Deadline to Remove Ice Shanties in the U.P. March 31

BLACK RIVER HARBOR, MI - Sunday, March 16, 2008 - The water at Black River Harbor is so crystal clear that you can see all the way to the bottom. In the slideshow above you can clearly see how clean the water is. In one of the slides, if you look closely you might be able to spot a goby. Goby are a non-indigenous species to the Great Lakes. There have been over 200 non-indigenous plants and animals introduced to the Great Lakes since 1800. There was an interesting report released back in 2005 the discusses the impact of these alien species. To read this report, you must have Adobe Reader (it's a .pdf file) and you can [CLICK HERE].

For all counties in the Upper Peninsula, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the deadline to remove your ice shanty is by midnight on March 31, 2008.

The MDNR Law Enforcement Division reminds anglers; however, that all shanties must be removed in all areas if ice conditions become unsafe, regardless of the date. After the deadlines, shanties may be placed and removed the same day until ice conditions are deemed unsafe.

For more information about ice fishing shanty regulations and dates, anglers may consult the 2006-08 Fishing Guide. The guide is available online at the DNR's Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr.