Editing Lake Erie (section)

==Economy==

===Fishing===

====Species of fish====
[[File:Erie 07-04-2008 01;14;23PM.JPG|thumb|Summer morning west of [[Cleveland]]]]
Lake Erie is home to one of the world's largest freshwater commercial fisheries. Lake Erie's fish populations are the most abundant of the Great Lakes, partially because of the lake's relatively mild temperatures and plentiful supply of [[plankton]], which is the basic building block of the [[food chain]].<ref name="twsX14b"/> The lake's fish population accounts for an estimated 50% of all fish inhabiting the Great Lakes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politifact.com/ohio/statements/2012/mar/22/marcy-kaptur/rep-marcy-kaptur-says-lake-erie-has-more-native-fi/|title=Rep. Marcy Kaptur says Lake Erie has more native fish than all other Great Lakes combined|access-date=September 4, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203022230/http://www.politifact.com/ohio/statements/2012/mar/22/marcy-kaptur/rep-marcy-kaptur-says-lake-erie-has-more-native-fi/|url-status=live}}</ref> The lake contains [[Rainbow trout|steelhead]],<ref name=twsZ14/> [[walleye]] (known in Canada as pickerel),<ref name=twsX14b/><ref name=twsZ14/> [[largemouth bass]], [[smallmouth bass]],<ref name=twsZ14/> [[perch]],<ref name="twsZ14">{{cite news |author=Weisberg |first=Deborah |date=January 27, 2008 |title=Fishing: Meet the burbot: The freshwater cod are running, but night fishing at Lake Erie can be brutally cold |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08027/852559-358.stm |access-date=January 26, 2011 |archive-date=November 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109052948/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08027/852559-358.stm |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[lake trout]], [[Chinook salmon|king salmon]], whitefish, [[Smelt (fish)|smelt]], and many others.<ref name=twsX14b/> The lake consists of a long list of well established [[introduced species]]. Common non-indigenous fish species include the [[rainbow smelt]], [[alewife (fish)|alewife]], [[white perch]] and [[common carp]]. Non-native sport fish such as [[rainbow trout]] and [[brown trout]] are stocked specifically for anglers to catch. Attempts failed to stock [[coho salmon]], and its numbers are dwindling. Commercial landings are dominated by yellow perch and walleye, with substantial quantities of rainbow smelt and white bass also taken. Anglers target walleye and yellow perch, with some effort directed at rainbow trout.

Up until the end of the 1950s, the most commonly caught commercial fish (more than 50% of the commercial catch) was a subspecies of the walleye known as the [[blue walleye]] (''Sander vitreus glaucus'') sometimes erroneously called "blue pike". In the 1970s and 1980s, as pollution in the lake declined, counts of walleyes which were caught grew from 112,000 in 1975 to 4.1&nbsp;million in 1985, with estimates of the numbers of walleyes in the lake at around 33 million in the basin, with many of {{convert|8|lb}} or more.<ref name="twsJanY211">{{cite news |author=Husar |first=John |date=August 18, 1985 |title=Here's Proof Lake Erie's Alive And Well |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/08/18/heres-proof-lake-eries-alive-and-well/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807122426/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-08-18/sports/8502240030_1_lake-erie-walleyes-lunkers |archive-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref> Not all walleyes thrived. The combination of overfishing and the [[eutrophication]] of the lake by pollution caused the population to collapse, and in the mid-1980s, the blue walleye was declared extinct. But the Lake Erie walleye was reportedly having record numbers, even in 1989, according to one report.<ref name=twsX41>{{cite news
 |author       = Julie Sheer
 |title        = Fishing Hole of the Week
 |newspaper    = Chicago Tribune
 |date         = March 30, 1989
 |url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/03/30/fishing-hole-of-the-week-12/
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 4, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111204131329/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-03-30/sports/8903310711_1_lake-erie-walleye-minnows
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

There have been concerns about rising levels of mercury in walleye fish; a study by the Canadian Ministry of the Environment noted an "increasing concentration trend" but that concentrations were within acceptable limits established by authorities in Pennsylvania.<ref name="twsX511" /> Because of the threat of [[PCBs]], It was recommended, that persons eat no more than one walleye meal per month.<ref name="twsX511">{{cite news
 |author       = Deborah Weisberg
 |title        = Mercury levels rising
 |newspaper    = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 |date         = July 4, 2010
 |url          = http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10185/1070323-358.stm
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 2, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101202135837/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10185/1070323-358.stm
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> Because of these and other concerns, in 1990, the National Wildlife Federation was on the verge of having a "negative fish consumption ''advisory''" for walleye and smallmouth bass, which had been the main catch of an $800&nbsp;million commercial fishing industry.<ref name="twsX513">{{cite news
 |author       = John Husar
 |title        = Mussel Mess A Heavy Burden For Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = Chicago Tribune
 |date         = January 31, 1990
 |url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/01/31/mussel-mess-a-heavy-burden-for-lake-erie/
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 4, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111204140906/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-01-31/sports/9001090502_1_lake-erie-lake-michigan-walleyes
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

