The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is recruiting volunteers for a series of community beach cleanups this summer aimed at keeping debris out of Lake Erie and local waterways. Each cleanup begins at the Aquarium where groups walk about 2.5 miles roundtrip to collect litter along the shoreline. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-beach-cleanup
The Trump administration announced plans to put Michigan officials in charge of a $1.15 billion Chicago-area river barrier designed to keep invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-carp-authority
A Senate panel will convene Wednesday to discuss efforts to restore the Great Lakes five months before authorization of a major EPA program, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, is set to expire. Read the full story by E&E News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-senate-glri
After years of talk, study and approvals, a $22.8 million project to bring Lake Michigan water to Lake Zurich, Illinois, will begin this summer. Read the full story by the Daily Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-zurich-water
Cleveland-based researchers will take to Lake Erie in the coming weeks to deploy hundreds of sensor buoys to observe and detect E. coli, algal blooms, turbidity levels and more than a dozen other water-related factors in collaboration with companies and researchers from around the world. Read the full story by the Guardian.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-erie-sensors-data
A newly restored reef at Channel Island in Saginaw Bay is intended to support native fish spawning and increase their numbers, ensuring the sustainability of local fisheries. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-huron-reef
Michigan Department of Natural Resources crews added more pumps to divert water around the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex over the weekend as experts forecast more rain for the northern Lower Peninsula in the coming days. Read the full story by the Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-cheboygan-lock-pumps
Suckers are among the most abundant fish species in the Great Lakes region, they undertake large spring migrations from the lakes into tributary streams to spawn, creating one of the region’s most visible seasonal fish movements, the Sucker Run. Read the full story by Door County Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-sucker-run
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials are reminding residents not to harass Ojibwe tribal members exercising their right to spear walleye this season in the Northwoods. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-ojibwe-spearfishing
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay has carried out its winter mission to provide safe passage for ships on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Macomb Daily.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-winter-cutter
From the depths of the Great Lakes comes a new documentary revealing a world few people have ever seen, including what may be the first-ever footage of Coaster Brook Trout spawning in the outer islands of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-brook-trout-documentary
Prime Minister Mark Carney broke ground on Thursday on a long-planned port expansion near Montreal, making it the first so-called nation-building project fast-tracked for approval by the Canadian federal government to get off the ground. Read the full story by The Canadian Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-montreal-port
About 300 people drowned in the Lady Elgin disaster. The shipwreck had a major influence on maritime safety in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WBEZ – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-lady-elgin
Local and state officials are closely monitoring water levels at and around the Cheboygan Dam near Cheboygan, Michigan, after recent weather events. Water at the dam measured 21.5 inches below the top on Wednesday, and officials say safety plans are in place if levels continue to rise. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-cheboygan-dam
A recent study surveyed community perspectives on challenges and opportunities that freshwater ecosystems present among U.S. and Canadian residents along the St. Marys River. Two-thirds of participants were not familiar with the term “blue economy,” suggesting a need for greater community engagement. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-community-study
British TikToker Jason Riley’s first impression of the Michigan was how large and ferocious the Great Lakes really are. The social media influencer sat down with Michigan’s governor Gretchen Whitmer after announcing he and his content creator partner will return to Michigan for a summer adventure. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-british-tiktokers
The Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort reported three sightings of tagged male plovers on April 8. One male was nesting along Green Bay in Wisconsin, and two plovers were seen at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-plovers-return
Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ontario, is one of the largest nuclear generating stations in the world, and the warm water created as part of its operation creates a perfect environment for a diverse gathering of Lake Huron fish species. A live stream of the ‘fish city’ will take place on April 22. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-fish-city
The City of Toledo, Ohio, is investing in both recreation and environmental protection with a $1.4 million project aimed at reducing flooding and improving water quality. Construction is underway as part of a broader effort to restore natural water flow, limit runoff, and create new wildlife habitat. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-detwilier-park
A historian traces how water and rail fueled the rise and rivalry of the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, with highways and new shipping patterns later shifting that balance. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-twin-ports
Last week, the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority welcomed 80 students to Wasaga Beach, Ontario, for the Lake Huron Student Conference. At the conference, students explored how Lake Huron shapes local communities and gained practical knowledge about how they can contribute to the stewardship of this globally significant freshwater ecosystem. Read the full story by the Meaford Independent.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-lake-learning
The Fish Hatchery at Powder Mills Park in Pittsford, New York, released thousands of Atlantic salmon into Irondequoit Creek this week as part of an effort to restore the species to its native waters. Most salmon migrate to Lake Ontario within a year of release, typically in the spring. Read the full story by the Democrat and Chronicle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-salmon-release
Aboard the S.S. City of Milwaukee, docked in Manistee, Michigan, you can combine maritime history, gorgeous views and an overnight stay reminiscent of a bygone era. The 360-foot retired Great Lakes car ferry is a museum and a “boatel” all in one. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-boatel
Republican Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Ohio Senate President Rob McColley visited northwest Ohio to promote and discuss the state’s H2Ohio water quality program, which focuses on protecting Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260408-h2ohio
Community and conservation partners are extending a public invitation to explore the newly protected AuSable River Scenic Preserve in Michigan. The opportunity will be available as part of a community celebration, which has been set for Tuesday, April 14, to showcase the 42-acre riverfront nature preserve in Oscoda. Read the full story by Iosco County News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260408-sable
Spring is spawning season for Michigan’s dinosaur-like aquatic life and it’s become tradition for environmentalists to “stand guard” as this vulnerable fish population makes its way up stream. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260408-sturgeon-2
