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
Years of sand migration on the 120-foot Mount Baldy within Indiana Dunes National Park have prompted a sand management and relocation program. This spring, crews are onsite to move about 40,000 cubic yards of sand through mid-June. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-dune-migration
The northern Michigan beach town of Ludington is leaning into cultural tourism by highlighting its more than 150 years of history – including museums, lighthouses and lumber baron homes – through a new storytelling initiative. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-beach-town-tourism
The S.S. Badger is kicking off its new season with a screening of a new film about the beloved Lake Michigan car ferry. The film tells the story of the Badger — the last coal-fired steamship in operation in the United States — and explores the boat’s place in the history of railroads. Read the full story by the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260403-badger-film
A new feature-length documentary about the bay of Green Bay explores the world’s largest freshwater estuary including the birds, fish, plants, nutrient cycles and invasive species that shape its health as well as the people who influence its future. Read the full story by Green Bay Press Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-green-bay-film
Over the past 10 years, there’s been an increasing number of mystifyingly emaciated siscowet lake trout. Fishery officials are exploring food limitation, disease, impacts of sea lamprey and contaminants as possible causes of these “zombie fish.”. Read the full story by the MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-zombie-fish
Harsh winter weather has disrupted Coast Guard ice-breaking operations on the St. Marys River, forcing delays in assistance to big freighters and cargo ships that are trying to navigate the busy shipping channel between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay is now heading up to bolster ice clearing efforts. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-ice-clearing
Great Lakes cruise ships are expected to bring 23,000 visitors to destinations across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River this year with seven cruise lines in operation. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-great-lakes-cruises
A new study shows surprisingly flexible eating habits from invasive grass carp in Lake Michigan and Lake Erie suggesting these fish can survive and spread to new locations where their typical diet sources are scarce. Read the full story by Outdoor News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-grass-carp-research
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced more than $5.1 million to fund 51 projects that reduce the negative impacts of aquatic and terrestrial invasive species on natural resources, infrastructure, agriculture, and local economies supporting long-term ecosystem health, economic stability, and community wellbeing. Read the full story by LongIsland.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-invasive-species-funding
A popular fishing spot in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is looking to expand its camping footprint and is asking for public feedback. New campsites are being considered for Carp River Campground in the Hiawatha National Forest along the Lake Huron shoreline. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-proposed-campsites
Two remarkable women made waves along Lake Michigan as the first female ship owner and lighthouse keeper. Read the full story by WTMJ-TV-Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-historic-females
Throughout March, the Great Lakes have seen a decline in ice coverage dropping as low as 15% total cover last week. Heading into April, Lake Erie ice coverage is only at 1.45%. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-ice-cover
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has received a $750,000 grant to continue restoration work at Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, one of northeast Ohio’s largest remaining coastal wetlands. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-wetland-restoration-grant
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said it has stocked more than 3,000 adult trout in the Huron River and Spring Mill Pond to boost fish populations and the recreational fishery. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260401-trout-stocking
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources surveys the Great Lakes fisheries every year between April and November. This information directly informs fisheries management decisions — such as stocking levels or regulated catch limits — and provides data on the success of past actions. Read the full story by the Iron Mountain Daily.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-fish-assessments
After a day and a half of the Soo Locks being open, shipping has come to a standstill. Ice conditions and a lack of heavy U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers are creating delays for American shipping and manufacturing. Some U.S. shipping companies have suffered more than 24-hour delays. Read the full story by WLUC – TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-ice-jam
Some of the most skilled construction jobs in the Great Lakes happen in the water itself. Divers often contend with thick layers of invasive mussels that completely cover the structures they’re working on. One team near Port Huron, Michigan, has developed a method for obliterating the mollusks. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-mussel-removal
Home to one of the largest deposits of freshwater on the planet, the Great Lakes region will soon host next-generation tidal-powered generators – just as prices are being hiked across the US. Read the full story by The Guardian.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-hydropower-demand
Researchers are trying to determine how blue-green algae toxins affect people’s health when breathed through the air. Residents age 10 and older, who live, work, or recreate near Lake Erie in Lucas, Ottawa, and Sandusky counties in Ohio are invited to take part in a study to understand this potential relationship. Read the full story by WTOL – TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-algal-bloom-health-effects
A new augmented-reality floor map of the Great Lakes region has arrived at the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre in Ontario. The experience shares Indigenous knowledge and guides users along the path of an Anishinaabe Water Walker. Read the full story by The Owen Sound Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-ar-map
With no end in sight for historically low water levels in Lac St. Louis and Lake of Two Mountains, plans are being put in place to draw down Lake Ontario in order to keep the St. Lawrence Seaway at required operational levels. Read the full story by the Montreal Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-water-level-manipulation
Postage stamps featuring wildlife are helping to fund conservation and bring awareness to communities about habitat protection throughout the Great Lakes region. These stamps showcase wildlife artwork and are used as licenses for bird hunting, while also granting a free annual pass to national wildlife refuges. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-wildlife-stamps