The longest fish in Lake Erie is reportedly the [[sturgeon]] which can grow to {{convert|10|ft}} long and weight {{convert|300|lb}}, but it is an [[endangered species]] and mostly lives on the bottom of the lake.<ref name=twsX27a/> In 2009, there was a confirmed instance of a sturgeon being caught, which was returned to the lake alive, and there are hopes that the population of sturgeons is resurging.<ref name=twsX32>{{cite news
 |author       = Deborah Weisberg
 |title        = Sturgeon resurgence in Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 |date         = July 19, 2009
 |url          = http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09200/984887-358.stm
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = November 24, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111124072727/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09200/984887-358.stm
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>

====Commercial fishing====
[[File:Lake Erie Sunset with fish net.JPG|thumb|right|Sunset on Lake Erie seen through a fishing net]]
Estimates vary about the fishing market for the Great Lakes region. In 2007, one estimate of the total market for fishing in the Great Lakes, including commercial and recreational fishing, was $4&nbsp;billion annually.<ref name=twsX412a/> Another estimate was more than $7&nbsp;billion.<ref name="twsX14b"/> But since high levels of pollution were discovered in the 1960s and 1970s, there has been continued debate over the desired intensity of commercial fishing. Commercial fishing in Lake Erie has been hurt by pollution as well as government regulations which limit the size of their catch; one report suggested that the numbers of fishing boats and employees had declined by two-thirds in recent decades.<ref name="twsX14b" /> Another concern had been that pollution in the lake, as well as toxins found inside fish, were working against commercial fishing interests.<ref name="twsX215" />

U.S. fishermen based along Lake Erie lost their livelihood over the past few decades and no longer catch fish such as whitefish for markets in New York.<ref name=twsX314a>{{cite news
 |author       = Dennis B. Roddy
 |title        = Caught in a net of laws and bans, fishermen lost their livelihood
 |newspaper    = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 |date         = September 30, 2010
 |url          = http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10273/1091470-454.stm
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = October 3, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101003072413/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10273/1091470-454.stm
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> Pennsylvania had a special $3 stamp on fishing licenses to help "compensate commercial fishermen for their losses", but this program ended after five years.<ref name=twsX314a/> One blamed the commercial fishing ban on a "test of wills" between commercial and recreational fishermen: "One side needed large hauls. The other feared the lake was being emptied."<ref name=twsX314a/>

[[File:15-04-19 008 Modern fish tug, AMANDA MAY on Lake Erie.jpg|thumb|right|Canadian commercial fishing boat coming into the harbor at Port Burwell on Lake Erie]]
Commercial fishing is now predominantly based in Canadian communities, with a much smaller fishery—largely restricted to [[yellow perch]]—in Ohio. The Ontario fishery is one of the most intensively managed in the world. However, there are reports that some Canadian commercial fishermen are dissatisfied with fishing quotas and have sued the government about this matter, and there have been complaints that the legislative body writing the quotas is dominated by the U.S. and that sport fishing interests are favored at the expense of commercial fishing interests.<ref name=twsZ32>{{cite news
 |publisher=The Windsor Star 
 |title=Lake Erie fishermen suing government over quotas 
 |website=Canada.com 
 |date=September 18, 2007 
 |url=http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/story.html?id=c664e767-a81e-450e-b471-c90bd072691b&k=54718 
 |access-date=January 26, 2011 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828013743/http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/story.html?id=c664e767-a81e-450e-b471-c90bd072691b&k=54718 
 |archive-date=August 28, 2012 
}}</ref> Cuts of 30 to 45 percent for certain fish were made in 2007.<ref name=twsZ32/> The Lake Erie fishery was one of the first fisheries in the world managed on individual transferable quotas and features mandatory daily catch reporting and intensive auditing of the catch reporting system. Still, the commercial fishery is the target of critics who would like to see the lake managed for the exclusive benefit of sport fishing and the various industries serving the sport fishery. According to one report, the Canadian town of [[Port Dover, Ontario|Port Dover]] is the home of the lake's largest fishing fleet.<ref name=twsX18/>

====Government regulations====
The lake can be thought of as a common asset with multiple purposes including being a fishery. There was direct competition between commercial fishermen and sport fishermen (including charter boats and sales of fishing licenses) throughout the lake's history, with both sides seeking government assistance from either [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] or [[Ottawa]], and trying to make their case to the [[public opinion|public]] through newspaper reporting.<ref name=twsJanY314>{{cite news
 |title        = A GREAT INDUSTRY IN DANGER; The Fish Supply of Lake Erie Likely to be Exhausted Unless the State of Ohio Takes Action.
 |newspaper    = The New York Times
 |date         = January 31, 1895
 |url          = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20913F8395911738DDDA80B94D9405B8585F0D3
 |access-date  = January 25, 2010
 |archive-date = November 11, 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20121111024109/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20913F8395911738DDDA80B94D9405B8585F0D3
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> But other groups have entered the political process as well, including [[environmentalism|environmentalists]], lakefront property owners, industry owners and workers seeking cost-effective solutions for sewage, ferry boat operators, even corporations making electric-generating wind turbines.

Management of the fishery is by consensus of all management agencies with an interest in the resource and work under the mandate of the [[Great Lakes Fishery Commission]]. The commission makes assessments using sophisticated [[mathematical model]]ing systems. The commission has been the focus of considerable recrimination, primarily from angler and charter fishing groups in the U.S. which have had a historical antipathy to commercial fishing interests. This conflict is complex, dating from the 1960s and earlier, with the result in the United States that, in 2011, commercial fishing was mostly eliminated from Great Lakes states. One report suggests that battling between diverse fishing interests began around Lake Michigan and evolved to cover the entire Great Lakes region.<ref>[http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/9.1/szylvian.html Szylvian, K.M. 2004.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305053512/http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/9.1/szylvian.html |date=March 5, 2009 }} ''Transforming Lake Michigan into the 'World's Greatest Fishing Hole': The Environmental Politics of Michigan's Great Lakes Sport Fishing, 1965–1985.''</ref> The analysis suggests that in the Lake Erie context, the competition between sport and commercial fishing involves universals and that these conflicts are cultural, not scientific, and therefore not resolvable by reference to ecological data.<ref>Berkes, F. 1984. Competition between commercial and sport fishermen: an ecological analysis. Human Ecology 12: 413–429.</ref>

====Sport fishing====
The lake supports a strong sport fishery. While commercial fishing declined, sport fishing has remained. The deep cool waters that spawn the best fishing is in the Canadian side of the lake.<ref name="twsX413a">{{cite news |author=Hall |first=Mimi |date=March 27, 2008 |title=Going fishing? Pack your passport |newspaper=USA TODAY |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-03-26-fishing_N.htm |access-date=January 24, 2011 |quote=That's because half of Lake Erie – as it happens, the half with the deeper and cooler waters that often spawn the best fishing – is in Canada. |archive-date=November 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104124707/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-03-26-fishing_N.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> As a result, a fishing boat that crosses the international border triggers the security concerns of border crossings, and fishermen are advised to carry their passport.<ref name=twsX413a/> If their boat crosses the invisible border line in the lake, upon returning to the American shore, passengers need to report to a local border protection office.<ref name=twsX413a/>

In 2008, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission tried stocking the lake with [[brown trout]] in an effort to build what's called a ''put-grow-and-take'' fishery.<ref name="twsJanY115">{{cite news
 |author       = Deborah Weisberg
 |title        = Looking ahead to 2009 (and '10): New plan to stock trout in Erie steelhead streams
 |newspaper    = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 |date         = December 28, 2008
 |url          = http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08363/938086-358.stm
 |access-date  = January 25, 2010
 |archive-date = November 24, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111124074306/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08363/938086-358.stm
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> There was a report that charter boat fishing increased substantially on the American side, from 46 to 638 charter boats in operation in Ohio alone, during a period from 1975 to 1985 as pollution levels declined and after populations of walleye increased substantially in the lake.<ref name="twsJanY211" /> In 1984, Ohio sold 27,000 nonresident fishing permits, and sport fishing was described as big business.<ref name="twsJanY211" /> In 1992, there were accounts of fishermen regularly catching walleye weighing up to {{convert|12|lb|abbr=}}.<ref name="twsJanY212">{{cite news |author=Husar |first=John |date=December 6, 1992 |title=Feeding Frenzy: Lake Erie Is Awash In Hungry Walleye |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/12/06/feeding-frenzy-lake-erie-is-awash-in-hungry-walleye/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204134920/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-12-06/sports/9204210276_1_lake-erie-big-fish-charter-captain |archive-date=December 4, 2011}}</ref> It is possible to fish off piers in winter for [[burbot]]; the burbot make a midwinter spawning run and is reportedly one of Erie's glacial relics.<ref name="twsZ14" />

