, causing some fishermen and other boaters to shy away during peak bloom times from water and fish acknowledged by health officials to be toxic enough to trigger illness.
Short of some dramatic change in what is done on the land in terms of agricultural and residential fertilizer use, intensified by expanding feedlot operations, Lake Erie’s future seems certain to have in it at least some level of HABs subject to annual ups and downs.
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The bulk of nutrients that triggers the blooms wash down from the Maumee River basin, the annual outpouring dependent on the volume of spring rain and snow melt. Based on this year’s flow, the watchers predict the bloom likely will rank on the low end of the scale.
“We expect the bloom to be less severe than last year (severity of 6) and similar to 2020,” said the recent forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “We predict this year’s bloom to have a severity of (about) 3.5 with a potential range between 2-4.”
The level to date topped out at 10.5 in 2015 and was 10 in 2011. During the summer Toledo drew so much attention, the HAB level didn’t approach those highs.
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So while the 2022 HAB forecast was far less than dire, Lake Erie anglers, boaters and swimmers probably shouldn’t treat blooms the way most people now treat COVID, as if no health threat exists.
“The size of the bloom does not necessarily indicate how toxic it is,” NOAA cautioned in its forecast. “During calm weather scums can form, which concentrate toxins at the surface. People and pets should not swim in areas with scum. The bloom varies in size and location throughout the summer and early fall, often due to wind.”
In short, a diminished bloom makes easier avoiding areas that look like pea soup and finding plenty of space on the lake to roam safely.
Near miss
Eddie Levin, a Westerville resident who works in Emergency Medical Services for the Columbus Division of Fire, finished second in a field of 89 recently at a B.A.S.S. Nation regional tournament on the Mississippi River near Clinton, Iowa.
Levin weighed a three-day catch of 40 pounds, 1 ounce, while winner Steve Lee of Minneapolis totaled 42 pounds, 14 ounces.
Other central Ohio finishers included Will Presley Jr. of Grove City, Brian Mailot of Columbus and Steven Smith of Johnstown.
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Parting shots
A comment period is in effect through July 28 concerning a proposed 20-year moratorium on mining the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, the most visited wilderness area in the United States. A plan to mine copper in the vicinity led to the proposed moratorium based on an environmental assessment sought by the U.S. Forest Service. … The state is experimenting with a chemical to help defeat invasive Eurasian milfoil that has choked Indian Lake, making boating and fishing difficult to impossible. … Only a couple of weeks remain until the July 31 deadline for filing applications to participate in controlled hunts on state properties, including a number in central Ohio. Visit wildohio.gov and follow the links.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Toxic algae blooms cause concern about fishing, boating on Lake Erie
