My guess is they are looking for food, and there are not many alewives around. The fact they are eating yellow perch does surprise me.

We are still not out of the ballpark; they have to make it through this winter. They have to hit 50 millimeters [about 2 inches] to be able to survive over winter. A lot of the ones we looked at in Michigan were in the 30- to 40-millimeter range. They usually quit growing about Sept. 15.

From the last 20 years, this is the biggest we have seen. We had a big year class in 1998.

If there are cuts to be made, why should we make them on food stamps? ... This is the meanest cut of all.

It doesn't matter who you are, food selection is the issue.

We have a very loyal following. Our customers tend to be more intelligent about food and they're more concerned about whether we have fresh herbs and use free-range eggs.