====Ice fishing====
In winter when the lake freezes, many fishermen go out on the ice, cut holes, and fish. It is even possible to build bonfires on the ice.<ref name=twsJanY114>{{cite news
 |author       = Christopher maag
 |title        = On Great Lakes, Winter Is Served Straight Up
 |newspaper    = The New York Times
 |date         = February 19, 2006
 |url          = https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/national/19lake.html
 |access-date  = January 25, 2010
 |archive-date = August 11, 2014
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140811014803/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/national/19lake.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> But venturing on Lake Erie ice can be dangerous. In a 2009 incident, warming temperatures, winds of {{convert|35|mph}} and currents pushing eastward dislodged a miles-wide ice floe which broke away from the shore, trapping more than 130 fishermen offshore; one man died while the rest were rescued by helicopters or boats.<ref name="twsX16">{{cite web |author=Seewer |first=John |date=February 7, 2009 |title=Officials: 1 dead, 134 rescued from Lake Erie ice |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/07/hundreds-trapped-on-ice-i_n_164908.html |access-date=January 24, 2011 |website=Huffington Post |archive-date=November 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112091002/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/07/hundreds-trapped-on-ice-i_n_164908.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{blockquote|The day began with fishermen setting down wooden pallets to create a bridge over a crack in the ice so they could roam farther out on the lake. But the planks fell into the water when the ice shifted, stranding the fishermen about 1,000 yards offshore ... When fishermen realized late Saturday morning that the ice had broken away, they began to debate the best way off. Some chose to sit and wait for authorities, while others headed east in search of an ice bridge ... Others managed to get to land on their own by riding their all-terrain vehicles about five miles east to where ice hadn't broken away. ... When the rescued fishermen made it to shore, authorities had them line up single-file to take down their names.|John Seewer, February 2009<ref name=twsX16/>}}

===Agriculture===
[[File:Lonz Winery 6-27-10.jpg|thumb|right|Winery on [[Middle Bass Island]]]]
The lake's formerly more extensive lakebed creates a favorable environment for agriculture in the bordering areas of Ontario, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York. The Lake Erie sections of western New York have a suitable climate for growing grapes, and there are many vineyards and wineries in [[Chautauqua County, New York|Chautauqua County]] and [[Erie County, Pennsylvania|Erie County]].<ref name="twsX42">{{cite news |author=Batz Jr. |first=Bob |date=October 22, 2006 |title=Well-trod Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail features explosion of wineries |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06295/731405-34.stm |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=May 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522012228/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06295/731405-34.stm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Canadian region of Lake Erie's north shore is becoming a more prominent wine region as well; it has been dubbed the Lake Erie North Shore, or LENS region, and includes Pelee Island,<ref name="twsZ52">{{cite news |author=VanderKlippe |first=Nathan |date=January 26, 2011 |title=Sample Canada's finest wine by visiting its exquisite graperies |newspaper=Vancouver Sun |url=https://vancouversun.com/travel/Sample+Canada+finest+wine+visiting+exquisite+graperies/1600568/story.html |url-status=dead |access-date=January 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902031038/http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Sample%2BCanada%2Bfinest%2Bwine%2Bvisiting%2Bexquisite%2Bgraperies/1600568/story.html |archive-date=September 2, 2010}}</ref> and since it is farther north than comparable wine-growing areas in the world, the length of the days in the summer are longer.<ref name=twsX415/> A longer growing season because of the lake-moderated temperatures make the risk of early frosts less likely.<ref name="twsX415">{{cite news |author=Pinkus |first=Michael |date=September 3, 2009 |title=Cork set to pop off Lake Erie wineries |newspaper=The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/specialsections/localwines/article/688943--cork-set-to-pop-off-lake-erie-wineries |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=June 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606061318/http://www.thestar.com/specialsections/localwines/article/688943--cork-set-to-pop-off-lake-erie-wineries |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The drainage basin has led to well fertilized soil. The north coast of Ohio is widely referred to as its nursery capital.<ref>[http://www.lakecountyoh.net/businessmenu/business.php Lake County Ohio Business and Personal Directory] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617072857/http://www.lakecountyoh.net/businessmenu/business.php |date=June 17, 2012 }}</ref>

