Spraying Weeds on lake and the brain surgeons behind it..........

[ROI Outdoors]

About 4 years I noticed that a local lake had a MAJOR fish kill; it was mostly panfish with an occasional bass mixed in so I called the DNR and they told me it was most likely a "natural kill" that happens every couple of years.  The problem to me with that explanation was it did not explain why there were thousands of fish all over the shore so I did some research and found that had sprayed the lake the week prior to me seeing this.  It was right at the peak of the crappie spawn and during the earlier stages of the bass spawn which seemed a little "fishy" but what can you do.

Fast forward to present day and the problem seems to be a growing one (or a dying one depending on how you look at it). I know of 4 lakes that have been sprayed over the last 72 hours with one lake seeing a significant amount of dying or dead panfish, bass, and even walleye.  What I would like to know is how spraying permits are issued and by who because they are killing fish like the weeds - there shouldn't be an ounce of chemical dropped until a majority of fish have reproduced but I guess they only care about having sandy beaches with better wake boarding water.  With this warm-up and moon phase almost every game fish is in 10 feet or less - gills, perch, crappie, smallies, largies so maybe we can just start calling it Weed & Fish Spraying now on.

One the greatest blunders in the Weed Management novel is White Lake over here on the West Side.  It used to be one of the best smallie lakes on the Lake Michigan shoreline but because of the not so bright local residents they completed killed them off - supposedly they didn't read the instructions on the drums of chemicals and simply poured the concentrate right into the water when it was supposed to be dilluted, I did not see it personally but have been told by multiple people who did and there were literally hundreds upon hundreds of dead smallies washing up on the shore all over the lake.  They dropped barrels of chemical on spawning smallmouth and now they are all but eliminated.  Why are these kinds of things allowed to occur but I am not allowed to fish for bass in March?  Maybe we should try opening up bass tourneys earlier and closing down the weed sprays until fish have moved out of the shallows - but then there would be more fish in lakes, more economic stimulation to local lake areas, more tackle and licenses sold, wait nevermind that would mean weeds on the 10' feet of frontage for some folks who have spent countless summers having sand hauled in and we can't have that...................

[Durand Dan]

See this link for the Lake Management plan that is required to be submitted.  It includes input by the lake association and the applicator. If you are aware of the meeting you can give your opinion. But when it comes right down to the spraying the applicator is licensed by the State of Michigan and is considered to be the expert on the chemicals. However, as a Commercial Pesticide Applicator myself, it basicly is a written exam that you can pass by reading several manuals. I have seen these companies setting up and doing the application. As far as I can see the process is a joke. The "more is better" thinking looks to be the criteria when spraying.

http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-wd-illm-lakeplanform.doc

[fiker]

At one of our DBA meetings this past winter the fishery biologist from the DNR came and spoke to our group.  I believe his name is Gary Towns, but I"m bad with names. 
He explained how permits were submitte, reviewed and granted. There are very few reviewers, and very little time in which they have to grant or deny permits.  I think he told us that if they don't deny the permit in a specific amount of time, the permit is automatically granted.
The DNR is supposed to take into account evey one's concerns when it comes to treating the lakes.  I don't remember him speaking to the when issue, but he did talk about the where.
They can do it withing (I think he said) 100' of shore, or 5' of water, whichever comes first. 
But what I do remember him saying is this.  If fisherman know of a particular weed bed in a lake that is a particulary significant weed bed, they should notify the DNR.  When the reviewers look at the applications, they can exclude those areas. 
The DNR is understaffed, and they guys there are doing the best that they can. 
It seemed to me that the rules, and regs are stacked in favor of the riparians, but fisherman have a say as well.  We just have to exercise our say.