Save Our Native Species Inc.
S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie Fishing Club
(A 501 C (3) not for profit organization)

S.O.N.S. BUILD MORE FISH HABITAT STRUCTURES

Since 1995 the SONS of Lake Erie has been in a continuing partnership with the Habitat Unit of the PA Fish and Boat Commission and the PA DCNR. In 2019 ( pre pandemic)  on October 9^th Twenty five SONS volunteers gathered at the West Boat Launch at the Presque Isle Marina along with Ben Page, leader, and five members of the PFBC Habitat team. We were joined by 12 sixth graders and two faculty members from Fairview. Together we attached precut brush to 60 pre-assembled short vertical plank fish habitat structures. The structures were loaded onto two specially equipped boats by a high lift supplied by Presque Isle State Park. The boats which were operated by the PFBC team and crewed by some of the students from Fairview transported the structures to an area on the north side of the Marina Lake and placed in about 12 ft of water.

That year the  PFBC purchased 60 pre-built vertical plank habitat structures which were already staged in the parking lot. In other years we assembled the structures on sight with materials provided by the SONS. These pre-assembled structures cost $80 each and were paid for through our Lake Erie Stamp monies. The structures were weighted down with 8 concrete blocks.

In 2020 the program continued without our help due to the pandemic however, the Fish Commission team placed another 60 pre constructed vertical plank fish structures into the Presque Isle marina Lake.

In 2021the PFBC  Fish Habitat team headed by Ben Ford came to Erie on Wednesday October 13^th and continued the  placement of fish habitat structures in Presque Isle Bay. They set up at the West boat launch in the Presque Isle Marina. The team brought two especially equipped boats for placing habitat structures in the water to Erie. Twenty- two SONS volunteers came to assist in the project.

In 2022 on October 12, the habitat team from the PFBC led by Ben Ford again came to Erie where we met them at a parking lot on Misery Bay on Presque Isle State Park. They were met by 15 SONS volunteers where they readied 80 pre fabricated vertical plank fish habitat structures for placement into the waters of Misery Bay. The used banding tools to attach pre cut brush to the assemblies to provide more hiding places for the fish. When the structures were completed, a high lift which was furnished by the DCNR, was used to move them onto two PFBC specially equipped boats which were used to transport them to the deployment area. 

In 2023
On Thursday October 26, 2023 seventeen SONS  of Lake Erie volunteers joined in with a team of six PFBC habitat specialists led by Ben Page for the purpose of placing more habitat structures into Presque isle Bay. We have partnered with PFBC every year since 1995. During that period  more than 800 structures have been built and placed into Presque Isle Bay and adjacent waters as part of he program. This year there were an additional 84 vertical plank structures placed into the waters off of the area of the Niagara boat launch on PI State Park.

 The structures were purchased pre built using funds from the Lake Erie Access program. In the past the SONS supplied the material and volunteers assembled them. All that was needed to be completed this year called for the volunteers to attach bundles of brush to the assembled structures. A back hoe and driver from DCNR moved the structures into position for the attachments. 

The completed assemblies were then placed into a specially equipped PFBC boat and carried out into their final placement area. 

SONS volunteers prepared a lunch for all of the participants which also included volunteers from FishUSA and three out of town attendees from the North American Lake Management conference which was being held in Erie.

The funding to pay for the assemblies was secured from the Lake Erie Access fund which is paid for by a special stamp which is purchased by anglers as a license to fish the waters of Lake Erie and its tributaries.

Lunch was prepared and provided for all those who participated.

 A map showing all of the locations where structures have been placed since 1995 and their GPS coordinates can be seen on the PFBC web site at https://www.fishandboat.com/Resource/Habitat/Documents/lakePlans/presque_isle.pdf 

Since 1995 this partnership with PFBC and DCNR has placed more than 800 fish habitat structures in and around Presque Isle Bay. We also financed the placement of rubble mound reef type structure in Stink Hole in Presque Isle Bay.

2024 Habitat

PI BAY HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ENTERS 29^th YEAR

Like last year On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, the habitat Improvement crew from the PA Fish and Boat Commission assembled at the Niagara boat Launch at Presque Isle State Park in order to continue the Presque Isle Bay fish habitat program,  This year the team added 80 more to the program. They were assisted by 20 SONS of Lake Erie volunteers and 10 building trades students from Erie High School. Following a brief safety briefing by Team Leader Ben Page, the structures made ready to launch by the volunteers attaching bundles of brush to them in order to make them more attractive to the fish.  Now the structures are purchased pre-assembled using funds appropriated from the purchase of the Lake Erie Stamp.

The assembled structures were transported out into the Bay by a specially equipped PFBC boat. Using special electronic gear they are placed in predetermined pattern. This year some were in Stink Hole and others were added to an existing  row in about 14 ft of water just west of the Niagara Launch. Each of the students from Erie High was afforded the opportunity to ride out with the boat to place the structures.

A lunch for all of the participants was prepared and served by SONS volunteers. We have always enjoyed this project and it was especially enjoyable this year watching and working with the Erie High students.

A map showing the location of the structures is posted on the PFBC web site or      HERE

Click Here for the Habitat Page

2024 HABITAT

2023 HABITAT

2022 HABITAT

2021 HABITAT

The Habitat Team from the PFBC recently posted videos that they took around the fish habitat structures in Presque Isle Bay. The above are screen grabs taken from those videos. To see them go to YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7IGRcE6cx8  There is another video that was taken at Beltzville Lake in Pennsylvania in 2018. It can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVVGvr3bmxo  you can see that they are obviously working by attracting fish.

Below are some screen shots from YOU TUBE