===Tourism===

====Diving for shipwrecks====
Lake Erie is a favorite for divers since there are many shipwrecks, perhaps 1,400 to 8,000 according to one estimate,<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> of which about 270 are confirmed shipwreck locations.<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> Research into shipwrecks has been organized by the Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center, located on the grounds of the Great Lakes Historical Society.<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> Most wrecks are undiscovered but believed to be well preserved and at most {{convert|200|ft|m}} below the water surface.<ref name="twsX15a">{{cite news |author=Nass |first=Shannon M. |date=October 3, 2010 |title=Lake Erie shipwrecks, well-preserved by fresh water, are favorites among divers |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10276/1091928-140.stm |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=November 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124080448/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10276/1091928-140.stm |url-status=dead }}</ref> One report suggests there are more wrecks per square mile than any other [[Fresh water|freshwater]] location, including wrecks from Indigenous watercraft. There are efforts to identify shipwreck sites and survey the lake floor to map the location of underwater sites, possibly for further study or exploration.<ref name=twsX28a/> While the lake is relatively warmer than the other Great Lakes, there is a thermocline, meaning that as a diver descends, the water temperature drops about {{convert|30|F-change|abbr=out}}, requiring a [[wetsuit]].<ref name=twsX15a/> One estimate is that Lake Erie has a quarter of all 8,000 estimated shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.<ref name=twsX15a/> They are preserved because the water is cold and salt-free.<ref name=twsX15a/> Divers have a policy of not removing or touching anything at the wreck.<ref name=twsX15a/> The cold conditions make diving difficult, requiring divers with skill and experience.<ref name=twsX15a/> One charter firm from western New York State takes about 1,500 divers to Lake Erie shipwrecks in a typical season from April through October.<ref name=twsX15a/>

{{blockquote|Among the diving community, they are considered world class, offering opportunities to visit an underwater museum that most people will never see.|reporter Shannon M. Nass of the ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'', 2010<ref name=twsX15a/>}}

[[File:Steamship General Anthony Wayne.jpg|thumb|right|The paddle steamer ''Anthony Wayne'' sank in 1850 and was located in 2006 about {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} north of Vermilion, Ohio.]]

In 1991, the 19th-century [[paddle steamer]] ''Atlantic'' was discovered.<ref name=twsX23/> It had sunk in 1852 after a collision with the steamship ''Ogdensburg'', {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} west of [[Long Point, Ontario]], and survivors from ''Atlantic'' were saved by the crew of ''Ogdensburg''.<ref name=twsX23/><ref name=twsJanY315>{{cite news
 |title        = The Catastrophe on Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = The New York Times
 |date         = August 23, 1852
 |url          = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F7061FFE3955147B93C1AB1783D85F468584F9
 |access-date  = January 25, 2010
 |archive-date = November 11, 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20121111024121/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F7061FFE3955147B93C1AB1783D85F468584F9
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> One account suggests 130 people drowned<ref name=twsX23/> while another suggests about 20 drowned.<ref name=twsJanY315/> There was speculation that the sunken vessel had been a gambling ship, and therefore there might have been money aboard, but most historians were skeptical.<ref name=twsX23>{{cite news
 |title        = Lake Erie Journal; A Dive to Solve a Treasure Mystery
 |newspaper    = The New York Times
 |date         = June 28, 1991
 |url          = https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/28/us/lake-erie-journal-a-dive-to-solve-a-treasure-mystery.html
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = May 24, 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130524211804/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/28/us/lake-erie-journal-a-dive-to-solve-a-treasure-mystery.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

In 1998, the wreckage of ''Adventure'' became the first shipwreck registered as an "underwater archaeological site"; when it was discovered that ''Adventure''{{'}}s propeller had been removed and given to a junkyard. The propeller was reclaimed days before being converted to scrap metal and brought back to the dive site.<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> In 2003, divers discovered the steamer ''Canobie'' near Presque Isle, which had sunk in 1921.<ref name="twsX28a">{{cite news |author=Spice |first=Byron |date=June 16, 2003 |title=Archaeologists surveying Lake Erie floor for shipwrecks |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20030616underwater0616p2.asp |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=November 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124074313/http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20030616underwater0616p2.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other wrecks include the fish tub ''Neal H. Dow'' (1910), the "steamer-cum-barge" ''Elderado'' (1880),<ref name="twsX28a" /> ''W. R. Hanna'',<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> ''Dundee'' which sank north of Cleveland in 1900,<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> ''F. H. Prince'',<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> and ''The Craftsman''.<ref name="twsZ41a2"/> In 2007, the wreck of the steamship named after [[Anthony Wayne|"Mad" Anthony Wayne]] was found near [[Vermilion, Ohio]], in {{convert|50|ft|m}} of water; the vessel sank in 1850 after its boilers exploded, and 38 people died.<ref name="twsZ37" /> The wreck belongs to the state of Ohio, and salvaging it is illegal, but divers can visit.<ref name="twsZ37">{{cite news
 |agency       = Associated Press
 |title        = 1850 shipwreck found in Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = The Star
 |date         = June 21, 2007
 |url          = https://www.thestar.com/article/227944
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = October 23, 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20121023100213/http://www.thestar.com/article/227944
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> In addition, there are wrecks of smaller vessels, with occasional drownings of fishermen.<ref name="twsX214">{{cite news
 |author       = Art Barnum
 |title        = Lake Erie Search Ends For Missing Fisherman
 |newspaper    = Chicago Tribune
 |date         = April 19, 1994
 |url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/04/19/lake-erie-search-ends-for-missing-fisherman/
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 4, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111204134642/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-04-19/news/9404190247_1_lake-erie-toledo-and-cleveland-capsized
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

