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At least 1,657 records · Page 92Linked to original sources
USGS2021

Assessing the assumptions of classification agreement, accuracy, and predictable healing time of sea lamprey wounds on lake trout

Sea lamprey control in the Laurentian Great Lakes relies on records of sea lamprey wounds on lake trout to assess whether control efforts are supporting fisheries management targets. Wounding records have been maintained for 70 years under the assumption that they are a reliable and accurate reflection of sea lamprey damage inflicted on fish populations. However, two key assumptions underpinning the use of these data need thorough evaluation: sea lamprey wounds follow a predictable healing progression, and individuals classify wounds accurately and reliably. To assess these assumptions, we conducted a workshop where experienced professionals examined lake trout with known sea lamprey wounds. For most lake trout, pictures were taken at regular intervals during the healing process. Our evaluation of wound pictures found high variability in healing times and wound progressions that did not conform to the currently used classification system. Participants’ wound classification agreement and accuracy were low and misclassification rates were high for most wound types. Training provided during the workshops did not markedly improve these metrics. We assessed wound classification accuracy for the first time and found assumptions of high accuracy and agreement are not met. We recommend misclassification rates be incorporated into models using wound data, sensitivity analyses be conducted to assess the potential impact of wound misclassification on estimates of key metrics (such as sea lamprey-induced mortality for lake trout), and alternative biomarkers be developed to quantify wound status with greater accuracy and precision.

Laurentian Great Lakes↗
USGS2021

Registration and application of sea lamprey pheromones for sea lamprey control in the United States and Canada

Since the identification of 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol as a lampricide in the 1950s, control of sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes has largely relied on lampricides, barriers, and traps. Lampricide treatments target larval lampreys in tributaries of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission oversees sea lamprey control efforts and has invested in technologies that may target other life stages to provide a more integrated approach to sea lamprey control. One technology under development is the use of pheromones to alter behavior of spawning adults. Pheromones are considered biopesticides , which are substances made from naturally occurring products, or derived from living organisms, or a microorganism, that controls pests. We provide a review of sea lamprey management that led to the development of pheromone registration. We also describe the process used to register the first vertebrate pheromone, 3-ketopetromyzonal-24-sulfate (3kPZS) in the United States and Canada and its potential uses in sea lamprey control as a supplemental tool to chemical lampricides.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
USGS2021

Using simulation to understand annual sea lamprey marking rates on lake trout

Sea lampreys attack fish, killing some and leaving marks on others. Great Lakes fishery managers rely on observed marking rates to assess the success of the sea lamprey control program and estimate sea lamprey-induced mortality of lake trout. Because marking rates are only observed on survivors of sea lamprey attacks, they may not provide a reliable index of actual attack or mortality rates. To investigate the effect of survivor bias, we developed a simulation model representing a single season (June–December) of sea lamprey attacks. Simulated attack rates varied with month and lake trout size; simulated pierce and lethality rates varied with month alone. Surveyed marking rates were represented by simulated survivors in October; true rates were calculated from all simulated lake trout (dead and alive) in December. Simulation results were subsetted to include only those within the range of marking rates actually observed in the Great Lakes. Type A (piercing) marking rates were a good index of the sea lamprey attack rate and the sea lamprey-induced mortality rate if annual lethality rates were relatively constant. Type B (non-piercing) marking rates were a good index of the sea lamprey attack rate and the sea lamprey-induced mortality rate if annual pierce rates were relatively constant. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the pierce and lethality rates, we recommend that sea lamprey abundance information be incorporated in existing lake trout statistical catch-at-age models via a functional response component relating sea lamprey feeding to lake trout abundance, if possible.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
USGS2020

A review of an electric weir and fishway in a Great Lakes tributary from conception to termination

