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James H. Selgeby

Publications and source records attributed to James H. Selgeby.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS1993

Food of salmonine predators in Lake Superior, 1981-87

Diets of ten species of Lake Superior salmonines are described. Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) were the primary prey during all seasons and years for inshore lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), brown trout (S. trutta), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), and splake (lake trout x brook trout hybrid). Coregonines were the second most-important prey for chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha), siscowet trout (S. namaycush siscowet), and splake. Invertebrates were important to rainbow trout (O. mykiss), coho salmon (O. kisutch), and pink salmon (O. gorbuscha), especially during the summer. Diets of lake trout from inshore and offshore locations differed markedly. Rainbow smelt were the primary food of inshore lake trout, and coregonines were the main food of offshore lake trout. Chinook salmon and inshore lake trout had the most similar diets because they ate similar proportions of rainbow smelt and coregonines. Salmonines generally ate more rainbow smelt and less coregonines in proportion to the abundance of these prey in the lake. If rainbow smelt populations collapse, the ability of salmonines to convert to a diet based on lake herring (Coregonus artedi) could be important to the stability of predator populations.

Technical Report↗
USGS1992

Ruffe, Gymnocephalus cernuus : Newly introduced in North America

The Eurasian ruffe, Gymnocephalus cernuus , was collected from the lower St. Louis River, Lake Superior's westernmost tributary, in late summer 1987. This is the first known occurrence of the ruffe in North America. The likely vector for this species was ballast water of a transoceanic vessel dumped into the international port of Duluth-Superior located on the lower end of the St. Louis River. The ruffe is increasing in abundance and expanding its range into other tributaries and nearshore areas of Lake Superior.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
USGS1991

Distribution, abundance, and biology of the alewife in U.S. waters of Lake Superior

Alewives ( Alosa pseudoharengus ) were first reported in Lake Superior in 1954 and gradually increased in abundance in the late 1950s. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the fish were widespread in the lake but scarce. We determined the more recent abundance and distribution of alewives by cross-contour trawling in the spring in 1978&ndash;1988. Alewives were scarce lake-wide; the mean catch rate was only 23 fish per 100 h of trawling and represented a density of 0.003 kg per hectare in the area swept by the trawls. Fish of six age groups were caught in trawls in spring and gill nets in fall in 1983&ndash;1987. Total annual mortality was 64%, a high natural rate in the absence of fishing. Alewives in Lake Superior were small at the end of their first growing season but later grew faster than those in the other Great Lakes. Fecundity, estimated to be 64,000 eggs (mean total length = 187 mm) was higher than in other freshwater stocks. Zooplankton was the major food of alewives < 100 mm long and Mysis was the main food of larger fish. Exposure to water temperatures below lethal minimums for overwintering fish and for developing eggs limits the success of this species in Lake Superior.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
USGS1982

Decline of lake herring ( Coregonus artedii ) in Lake Superior: an analysis of the Wisconsin herring fishery, 1936-78

Annual harvests of lake herring ( Coregonus artedii ) in American waters of Lake Superior declined from an average of 2 million kg in 1936&ndash;62 to less than 25&ensp;000&ensp;kg in 1978. Analysis of commercial fishing records revealed that the sequential overexploitation of discrete unit stocks caused the collapse of the herring population in Wisconsin waters. In each of six major spawning areas, catch exceeded the productive capacity of the stock and the stock failed. Because stocks in the six areas were exploited sequentially, mostly in groups of two or three simultaneously, the demise of the stocks was not readily apparent until the last two failed in the early 1960s. After the collapse of the last major spawning stock, the fishery dwindled but may have continued to overexploit the remaining small stocks. The residual populations were apparently able only to replace themselves. Some form of density-independent mortality was apparently operating to prevent their recovery during the 1960s and 1970s. Key words : lake herring, overfishing, Lake Superior

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
USGS1975

Life histories and abundance of crustacean zooplankton in the outlet of Lake Superior, 1971-72

In sampling throughout a year, at about 3-wk intervals, of the crustacean zooplankton discharged from Lake Superior through the St. Marys River, 30 species were collected, including three not previously recorded for the lake: the copepod Cyclops strenuus , and the cladocerans Alona costata and Alonella acutirostris . Five copepods, Cyclops bicuspidatus thomasi , Diaptomus ashlandi , D . sicilis , Limnocalanus macrurus , and Senecella calanoides were present in the plankton throughout the year while three other copepods, Diaptomus minutus , Epischura lacustris , and Mesocyclops edax , along with all cladocerans, were present only during summer and fall. Five species of copepods, Diaptomus sicilis , D . minutus , Limnocalanus macrurus , Senecella calanoides , and Epischura lacustris produced a single generation annually; three other copepods and all cladocerans produced two or more generations. All species breed 1–3 mo later in Lake Superior than in lakes Michigan and Erie.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗
USGS1974

Invertebrate macrobenthos of Lake Oahe, 1968-69

The benthos in Lake Oahe, as determined from about 450 bottom samples collected during the open water season in 1968 and 1969, was dominated by oligochaetes and chironomids; Caenis (Ephemeroptera) and Chaoborus (Diptera) were occasionally abundant. Total benthos was estimated at 3,600 organisms/mA? with an ash-free dry weight of about 2.2 g/mA? (about 33 kg/hectare dry weight). Estimated biomass was 1.3 g/mA? (about 18.5 kg/hectare dry weight) and depths of 0.5-10 m and 3.5 g/mA? (about 52.5 kg/hectare dry weight) at greater depths.

Technical Paper↗
USGS1974

Limnetic crustacean zooplankton of Lake Oahe, May-October 1969

The limnetic crustacean zooplankton of Lake Oahe was dominated by copepods. Cyclops bicuspidatus thomasi was the dominant crustacean throughout the lake. Mesocyclops edax, Diaptomus ashlandi and Daphnia pulex were major components of the zooplankton in the deep, downstream portion of the lake while Bosmina longirostris and Daphnia retrocurva were important constituents in the river-like, upstream section of the lake.

Technical Paper↗
USGS1971

A basket for washing benthological samples

Since benthological samples collected with dredges are usually too large to be preserved in toto, a washing method must be employed to reduce the sample volume without losing or damaging the organisms. Traditionally, the sample is washed in a sieve until the volume is small enough for convenient handling or preservation. Most washing procedures are time-consuming and laborious. To save time in washing samples, a washing 'basket' was designed which accomadates a Ponar dredge. The only additional equipment needed to employ the washing basket effectively is a pump that delivers about 8 gallons of water per minute.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