====Public parks====
[[File:PresqueIsleStatePark.JPG|thumb|right|[[Presque Isle State Park]] in Pennsylvania is a [[peninsula]] in Lake Erie]]

There are numerous public parks around the lake. In western Pennsylvania, a [[Roderick Wildlife Reserve|wildlife reserve]] was established in 1991 in Springfield Township for hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing and walking along the beach.<ref name="twsX17">{{Cite news |first=Anya |last=Sostek |date=December 25, 2010 |title=Western Pa. Conservancy secures 113 acres along Lake Erie |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10359/1113491-454.stm |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=January 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105025227/http://post-gazette.com/pg/10359/1113491-454.stm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Ontario, Long Point is a peninsula on the northwest shore near Port Rowan that extends {{convert|20|mi|km}} into Lake Erie which is a stopover for birds migrating as well as turtles; [[Long Point Provincial Park]] is located there and has been designated as a [[Man and the Biosphere Programme|UNESCO Biosphere reserve]].<ref name=twsX18/> In Ontario's Sand Hill Park, east of [[Port Burwell, Ontario|Port Burwell]], there is a {{convert|450|ft|m|adj=on}} high dune which people climb for picturesque views of the lake.<ref name="twsZ35b">{{Cite news |first=Rebecca |last=Field Jager|date=April 9, 2010 |title=Central Canada charms: On the Erie shores, a very eerie sight |work=National Post |url=https://nationalpost.com/m/story.html?id=2783949&s=Life&p=2 |access-date=January 26, 2011}}{{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref> In southern Michigan, [[Sterling State Park]] has campgrounds, {{convert|1300|acre|ha}} for hiking, biking, fishing, boating, with a sand beach for sunbathing, swimming, and picnicking.<ref name="twsZ13">{{Cite news |first=Lee |last=Grayson |date=January 26, 2011 |title=Campgrounds in Southern Michigan |work=USA Today: Travel |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/campgrounds-southern-michigan-4805.html |access-date=January 26, 2011 |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125064732/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/campgrounds-southern-michigan-4805.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Biking====
In 1997, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reporter Donna Marchetti took a bike tour around the Lake Erie perimeter, traveling {{convert|40|mi}} per day and staying at [[bed and breakfast]]s.<ref name="twsX18">{{cite news |author=Marchetti |first=Donna |date=June 29, 1997 |title=Circling Lake Erie by Bike |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/29/travel/circling-lake-erie-by-bike.html |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715064544/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/29/travel/circling-lake-erie-by-bike.html |url-status=live }}</ref> She biked through the cities of Cleveland, Erie, Windsor, Detroit and Toledo as well as resort towns, vineyards, and cornfields.<ref name=twsX18/> The trip highlights were the "small port towns and rural farmlands of southern Ontario".<ref name=twsX18/> There are few bike repair shops in Ontario on the route.<ref name=twsX18/>

====Islands====
[[File:Alvar4.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Alvar]] habitat on [[Kelleys Island, Ohio|Kelleys Island]]. [[South Bass Island]] visible in distance.]]

Lake Erie islands tend to be in the westernmost part of the lake and have different characters. Some of them include:
*Kelleys Island has activities such as beach lounging, hiking, biking, and viewing the deep [[Glacial striation|glacial grooves]] in the [[bedrock]] [[limestone]].<ref name=twsX21a/>
*Pelee Island is reached by ferry from Leamington, Ontario, or by plane or ferry in [[Sandusky, Ohio]], and is the largest of the Lake Erie islands.<ref name=twsX18/> The island has a unique ecosystem with plants rarely found in Canada such as wild hyacinth, yellow horse gentian, and prickly pear cactus.<ref name=twsX18/> There are two endangered snakes including the blue racer and the Lake Erie water snake. Songbirds migrate there in spring, and monarch butterflies stop over during the fall.<ref name=twsX18/>
*[[South Bass Island]] has the island-village of [[Put-in-Bay, Ohio]].<ref name=twsX21a>{{cite news
 |author       = Josh Noel
 |title        = A tale of 2 Lake Erie islands
 |newspaper    = Chicago Tribune
 |date         = August 30, 2009
 |url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/2009/08/30/a-tale-of-2-islands/
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 4, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111204135349/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-08-30/travel/0908270279_1_lake-erie-kelleys-island-south-bass-island
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> It has been described as a party island with scenic rocky cliffs with a year-round population in the hundreds that grows during summer.<ref name=twsX21a/>

