Salmon Unlimited of Wisconsin – Racine, WI
Roughly 6 miles southeast of Racine, Wisconsin floats a buoy. It’s a unique buoy not because of its physical characteristics (it’s our favorite yellow color) or what it measures (HELLO temperature string!), but because of the truly buoyant partnership that helps maintain its operation.
When the Salmon Unlimited of Wisconsin Racine chapter noticed a lack of real-time lake conditions in their area of the lake, south of Wind Point, they teamed up with University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences to co-write a proposal that secured funding to make it happen – their very own buoy! Since its launch in 2022, the buoy has remained in the same location during the recreational season, faithfully (despite some data communication lag issues) delivering data to anglers, boaters, and lake lovers alike.
The location is farther offshore than many other buoys because of one of the primary observing desires – a reef affectionately known as “the Hill.” This reef is a fishery hotspot, for fish using it as habitat and spawning grounds, and, thus, also local anglers. The Hill marks a spot in the lake where the depth drastically drops off from about 80 feet to 120 feet deep. The buoy’s sensors allow for current and temperature readings along the thermocline at the deep side of the Hill, providing more insights to where and when the fish might be. Salmon Unlimited has also heard from sailors, freight captains, and, of course, other fishers, sharing their appreciation of the information the buoy provides.
Photos of buoy deployment provided by Jessie Grow, UW-Milwaukee SFS.
It’s a rare but powerful collaboration – a fishing club and an academic entity coming together around a shared goal: understanding and protecting the lake they both rely on. Salmon Unlimited members are thrilled to have this information, but seem even more excited by the fact that it is available to everyone and anyone who needs it. And we, along with the 5,000 annual buoy users, think that’s reel-y cool.
Learn more about Salmon Unlimited of Wisconsin and check out the buoy’s real-time information on Seagull.