A successful management plan requires clear goals and a process for evaluation. Without them, managers risk operational shifts in which continuous changes disguised as improvements may have little beneficial effect. The conception, design, and operation of an electric barrier and fishway on the Pere Marquette River of Lake Michigan serve as an illustration. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission operated an electric weir to stop migration of adult sea lampreys ( Petromyzon marinus ) and a fishway to provide upstream passage of rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) during 2000–2009. The weir and fishway were successful in blocking some of the annual spawning run of sea lampreys (trapped an annual average of 439 sea lampreys) and it allowed passage of rainbow trout (an annual average of 6,091). Even with success that yielded an estimated density of 0.03 adult female sea lampreys per 100 m 2 of larval habitat upstream of the weir, lampricide treatments continued because the weir still allowed establishment of substantial densities of larval sea lampreys. Our evaluation suggests that an in-stream barrier must approach 100% blockage of sea lampreys to eliminate large recruitment events. The failure of the weir to reduce lampricide treatments was due to an informally defined purpose and measures for success at the onset, the complexity of electric weir systems (and the operational problems created by such intricacy), and lack of recognition of the reduction in larval sea lamprey recruitment needed to succeed. Control of sea lampreys in the Pere Marquette River could have benefited from an adaptive management approach.

Michigan↗
USGS2021

Understanding sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes prior to broad implementation of sea lamprey control

Control of invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes with a selective pesticide (lampricide) that targeted larval sea lamprey began in the late 1950's and continues to be one of the main methods for control. Although the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, which was formed with the mandate of controlling sea lamprey, often expresses the success of the sea lamprey control program in terms of percent reduction from lake-wide pre-lampricide control adult sea lamprey abundances, there remains a large amount of uncertainty surrounding these estimates. In this study, we gathered historical data on adult sea lamprey captures from trapping efforts from the mid-1950's through the late 1970's to better understand pre-control abundance. We used this information to estimate lake-wide population abundances of adult sea lamprey using a weighted linear regression that includes environmental and lampricide treatment predictor variables. We varied trapping efficiency for early trapping data to evaluate the uncertainty in abundance estimates. Pre-control adult sea lamprey abundances in all lakes were much greater than current population sizes, but estimates were quite sensitive to trapping efficiency. In Lake Superior, declines in abundance aligned with increases in control efforts, but in other lakes, declines were occurring prior to the onset of lampricide application, perhaps because of a loss of prey. We suggest that previous estimates of pre-control adult sea lamprey abundance may have been underestimated unless trapping efficiency was greater than what is currently achieved in the basin.

Great Lakes↗
USGS2021

Environmental factors influencing annual sucker (Catostomus sp.) migration into a Great Lakes tributary

Fish migration in rivers is a growing area of concern as mounting anthropogenic influences, particularly fragmentation from dams and barriers, constitute major threats to global river species diversity. Barriers can impede the movement of fishes between areas critical to the completion of their lifecycle, affecting both population and ecosystem viability. In response, fish passage solutions have been identified as a critical need to maintain fisheries viability in the Laurentian Great Lakes, and around the world. Pivotal to the success of these fish passage solutions is a more complete understanding of the movement phenology and environmental cues that instigate migration. We used a dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) to evaluate environmental triggers of river entry during spring and summer for three size classes of migratory fishes in the Boardman River, a Lake Michigan tributary. Our results indicate that medium size fish (>30 cm and < 50 cm), primarily composed of white sucker Catostomus commersonii and longnose sucker Catostomus catostomus were 21% more likely to enter the river at sunset and 25% less likely at midnight in comparison to midday. Entry rates of medium fish increased 6% for every 1 °C increase in river temperature, 4% for every 1 m 3 /s increase in river discharge from the day prior, and were reduced by 1% for every 10 cm increase in lake level. Understanding these processes in the tributaries of the Great Lakes is important to inform the fish passage solutions currently being developed for the Boardman River, and to inform management regulations for Great Lakes migratory fishes.