====Water sports====
Kayaking has become more popular along the lake, particularly in places such as Put-in-Bay, Ohio.<ref name="twsX43d" /> There are extensive views with steep cliffs with exotic wildlife and extensive shoreline.<ref name="twsX43d"/> Long-distance swimmers have swum across the lake to set records; for example, a 15-year-old amputee swam the {{convert|12|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch across the lake in 2001.<ref name=twsX311>{{cite news
 |agency       = Tribune news services
 |title        = Disabled athlete swims 12 miles across Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = Chicago Tribune
 |date         = September 9, 2001
 |url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/09/09/disabled-athlete-swims-12-miles-across-lake-erie/
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 4, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111204130511/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-09-09/news/0109090206_1_lake-erie-swim-miles
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> In 2008, 14-year-old Jade Scognamillo swam from New York's Sturgeon Point to Ontario's [[Crystal Beach, Ontario|Crystal Beach]] and completed the 11.9-mile (19.2-km) swim in five hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds, and became the youngest swimmer to make the crossing.<ref name=twsZ33>{{cite news
 |author       = Sunny Freeman
 |title        = Girl, 14, smashes week-old record for Lake Erie swim
 |newspaper    = The Star
 |date         = July 13, 2008
 |url          = https://www.thestar.com/article/459375
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = May 16, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100516040321/http://www.thestar.com/article/459375
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> It is illegal for swimmers younger than 14 to attempt such a crossing.<ref name=twsZ33/> In Port Dover, Ontario, swimmers do high-dives at the annual "Polar Bear Swim" on the beach.<ref name=twsZ23>{{cite news
 |author       = Dave Chidley
 |title        = In Pictures: Revellers from coast to coast greet the New Year with a traditional cold-water swim
 |newspaper    = The Globe and Mail
 |date         = January 2, 2011
 |url          = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/revellers-from-coast-to-coast-greet-the-new-year-with-a-traditional-cold-water-swim/article1855470/
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = January 9, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110109150804/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/revellers-from-coast-to-coast-greet-the-new-year-with-a-traditional-cold-water-swim/article1855470/
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> Currents can pose a problem, and there have been occasional incidents of drownings.<ref name=twsZ25>{{cite news
 |title        = Remains of Calgary rescuer recovered from Lake Erie: Woman, 53, missing since Monday
 |publisher    = CBC News
 |date         = August 25, 2010
 |url          = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/remains-of-calgary-rescuer-recovered-from-lake-erie-1.956463
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = August 28, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100828084832/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/windsor/story/2010/08/25/windsor-pelee-recovery-missing-calgary.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref name=twsZ43>{{cite news
 |author       = Teri Pecoskie
 |title        = Burlington man drowns in Lake Erie
 |newspaper    = The Star
 |date         = August 19, 2010
 |url          = https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/850325--burlington-man-drowns-in-lake-erie
 |access-date  = January 26, 2011
 |archive-date = August 24, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100824055308/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/850325--burlington-man-drowns-in-lake-erie
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

====Lighthouses====
[[File:HPIM8229.JPG|thumb|upright|Lighthouse on [[Mohawk Island]], Ontario]]
[[File:Cleveland West Pierhead Lighthouse.jpg|thumb|The West Pierhead Lighthouse in [[Cleveland]], Ohio]]
The lake is dotted by distinct lighthouses. A lighthouse off the coast of Cleveland, beset with cold lake winter spray, has an unusual artistic icy shape, although sometimes ice prevents the light from being seen by maritime vessels.<ref name=twsX25>{{cite web
 |author       = Dean Praetorius
 |title        = Frozen Lighthouse: Nature's Artwork On Lake Erie (VIDEO)
 |website      = Huffington Post
 |date         = December 16, 2010
 |url          = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/16/frozen-lighthouse_n_797750.html
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 20, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101220100408/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/16/frozen-lighthouse_n_797750.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

====Folklore====
There have been unconfirmed reports of persons spotting a creature akin to the [[Loch Ness Monster]], beginning in the 19th century and sometimes called "[[Bessie (lake monster)|Bessie]]" or "South Bay Bessie".<ref name="twsX27a">{{cite news
 |agency       = Associated Press
 |title        = Legend of Lake Erie Monster Rises Again
 |newspaper    = Los Angeles Times
 |date         = September 30, 1990
 |url          = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-30-mn-2507-story.html
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = July 15, 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120715045922/http://articles.latimes.com/1990-09-30/news/mn-2507_1_lake-erie
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref name="twsX33a">{{cite news
 |author       = Bob Batz Jr.
 |title        = The Lake Erie Monster is coming!
 |newspaper    = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 |date         = June 3, 2010
 |url          = http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10154/1062551-389.stm
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = July 5, 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100705141109/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10154/1062551-389.stm
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> There were reports in 1990 of people seeing a "large creature moving in the water about {{convert|1000|ft|m}} from their boat" described as black in color, about {{convert|35|ft|m}} long, with a snakelike head, and moving as fast as a boat.<ref name="twsX27a" /> Five other people reported seeing something similar on three separate occasions, but there is no scientific evidence of such a creature.<ref name="twsX27a" /> There is a [[Great Lakes Brewing Company#Beers|''Lake Erie Monster'']] beer and a [[Cleveland Monsters]] hockey team.<ref name="twsX33a" />

