Editorials

Cutting DNR stocking program a bad idea

Superiorland residents, indeed residents of the Upper Peninsula in general, who are of a certain age cringe when the word alewife is mentioned. That’s because even an average memory will vividly recall U.P. beaches in the 1960s and ’70s being a foot deep in dead alewives, reeking to high heavens, making swimming all but impossible. Where did they come from? These little invasive fish found their way into the Great Lakes from the ocean in the 19th and 20th centuries via canals. Once here, and facing no natural predators, they ate massive amounts of zooplankton, starving native fish ...

Editorial cartoon for Aug. 10, 2026

Editorial cartoon for Aug. 8, 2026

Prime time of year to visit farmers markets in area

Though seeing the summer days slip by carries a little sadness, one of the prime benefits of August is fresh produce and other products that can be purchased — often only a short time after being picked — at the farmers markets that set up in area communities. Most gardens or farms that cultivate fruits and vegetables are now far enough along in the season to have a wide variety available for sale. And many area communities, even in the Upper Peninsula, have regular days of the week or month when vendors gather with what they’ve grown this year. Locally, the Downtown Iron ...

Editorial cartoon for Aug. 7, 2026

War against sea lamprey expensive but worth the money

While it might seem to some that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is throwing good money after bad fighting the invasive sea lamprey, we support continued efforts by this agency and others to rid the Great Lakes and adjacent waters of this nasty invasive species. Sea lamprey are parasitic fish native to the Atlantic Ocean that invaded the Great Lakes via shipping canals in the early 1900s. They attach to fish with a suction-cup mouth lined with sharp teeth, feed on their body fluids, killing up to 40 pounds of fish during their parasitic phase. Many Great Lakes anglers can ruefully ...