Here's another interesting perspective on the hole thing.

The following blog message was written on today's Sandusky Register website:

johnhunter wrote on Feb 8, 2009 10:39 AM:

" The Coast Guard ice breaker Makinaw opened up a 50 - 100 foot path a few miles north of the ice rescue area around 9:05AM, as they crossed the western basin of Lake Erie.
The crack was 18" then, 300 - 500 ice fishermen crossed it without problem, the wind was South, and the rescue occurred shortly after the ice breaker went through.
30 years of ice fishing experience tells me the ice would not have shifted more than a few inches if the ice breaker did not go through, it simply had no place to go. This has happened before. The Coast Guard was asked and agreed to notify the public then. They always do an excellent job of protecting the public on the lake, and I have the highest respect for their service and dedication. This time I think someone forgot.
I was not there yesterday, because crossing that crack with 30 mph South wind was not a good idea. "

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It seems to me after reading this post and talking to a number of different people about this matter, that a life, and a heck of lot of stress, anxiety and money could have been saved if a notification procedure was better coordinated between the Coast Guard, the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department and the media. Everyone knows that the Western Basin of Lake Erie is one of the greatest places on earth to catch walleye. The ice fisherman will come as long as there is safe ice (of course this term is relative). Some will obviously also come when conditions warrant staying at home. I'll bet $20.00 that 90% of the people on that ice flow had no knowledge of the coast guard activities. Had they known, I'll bet the overwhelming majority of them would have stayed home or would have ventured off somewhere else.

Ice fisherman spend there hard earned money when they come to fish in Ottawa County. They fuel up at gas stations. They eat in restaurants. They stay in motels and they shop at local bait outlets as well as stores. Rather than criticize them, how about having the local officials work a little bit harder to advise people of this additional risk (that being ice cutter activities) before it happens? If the State Park officials would have been advised of the matter (before it happened), they could have posted a sign of some sort or at least told people about it. I just think that more focus needs to be cast upon better notification rather than criticizm.


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Edited 1 time by Bigbass101 02/09/2009 15:46.