Michigan↗
USGS2021

Quantifying Great Lakes sea lamprey populations using an index of adults

Effective control of aquatic invasive species requires knowledge of the population throughout the infested area. Lake-wide assessments of invasive sea lampreys ( Petromyzon marinus ) are used to assess their status in the Laurentian Great Lakes, informing fisheries managers and decision makers in the sea lamprey control program. Initially these assessments focused on an estimate of absolute abundance, but later switched to an estimate of relative abundance as an index. In this paper, we describe the recently developed index of sea lamprey abundance and the reasons for its use. Rather than trying to estimate spawning run sizes of all Great Lakes tributaries, the index instead estimates run sizes of a small subset of index streams. Streams chosen for the index had large spawning runs and a history of trapping operations that consistently yielded mark-recapture estimates. This change enabled the sea lamprey control program to abandon a previously used regression model that predicted run size on streams with no sea lamprey traps. Further research is needed to determine how strongly correlated the index is with actual patterns in the lake-wide population of adult sea lampreys.

Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario↗
USGS2022

Contemporary spatial extent and environmental drivers of larval coregonine distributions across Lake Ontario

Coregonine fishes are important to Laurentian Great Lakes food webs and fisheries and are central to basin-wide conservation initiatives. In Lake Ontario, binational management objectives include conserving and restoring spawning stocks of cisco ( Coregonus artedi ) and lake whitefish ( C. clupeaformis ), but the spatial extent of contemporary coregonine spawning habitat and the environmental factors regulating early life success are not well characterized. In Spring 2018, we conducted a binational ichthyoplankton assessment to describe the spatial extent of coregonine spawning habitat across Lake Ontario. We then quantified the relative importance of a suite of biophysical variables hypothesized to influence coregonine early life success using generalized additive mixed models and multimodel inference. Between April 10 and May 14, we conducted 1,092 ichthyoplankton tows and captured 2,350+ coregonine larvae across 17 sampling areas, predominantly within embayments. Although 95% of catches were in the eastern basin, coregonine larvae were also found in historical south shore spawning areas. Most coregonine larvae were cisco; <6% were lake whitefish. Observed catches of both species across sampling areas were strongly and similarly associated with ice cover duration, but the importance of site-specific characteristics varied, such as distance to shore and site depth for cisco and lake whitefish, respectively. These results suggest that regional-scale climatic drivers and local environmental habitat characteristics interact to regulate early life stage success. Furthermore, strong regional and cross-species variation in larval distributions emphasize the importance of lake-wide assessments for monitoring both the current eastern basin populations and potential expansions into western Lake Ontario habitats.

Lake Ontario↗
USGS2022

Results of the collaborative Lake Ontario bloater restoration stocking and assessment, 2012–2020

Bloater, Coregonus hoyi , are deepwater planktivores native to the Laurentian Great Lakes and Lake Nipigon. Interpretations of commercial fishery time series suggest they were common in Lake Ontario through the early 1900s but by the 1950s were no longer captured by commercial fishers. Annual bottom trawl surveys that began in 1978 and sampled extensively across putative bloater habitat only yielded one individual (1983), suggesting that the species had been locally extirpated. In 2012, a multiagency restoration program stocked bloater into Lake Ontario from gametes collected in Lake Michigan. From 2012 to 2020, 1,028,191 bloater were stocked into Lake Ontario. Bottom trawl surveys first detected stocked fish in 2015, and through 2020 ten bloater have been caught (total length mean = 129 mm, s.d. = 44 mm, range: 96–240 mm). Hatchery applied marks and genetic analyses confirmed the species identification and identified stocking location for some individuals. Trawl capture locations and acoustic telemetry suggested that stocked fish dispersed throughout the main lake within months or sooner, and the depth distribution of recaptured bloater was similar to historic distributions in Lake Ontario and other Great Lakes. Predicted bloater trawl catches, based on modeled population abundance and trawl survey efficiency, were similar to observed catches, suggesting that post-stocking survival is less than 20% and contemporary bottom trawl surveys can quantify bloater abundance at low densities and track restoration.

