MMA is going to be supporting a study/research conducted on the Elk chain which includes Elk Lake, Skegemog Lake, Torch Lake, Clam Lake and Lake Bellaire. The MI-DNR will be collecting fish for this study in the spring and also doing surveys on the lakes. MMA has been asked to help both financially and with volunteer boats for spotlight surveys.

Here is some information about how MMA can help taken from an e-mail I received:

One other thing we have talked about for field work this year was to do some night spotlighting to determine spawning locations and numbers. Our first 2 studies in Wisconsin used our own boats and workers to do this, while our recent work has involved using Wisconsin muskies alliance volunteers, and their boats, to help with the work. In that case, we have generally provided a student or trained person to coordinate the work in a given boat, and wma provided boats and drivers, even seconds, from their members. That allows us to do far more work with the same level of dedicated effort from students or professionals. If we had 3 people with boats and 3 additional volunteers, along with me and a couple of other people to guide it, we could get that whole system done in one night. We would need 6 spotlights, trolling motors for each boat, and a second battery for running the spotlights. In any case, I would hope we will do some of it just to determine major spawning sites and numbers there.

We currently have 5 transmitters. We also have 2 recording receivers and 2 moveable field receivers. Mdnr has gotten funding to procure another 4 recording receivers. Therefore, we have the equipment necessary to follow fish. We could follow quite a few more than 5 fish, so one idea would be for the mma to purchase another 10 transmitters. The cost is about $250 each.

I am quite excited about doing this project, and hope we can get a number of fish implanted and tracked starting in spring. The transmitters we are currently using lasted for about 30 months in lake sturgeon, and were strong enough to be detected from about a mile away. So anything we do now should last over the duration of a study that would include another two summers of field work.

James S. Diana, Professor
School of Natural Resources and Environment
University of Michigan
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The MMA board approved funding for ten transmitters which cost $2500+shipping. I placed the order for them on Monday 4/07 and they will be shipped to the Charlevoix DNR office.

If you can offer volunteer assistance (you and your boat) for the spotlighting survey please let me know and I will get you on a contact list for volunteers. Either send me a PM or e-mail if you would like to offer your help (include your e-mail and a phone number). I can't tell you if these surveys will take place on a weekday or weekend. Hopefully if there are enough volunteers there will be enough boats avalialable whether it's a weekend or weekday.

This study will evaluate the muskellunge in the following waters. If connecting water is included there is more than 32,000 acres of water:
Clam 420 acres
Bellaire 1775 acres
Skegemog 2560 acres
Elk 7730 acres
Torch 18,770 acres