There have been sporadic reports of people in Cleveland being able to see the Canadian shoreline as if it were immediately offshore, even though Canada is {{convert|50|mi|km}} from Cleveland. It has been speculated that this is a weather-related phenomenon, working on similar principles as a [[Looming and similar refraction phenomena#Looming|mirage]].<ref>{{cite web |last=((Associated Press)) |date=July 31, 2006 |title=Erie Mirage May Be Real |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/07/31/erie_pla.html?category=travel&guid=20060731110030 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015120744/http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/07/31/erie_pla.html?category=travel&guid=20060731110030 |archive-date=October 15, 2012 |publisher=Discovery.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

===Shipping traffic===
The lake has been a shipping lane for maritime vessels for centuries.<ref name=twsX15a/><ref name=twsX28a/> Ships headed eastward can take the [[Welland Canal]]<ref name=twsX34/> and a series of eight locks descending {{convert|326|ft|m}} to Lake Ontario which takes about 12 hours.<ref name=twsX18/> Thousands of ships make this journey each year.<ref name=twsX18/> During the 19th century, ships could enter the [[Buffalo River (New York)|Buffalo River]] and travel the [[Erie Canal]] eastward to [[Albany, New York|Albany]] then south to New York City along the [[Hudson River]]. Generally there is heavy traffic on the lake except during the winter months from January through March when ice prevents vessels from traveling safely.<ref name=twsX34>{{cite news
 |author       = 
 |title        = Last Ship Clears Great Lakes
 |newspaper    = Chicago Tribune
 |date         = January 6, 1991
 |url          = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/01/06/last-ship-clears-great-lakes/
 |access-date  = January 24, 2011
 |archive-date = December 4, 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20111204131011/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-01-06/travel/9101020283_1_lake-erie-st-lawrence-seaway-lake-ontario
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

In 2007, there was a protest against Ontario's energy policy which allows the shipping of [[coal]] in the lake; [[Greenpeace]] activists climbed a ladder on a freighter and "locked themselves to the conveyor belt device that helps to unload the ship's cargo"; three activists were arrested and the ship was delayed for more than four hours, and anti-coal messages were painted on the ship.<ref name="twsX315">{{cite news |author=Gorrie |first=Peter |date=August 31, 2007 |title=3 Greenpeace members held in Lake Erie stunt |newspaper=The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/article/251941 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023100506/http://www.thestar.com/article/251941 |archive-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref>

===Ferryboats===
Ferryboats operate in numerous places: such as the passenger-only [[Jet Express (ferry line)|Jet Express Ferry]] from Sandusky and Port Clinton to Put-in-Bay and Kelly's Island. The Miller Ferry from Catawba Island to Put-In-Bay and [[Middle Bass Island]], the Kellys Island ferry from Marblehead to Kellys Island, and the Owen Sound Transportation Company from Leamington or Kingsville to Pelee Island and Sandusky.

However, plans to operate a ferryboat between the U.S. port of Erie and the Ontario port of Port Dover ran into a slew of political problems, including security restrictions on both sides as well as additional fees required to hire border inspectors.<ref name=twsX314a/> The project was abandoned.<ref name=twsX314a/>

The [[Great Lakes Circle Tour]] is a designated scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the [[Saint Lawrence River]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.great-lakes.net/tourism/circletour/|title=Great Lakes Circle Tour|website=www.great-lakes.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725204133/http://www.great-lakes.net/tourism/circletour/|archive-date=July 25, 2010}}</ref> Drivers can cross from the United States to the Canadian town of [[Fort Erie, Ontario|Fort Erie]] by going over the [[Peace Bridge]].<ref name=twsX18/>

===Border crossings===
Since the border between the two nations is largely unpatrolled, it is possible for people to cross undetected from one country to the other, in either direction, by boat. In 2010, Canadian police arrested persons crossing the border illegally from the United States to Canada, near the Ontario town of [[Amherstburg, Ontario|Amherstburg]].<ref name=twsZ26>{{cite news|first=Trevor|last=Wilhelm |title=5 nabbed on Lake Erie beach for entering Canada illegally |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=August 19, 2010 |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/Ontario+police+five+human+smuggling/3417695/story.html |access-date=January 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924055207/http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Ontario%2Bpolice%2Bfive%2Bhuman%2Bsmuggling/3417695/story.html |archive-date=September 24, 2010 }}</ref>