Lake Ontario↗
USGS2022

Indicators of fish population responses to avian predation with focus on double-crested cormorants

Double-crested cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) have been implicated as causes of fish population declines in many locations across their breeding range. Two challenges facing managers are identifying fisheries population metrics indicative of cormorant impacts and determining when this evidence becomes actionable. Building upon existing studies, we conducted a meta-analysis of eight data-rich systems across the Laurentian Great Lakes region of the United States for common fish population responses to changes in cormorant abundance. Specifically, we examined trends in mean total female length at age-3 (TL3), female mean length and age at 50 % maturity, and mean age evenness as indicated by Shannon’s Equitability Index. Annual observations for these metrics were independently regressed linearly against cormorant density by system for walleye (Sander vitreus), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), and northern pike (Esox lucius) populations. TL3 was the most sensitive with 9 of the 14 datasets statistically significant (r2 range 0.29 to 0.86). Maturity metrics were moderately sensitive to trends in cormorant predation with mean total length at 50 % maturity significant in 4 out of 11 datasets (r2 range 0.27–0.41) and mean age at 50 % maturity significant in 3 out of 11 datasets (r2 range 0.12 – 0.51). Least sensitive was age evenness with the Shannon Index significant in 3 out of 12 datasets (r2 typically < 0.25). Of metrics tested, TL3 was the most reliable indicator of changes in cormorant effects despite varying system changes and management responses among locations.

Michigan, Minnesota, New York↗
USGS2022

Diet composition and overlap for adult walleye, lake whitefish, and yellow perch in Green Bay, Lake Michigan

Interspecific interactions among walleye Sander vitreus , lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis , and yellow perch Perca flavescens in Green Bay could influence the population status of each species, but potential trophic interactions are poorly understood. Our objectives were to determine if diet assemblages for each species and diet overlap among species varied spatially and temporally within Green Bay. Adult walleye (≥ 381 mm total length (TL); N = 981), lake whitefish (≥ 432 mm TL; N = 1507), and yellow perch (≥ 150 mm TL; N = 1174) were collected during May-October of 2018 and 2019 from multiple locations in southern and northern Green Bay. Diet assemblages of all three species varied between zones but walleye diets were more temporally variable (among months within zones and between years) than diets of lake whitefish or yellow perch. Lake whitefish represented a seasonally important prey item for walleye in southern Green Bay, composing 10% and 41% of walleye diets by weight in May and June, respectively. Yellow perch generally composed < 15% of walleye diets by weight but were consumed at a broader spatiotemporal scale than lake whitefish. Diet overlap between walleye and both lake whitefish and yellow perch was generally weak or moderate, whereas diet overlap between whitefish and perch was generally strong. Our assessment of adult trophic interactions suggests that changes in the population status of one species could influence fisheries for all three, and we identify additional research questions to address potential population-level effects of these trophic interactions.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2023

Large-scale variation in lakebed properties interpreted from single-beam sonar in two Laurentian Great Lakes

Acoustic seabed classification (ASC) is an important method for understanding landscape-level physical and biological patterns in the aquatic environment. Bottom habitats in the Laurentian Great Lakes are poorly mapped to date, and will require a variety of contributors and data sources to complete. We repurposed a long-term split-beam echosounder dataset gathered for purposes of fisheries assessment to estimate lakebed properties utilizing unsupervised classification of echo return data. We interpreted first echo properties representing lakebed hardness and roughness to define and map three statistically supported lakebed classes revealed through cluster analysis. Our results indicate coherent and logical class boundaries and suggest that the dataset has promise for expanded use in ASC. To improve inferences using repeated measures, future work should focus on collecting ground truth information for areas previously surveyed and on collecting concurrent ground truth information when sampling acoustic data moving forward.

Michigan, Ontario, Wisconsin↗
USGS2024

On the survival and habitat use of hatchery-reared cisco (Coregonus artedi) in Lake Erie

Cisco ( Coregonus artedi ) have been extirpated from Lake Erie in North America since the 1960s, but they once supported one of the largest Laurentian Great Lakes fisheries. Numerous potential impediments to rehabilitation have been identified, including summer habitat refugia and predation. We used acoustic telemetry to investigate the thermal habitat use and survival of hatchery-reared adult cisco in Lake Erie. Fish were experimentally released (n = 50 per site) offshore at Dunkirk, New York, in the eastern basin and Huron, Ohio, in the central basin. Cisco in both basins found suitable summer oxythermal habitat in the metalimnion, suggesting that coldwater habitat availability is likely not an impediment for reestablishment. However, track end dates or predation dates were distributed across only four months with the last detection at 155 days. Predation sensors combined with temperature values during digestion indicated different potential predators: lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) for the Dunkirk group and walleye ( Sander vitreus ) for the Huron group. Additionally, digestion temperatures of two tags indicated bird predation was also important, likely underestimated and suggested substantial use of the epilimnion by tagged fish. The results highlight the need for additional studies to address stocking optimization questions in support of future reintroduction experiments and related cisco conservation efforts.

