Hancock's Peterson family, Native fishermen, propose use for fish waste

HANCOCK -- The Peterson family, owners of Peterson's Fish Market in Hancock, are the subject of a recent article by Charles Eshbach in the Fall 2010 issue of Mazina'igan, a Chronicle of the Lake Superior Ojibwe, the quarterly newspaper published by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) of Odanah, Wis.

In the article, titled "Lake Superior's untapped oil reserve: Fishing family contemplates use of siskowet lake trout," Eshbach relates how Gilmore and Chris Peterson, third- and fourth-generation Native American fishermen, are hoping to deal with fish waste, which is more than 50 percent of their fresh fish harvest from Lake Superior.

The Petersons' plan is to extract the oil from the fish waste and use it as bio-diesel fuel in their boats and trucks. Click here and go to p. 5 to read the entire article on the GLIFWC Web site.

Charles Eshbach, author of the article, is well known in the Keweenaw for his photography and conservation work. He is active in the Michigan Nature Association and publishes the Keweenaw Traveler, a tourist guide.