Recreational boating on the Great Lakes is big business. Just how big is detailed for the first time in a summary report of boating’s economic impacts recently released by the Great Lakes Commission. One of the findings: the 4.3 million recreational boats registered in the eight Great Lakes states generate nearly $16 billion in spending on boats and boating activities in a single year. The full report is available online at www.glc.org/recboat.

The “bloody-red shrimp” (Hemimysis anomala) is one of the most recent ballast water invaders in the Great Lakes. It is native to the Ponto-Caspian region of Eastern Europe—the same area from which zebra mussels originated. The shrimp was first reported in the Great Lakes by NOAA in samples collected in Muskegon, Mich., in November 2006 in waters connected to Lake Michigan. It has also been found in samples taken in Lake Ontario off Oswego, N.Y. In both locations, adults, juveniles, and pregnant females were found, indicating that this species is reproducing in the Great Lakes. Finding the bloody red shrimp in two separate locations suggests that the species may be widespread, and experts expect that it will be seen in additional locations as people begin actively looking for it. For more information, see http://seagrant.wisc.edu/AIS/.

New rules and recommendations designed to provide a more accurate measurement of groundwater pumped out of Wisconsin aquifers took effect Sept. 1. Under the rules, owners of all 9,000 high-capacity wells in the state are required to report annually how much water they pump. In addition, applicants for new high-capacity wells are required to submit more information and face environmental review for wells proposed within 1,200 feet of trout streams and other high-quality waters. For more information, see http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/gac/.