The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute online store is saturated with gift ideas, particularly if those on a holiday-giving list are fishing for piscine-inspired items.
Four items bubble to the top: “Great Lakes Fishes” poster; “Ice Fishing,” a printed guide; “People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair With an Ancient Fish,” in both coffee-table and audiobook formats; and scuba diving guides.
The poster features highly accurate illustrations of 35 native and exotic Great Lakes fishes such as the rainbow trout and the unattractively named slimy sculpin. The poster dimensions are 26.5” x 38.5” and the bargain-basement price of $8 includes postage.
Another bargain is the free “Ice Fishing” guide that covers gear, gadgets, fishing tips and, most importantly, advice on how to stay on top of the ice.
“People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair With an Ancient Fish” ($29.95) is 320 pages of images, stories and interviews about lake sturgeon. The fish can live for a century and grow to 300 pounds. The authors introduce a colorful cast of characters, from conservationists to spear makers to decoy carvers – many with a good fish tale to tell. The audiobook is narrated by author Kathleen Schmitt Kline and also includes traditional Menominee music, wonderful music by local ensemble Graminy and definitive recordings of the mysterious sounds of sturgeon thunder. The aduiobook consists of a set of four CDs with a running time of 4 hours 25 minutes and the cost is $34.95.
Shipwrecks play a big role in Wisconsin’s history. Make scuba divers or maritime history enthusiasts happy and offer guides to descend to the depths of Lakes Michigan and Superior. The waterproof guides feature maps, schematics, diving information, ship data and histories. Four sets of guides are available and range in price from $10-21. If you want to stay on dry land, an interactive CD, “Dive Into Wisconsin’s Past,” makes a great gift.
Other watery gifts are soft-cover books that highlight the shores of Lakes Michigan and Superior. “Around the Shores of Lake Michigan” ($20) is a superbly organized guide to the 1,600-mile shoreline of Lake Michigan and its 82 historical sites and points of interest. Generously illustrated, it includes historical sketches, keys to recreation and a large fold-out planner map. “Around the Shores of Lake Superior” ($25) features a voyage into Lake Superior’s historic past and a site-specific guide to historic places and parks. A map of the sites mentioned in the guide is included.
Visit our Publications Store to order any of these products, or call (608) 263-3259 for more information.