In Wisconsin, conservationists are celebrating the return of sturgeon to the Milwaukee River, 20 miles upstream from Lake Michigan. It’s the first time one of the giant fish was documented in Ozaukee County in more than a century. The discovery of the sturgeon so far from Lake Michigan signals a milestone in a massive sturgeon restoration project that’s been underway for 20 years. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260408-sturgeon
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians is working to repopulate whitefish in Lake Michigan by reintroducing them in the Bear River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gave the tribe a $200,000 grant for the project. Through this tribal wildlife grant, the band will conduct habitat surveys to find ideal instream incubation areas in the river. Read the full story by Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260408-whitefish
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation announced the recipients of grants through its Sanctuary Community Fund last week. Ideal projects aim to increase conservation efforts and public access, raise awareness about the sanctuary and its heritage, and expand community learning and public outreach. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260408-sanctuary
As the spring fishing season approaches across Central New York, state researchers and tourism leaders have organized workshops to help boat captains prepare for the tourism season in the months ahead on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Read the full story by WAER – Syracuse, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260408-anglers
Flow Water Advocates, a Traverse City-based advocacy group, is speaking out against President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request for Fiscal Year 2027, pointing to major cuts for programs supporting clean water, public health and the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260408-flow
Internal government emails show staff at the Canada Water Agency trying to make sense of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s budget cuts in response to questions from the media. Carney’s first federal budget proposed $3.8 million in lower spending by 2029-30 at the agency, and a further $1.2 million categorized as a separate “ongoing,” or permanent spending reduction, for a total of $5 million in cuts. Read the full story by the Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260408-agency
The City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, will consider a $200-million proposal to modernize port capabilities and create an industrial hub on Algoma Steel brownfield lands. Read the full story by SooToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-commercial-port
A Great Lakes freighter, the Lee. A. Tregutha, was stuck in the ice on Friday just off the Duluth, Minnesota, piers when trying to make its departure. Read the full story by KARE-TV – Minneapolis, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-duluth-freighter-ice
Aamjiwnaang First Nation is expressing concern after a pipeline that leaked into the St. Clair River has been returned to regular use and service without the community receiving information about the impacts of the leak or confirmation that it has been fully resolved. Read the full story by CKNX – Wingham, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-stclair-river-pipeline
Above-average walleye hatches in Lake Erie have occurred in eight of the past 11 years. However, perch have hit hard times, particularly in the deeper portion of the lake, and the causes for the prolonged string of poor hatches aren’t clear. Read the full story by the Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-walleye-perch
More than a decade after the idea first surfaced, a revamped proposal to buy Belle Isle and turn the public park into a privately funded housing, entertainment and retail district is drawing sharp criticism from Michigan officials and the Belle Isle Conservancy, who call the idea unrealistic. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-belle-isle-redevelopment
U.S. Coast Guard crews continue ice-breaking operations on the upper Great Lakes and St. Mary’s River in support of the Great Lakes commercial shipping season. Since the opening of the Soo Locks on March 25, the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards have assisted 23 upbound and 20 downbound commercial vessels. Read the full story by The Sault Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-commercial-vessels
Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) is preparing to install two submersible hydroelectric devices in the St Lawrence River, marking its first urban project after years of operating in Alaska and Maine. The initiative comes as electricity demand rises sharply across the Great Lakes region, driven by population density, industrial growth, and the rapid expansion of data infrastructure. Read the full story by ESG News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-stlawrence-hydropower
Recent heavy thunderstorms have been shutting down Lake Erie fishing areas for at least a few days as Lake Erie has been roiled up and its tributaries overflowing their banks. It’s going to take a few days for the wet weather and muddy waters to stabilize and begin to clear. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-erie-flooding-fishing
The Lake Huron Coastal Centre is looking for volunteers to help at the annual beach clean-up in celebration of Earth Day. Read the full story by CKNX – Wingham, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-huron-cleanup
The Whiskey Island salt mine, owned by food giant Cargill, is below Cleveland, Ohio, and helps supply road salt across the Northeast and Great Lakes, where a colder, snowier-than-usual winter has driven demand. Read the full story by WESA – Pittsburgh, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260406-erie-salt-mine
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced new initiatives to tackle microplastics in the human body and drinking water on Thursday. Zeldin said the EPA will add microplastics and pharmaceuticals to its list of concerning chemicals in drinking water. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-microplastics-initiative
The U.S. Supreme Court has left standing a decision that allows Enbridge Energy to sue the state of Michigan over its efforts to shut down the Line 5 oil-and-gas pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-pipeline-case
A federal judge has ordered partial payments be disbursed to more than 12,000 adult claimants injured in the Flint water crisis. A secondary payment from the $626 million settlement fund will go out after several appeals related to the agreement have been resolved. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-flint-settlement
The International Niagara Board of Control said that while removal of the Lake Erie-Niagara River ice boom is typically completed by April 1, a significant amount of ice remaining in the lower Niagara River pushed the removal to April 6. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-ice-boom
The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards continuing its spring ice-breaking work on the upper Great Lakes, having assisted 13 upbound and 10 downbound commercial vessels to transit the St. Marys River since the Soo Locks opened for the 2026 season on March 25. Read the full story by The Sault Ste. Marie Evening News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-ice-breaking
The Ohio Division of Wildlife on Thursday announced the daily catch limits for Lake Erie’s two primary sport fish—walleye and yellow perch—will remain unchanged for Ohio waters for the year beginning May 1 and ending April 30, 2027. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-fish-quotas
According to a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) newsletter, “winterkill,” or the process by which fish suffocate under sealed ice and float up during spring thaw, is normal and usually doesn’t wreck fish populations in the long term. Read the full story by WITL – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-winter-kill
For the start of the 2026 fishing season, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources updated possession limits, size requirements and gear definitions for various species to manage state fisheries. The changes impact popular fishing spots including Lake Superior, the Menominee River and specific lakes in the Upper Peninsula. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-fishing-regulations
