GLIN==> Fishing Could Help Ohio's Clean Marinas' Revenue

Fishing Could Help Ohio's Clean Marinas' Revenue

 

Rising fuel costs are leading to a decreasing number of boaters using Ohio's
marinas, leaving marina owners to look for business opportunities other than
boating. Funded by the Lake Erie Protection Fund, Ohio Sea Grant Extension
Educators Colleen Wellington and Tory Gabriel found the underwater structure
of boating marinas attracts a lot of fish, making the docks a good spot for
fishing.

 

"We know that fish habitat in marinas is pretty good, but we wanted to know
if we could enhance it and draw more fish to provide fishing to draw
clientele for marina owners," Wellington says.

 

Using PVC piping, the two researchers constructed underwater structures and
sunk them in seven Certified Ohio Clean Marinas from Port Clinton to Geneva
to determine how many fish they would attract. Juvenile fish and panfish
utilize structures to avoid predators and the presence of these small fish
attract the larger predatory fish. Previous research found that artificial
habitat structures had attracted fish in reservoirs.

 

The researchers found that the structures didn't attract many additional
fish in the area and hypothesize that the habitat of the marinas samples was
already sufficient. In this case, adding a new structure likely wouldn't see
much added benefit. Controlled angling produced an average catch rate of 8.5
fish per hour in the five marinas where fishing is permitted, with a maximum
of 46 fish per hour at one location.

 

Some marinas don't allow fishing because it would interfere with boat
traffic and others are private, but since they have shallow, warm water that
produces a lot of food, fishing may be an opportunity for marina owners to
promote their location from a different angle and introduce Ohio's next
generation of anglers to the sport.

 

The Ohio Clean Marinas Program is a proactive partnership designed to
encourage marinas and boaters to use simple, innovative solutions to keep
Ohio's coastal and inland waterways clean. The program assists participating
marina operators in protecting the resources that provide their
livelihood-clean water and fresh air. The primary goal of the program is to
encourage environmental stewardship by encouraging marinas and boaters to
adopt a series of best management practices that help increase awareness of
environmental laws, rules, and jurisdictions.

 

For more information on the Ohio Clean Marinas Program, visit the website at
ohiocleanmarina.osu.edu.

 

###

 

Contact:

 

Colleen G. Wellington, Ohio Clean Marinas Program Coordinator, 419.609.4120,
wellington.28 at osu.edu.

 

Tory Gabriel, Ohio Sea Grant Extension Educator, 419.898.3631,
gabriel.78 at osu.edu.

 




 

 

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