Lake Erie↗
USGS2024

Reproducing age variability in grass carp egg samples from the lower Sandusky River, Ohio, USA, using an egg-drift model

Invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are currently reproducing in several tributaries to Lake Erie and threatening the Great Lakes ecosystem and fisheries. Grass carp are pelagic river spawners whose fertilized eggs drift downstream from the spawning site, developing as they drift. Variability in spawning time and location together with nonuniform velocities in natural rivers leads to egg age variability in field samples at downstream sampling sites. In this study, the Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) model was used to simulate the transport of grass carp eggs collected in 12 samples at 9 sites in the lower Sandusky River (Ohio, USA) on July 12, 2017, to replicate the observed variability in egg-age distributions present in field samples. The variability in egg ages in virtual samples compare well to field samples. The most plausible explanations for differences between virtual and field samples are the existence of multiple spawning locations, including a spawning area approximately 8 kilometers upstream from the river mouth, and idealized flow fields derived from a one-dimensional hydraulic model. Despite multiple sources of uncertainty and the deficiency in prescribing detailed spawning activities in the simulations, the results validate the utility of FluEgg together with ichthyoplankton data to identify plausible spawning areas and interpret age variability in field samples. A comprehensive discussion of model limitations and ichthyoplankton sample interpretation provides guidance for those using drift models to inform management actions for control of invasive carp in North America and to protect and restore carp populations in their native range in Asia.

Ohio↗
USGS2024

Historical and morphological evidence for a remnant population of Lake Erie cisco Coregonus artedi (albus) in Crystal Lake, Pennsylvania

The cisco ( Coregonus artedi ) population in Crystal Lake, Pennsylvania, is of great scientific interest as it either originated from Lake Erie or Lake Ontario. Cisco in Lake Erie once supported the largest freshwater fishery in the world, but populations were extirpated by 1960. We conducted a morphological analysis of Crystal Lake cisco to determine whether it was consistent with a distinctive Lake Erie form ( albus ), which was also historically documented, albeit rarely, in western Lake Ontario. Using principal component analysis, we compared eight morphometric ratios and one meristic from our Crystal Lake cisco collection with historical and contemporary collections of cisco from Lakes Erie and Ontario. Maximum likelihood ellipse overlaps between Crystal Lake cisco and presumed albus (the dominant Lake Erie form prior to extirpation) collections averaged 54%. For all groups, the greatest morphological overlap (73.9%) occurred between Crystal Lake and 1957 Lake Erie cisco, which only differed from Crystal Lake cisco in dorsal fin length. Alternatively, overlap between Crystal Lake cisco and all other Lake Ontario collections averaged 3.2%. Our results demonstrate that Crystal Lake cisco are likely an albus form; furthermore, historical documentation and our morphological results suggest a Lake Erie origin. Substantial overlap between Crystal Lake cisco and Lake Ontario albus collected in 1917 is likely explained by continuous entrainment of Lake Erie larvae into Lake Ontario. We suspect this created an albus metapopulation spanning Lakes Erie and Ontario, yet albus are no longer observed in either lake today.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2024

Comparison of cisco (Coregonus artedi) aerobic scope and thermal tolerance between two latitudinally-separated populations