The Lake Superior Estuarium is working on educating the public on how “good fires” can help restore Minnesota and Wisconsin Point’s forests. Read the full story by KQDS-TV- Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-new-exhibit
The state of Michigan is offering free opportunities to learn more about some problematic invasive species and related quarantines impacting the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260330-invasive-species-webinars
Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan celebrated the bipartisan American Water Stewardship Act after it passed the U.S. House. This allows reauthorization of funds for several regional water quality programs nationwide. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, or GLRI, protects and restores the Great Lakes ecosystem, targeting pollution and invasive species. Read the full story by WNEM-TV – Saginaw, Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-glri-funding
The SONS (Save Our Native Species) of Lake Erie stocked more than 1,500 brown trout into Presque Isle Bay, Pennsylvania, that they raised throughout the winter at their hatchery off the Bayfront Parkway. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-fish-stocking
After a day and a half of the Soo Locks being open, shipping has come to a standstill. Ice conditions and a lack of heavy U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers are creating delays for American shipping and manufacturing. Some U.S. shipping companies have suffered more than 24-hour delays. Read the full story by WLUC – TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-soo-locks-down
A meteor shower that has caused fireballs across the U.S. in recent days spurred another round of such sightings early Thursday in southern Michigan. Read the full story by CBS News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-meteor-showers
Between the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards, 11 ice-breaking ships operate on the Great Lakes. The U.S. supplies nine of them of which 2 are down for repair and will likely be months before they are back on the water. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-icebreakers-down
The “living” sand dune along Lake Michigan has buried beach parking lot and infrastructure within Indiana Dunes National Park. Annually the dune sand moves about five to ten feet toward the water, causing beach erosion. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-moving-dune
Shrubbery and young trees crowding the forest floor have choked the red pine stands of Park Point for nearly two centuries. This spring, a prescribed burn on Duluth’s beloved sandbar aims to help red pines regenerate by removing 17 acres of the combustible understory. Read the full story by the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-duluth-prescribed-burn
Over 4 miles out from Cleveland, Ohio, salt mines exist 18,00 feet under Lake Erie. The mines are millions of years old and every day between 11,000-14,000 tons of salt are processed there to be applied to winter roadways. Read the full story by WANE-TV – Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-erie-salt-mine
Cruise the Great Lakes officials spent time in Erie, Pennsylvania, to determine if the city can be a port site in the future. Representatives gave a rundown of the economic and tourism impact of the cruises. Read the full story by the Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-great-lakes-cruises
In the late 1800s, a Great Lakes ship captain had more to worry about than icy water and temperamental gales. There were pirates on the lakes that had their eyes set on precious cargo like timber, cattle and leather goods. Actor Tom Kastle and director Francisco Torres explain how they bring the centuries-old pirate from the sea to the stage. Read the full story by the Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260327-great-lakes-pirates
Due to climate change, the Great Lakes are heating up faster than others globally. Of all the lakes in the world, Lake Superior was identified as one of the fastest warming in 2021, and its neighbors aren’t far behind. Read the full story by Pelham Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260325-warming-regions-ontario-climate-data
Below Cleveland, Ohio, in a subterranean world many surface dwellers don’t know exists, miners extract a crucial winter mineral — salt. The Whiskey Island salt mine, owned by food giant Cargill, helps supply road salt across the Northeast and Great Lakes, where a colder, snowier-than-usual winter has driven demand. Many municipalities exhausted supplies that typically last through spring. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260325-lake-erie-salt-mine-winter-roads
According to a recent poll, 55% of Chicago residents say the Lake Michigan shorefront is Chicago’s most distinguishing feature. Lake Michigan is considered important by 94% of adults in the city and suburban Cook County, Illinois, with 59% saying it’s very or extremely important. Read the full story by Crain’s Chicago Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260325-lake-michigan-chicago-defining-assest
The Great Lakes shipping season begins when the Soo Locks, which connect Lake Superior with the lower Great Lakes, open for ship traffic just after midnight on Wednesday. But vessels begin to stir several days before the locks open and the first ship of the season left Duluth on Monday. This new season starts with cautious optimism from port officials, who hope for a rebound following a challenging previous year. Read the full story by MPR News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260325-greatlakes-shipping-season-duluth
Lake Huron’s water levels are expected to fall about 11–12 inches below the long-term average and several inches below last year, reflecting a broader trend of declining levels across the Lake Michigan–Huron system. The drop is noticeable along shorelines and could affect navigation and coastal conditions, though it is part of normal variability influenced by weather and climate patterns. Read the full story by the Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260325-lake-huron-dropping
As the St. Lawrence Seaway began its 68th navigational season this week, questions remain about what its operating season should be. The previous season ended in January, the latest closing date in history, as ice slowed down the waterway. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260325-st-lawrence-seaway-shipping-season
The Great Lakes region is wasting large amounts of usable “waste heat” from sources like power plants, data centers, and sewage systems, which could instead be captured to provide clean, low-cost energy for heating and cooling. While the technology exists, progress is slow due to financial, political, and organizational barriers rather than technical limitations. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260325-greatlakes-wasting-massive-source-clean-energy
A new initiative promising the full use of each fish cleaned in the Great Lakes region has come to Lake Erie, and Walnut Creek has the first station in the region to take the pledge. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260325-lakeerie-fish-waste-recycling
Invasive carp, weighing up to 100 pounds and eating 10% of their weight in algae every day, could pose an existential threat to the Great Lakes. A multi‑layered barrier project at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam has been stalled after the Trump administration paused the funds, leading state leaders to press for its release. Read the full story by USA Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260323-invasive-carp