The cisco Coregonus artedi is a coldwater fish that is distributed throughout much of Canada and the northern United States, including the Laurentian Great Lakes. Cisco historically supported large commercial fisheries in the Great Lakes during the late 1800s and early 1900s, but many populations declined and never recovered. Restoration efforts focusing on re-establishing cisco in the Great Lakes are underway, but increasing water temperatures may hinder these efforts. Therefore, we examined aerobic scope and thermal tolerance of allopatric cisco populations from different latitudes and habitats to determine if a southern latitude population (Crooked Lake, Indiana, USA) near the southern edge of cisco distribution was better adapted to withstand warmer water temperatures than a northern latitude population (Les Cheneaux Islands, Michigan, USA; Lake Huron). As expected, both stocks demonstrated increases in metabolic rates and absolute aerobic scope with increased temperature. Northern cisco had significantly lower aerobic scope compared to southern cisco at both treatment temperatures of 10 and 13 °C. Both cisco stocks had high thermal tolerances when challenged by temperatures increased to 20 and 23 °C but low tolerances at 26 °C. Cisco thermal tolerances increased with acclimation temperature, but we did not detect a difference in thermal tolerances between northern and southern cisco. Although southern cisco had higher capacity for aerobic metabolism, both stock sources had high thermal tolerances at the upper end of their thermal limits. Therefore, either population would be likely suitable for reintroduction into Great Lakes habitats, even with expected warming in the future.

Indiana, Michigan↗
USGS2024

Documentation of a probable spawning run of cisco Coregonus artedi in the Spanish River, Ontario, Canada

Coregonines were historically diverse and abundant in the Laurentian Great Lakes but declined throughout the 19th and 20th centuries due to multiple factors, including overfishing, habitat degradation, and interactions with invasive species. Great Lakes fishery managers are now working to restore coregonines across the basin. An important aspect of restoration efforts is the identification of key habitats, such as spawning habitats. Our understanding of the extent and diversity of coregonine spawning habitats in the Great Lakes is limited. Historical accounts suggest some cisco Coregonus artedi migrated to tributaries to spawn, but contemporary runs have not been reported. Moreover, cisco display considerable phenotypic variation, with different “forms” often occupying specific habitats or regions. We provide evidence for a previously undocumented spawning run of cisco in the Spanish River, a tributary to the North Channel of Lake Huron. We captured 31 mature and ripe fish (25 males, 6 females) approximately 52 km upstream of the river mouth on 15–16 November 2022. The fish ranged in age from 3-9 yr and total length from 287-394 mm. Of these 31 individuals, 27 were morphologically similar to C. artedi manitoulinus , a subspecies of cisco found in the North Channel; however, four individuals more closely resembled cisco captured in other areas of Lake Huron. These findings represent the best evidence of tributary spawning by cisco since the 1880s, and they have important implications for coregonine conservation and restoration efforts. Ongoing work aims to augment our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary importance of this population.

Ontario↗
USGS2025

Dead giveaway: Rising mortality rates suggest effectiveness of Lake Erie grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) response

Grass carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ) are large, invasive fish that threaten Lake Erie’s economy and ecosystem. Incidental catches of grass carp have occurred since the 1980s in Lake Erie, while multi-day removal events were carried out in 2014 and 2017. To mitigate ecosystem impacts, a large-scale, multi-agency response to remove as many grass carp as possible from the Lake Erie basin (“strike teams”) began in 2018 and has increased every year. To date, total annual removals of fish has been the primary measure of progress; however, total annual removals do not indicate how efforts are affecting the grass carp population. Population vital rates, such as mortality rate, can indicate population demographic changes and may provide an alternative approach to measure how removals have impacted the grass carp population. We estimated annual mortality rates using 553 grass carp, representing 82.9 % of all grass carp removed in the Lake Erie basin, using a hierarchical catch-curve model and catch-at-age data from 2014 to 2022. Annual average mortality rates were initially low (4.3 %) and increased between 2017 and 2022 with the highest mortality (13.6 %) observed in 2021. Positive correlations between mortality and the number of fish harvested per year suggest that removals may be driving increases in the grass carp mortality rate. This increase in mortality rate shows promise for controlling the spread of grass carp within the Lake Erie ecosystem. This research supports the needs of fishery managers to better understand grass carp population dynamics and the adaptive management framework identified in the Lake Erie Grass Carp Adaptive Response Strategy.

Lake Erie↗