Does the value of newly accessible spawning habitat for walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) depend on its location relative to nursery habitats?

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (12) ◽  
pp. 1527-1538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L Jones ◽  
John K Netto ◽  
Jason D Stockwell ◽  
Joseph B Mion
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Stizostedion Vitreum ◽  
Spawning Habitat ◽  
Nursery Areas ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Spawning Areas ◽  
Nursery Habitats ◽  
Larval Production ◽  
Sandusky River ◽  
Western Lake Erie

The benefit accrued from habitat restoration actions may depend not only on the quality and quantity of habitat restored, but also on its location relative to other critical habitats. For example, walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) larvae need to be transported by river currents from spawning to nursery habitats soon after emergence. We developed a model of river transport survival for larval walleye to evaluate potential recruitment from riverine spawning habitats to lacustrine nursery areas. Published relationships were used to model transport survival as a function of temperature and velocity. At greater distances from nursery areas, mortality risk increases, particularly as a result of starvation at relatively high river temperatures. We applied the model to the Sandusky River, a tributary to western Lake Erie, and found potential larval production from spawning habitat above an existing dam to exceed the potential of presently accessible spawning areas by a factor of 8. We used a generalized version of the model to show that for transport distances of less than 100 km, transport survival is much more sensitive to variations in river flows, whereas at greater distances, temperature becomes increasingly important.

Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) Fluctuations in the Great Lakes and Possible Causes, 1800–1975

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1878-1889 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Schneider ◽  
J. H. Leach
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Stizostedion Vitreum ◽  
Spawning Habitat ◽  
Green Bay ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Foreign Species ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Changes in walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) stocks in the Great Lakes from 1800 to 1975 were linked to proliferation of foreign species of fish and culturally induced sources of stress — exploitation, nutrient loading, alteration of spawning habitat, and toxic materials. During the 1800s, three small spawning stocks (and probably many others) were damaged or destroyed because of either overfishing or elimination of spawning habitat through logging, pollution, or damming.During 1900–40, stocks in the Michigan waters of Lake Superior, southern Green Bay, the Thunder Bay River of Lake Huron, the North Channel of Lake Huron, and the New York waters of Lake Ontario declined gradually. Pollution, in general, and degradation of spawning habitat, in particular, probably caused three of the declines and overexploitation was suspected in two instances. In addition, the decline of three of these stocks occurred when rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) were increasing.During 1940–75, stocks in seven areas declined abruptly: Saginaw Bay (1944), northern Green Bay (1953), Muskegon River (mid-1950s), western Lake Erie (1955), Nipigon Bay (late 1950s), Bay of Quinte (1960), and Black Bay (mid-1960s). The decline of each stock was associated with a series of weak year-classes. The stocks were exposed to various sources of stress, including overexploitation, pollution, and interaction with foreign species, which, if not important in the decline, may be suppressing recovery. Only the western Lake Erie stock recovered, in part due to a reduction in exploitation and, possibly, because of the relatively low density of smelt and alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) in the nursery areas.Relatively stable stocks persisted in five areas: Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior, Lake St. Clair — southern Lake Huron, eastern Lake Erie, northern Lake Huron, and parts of Georgian Bay. Pollution problems were relatively minor in these areas and exploitation was light during recent decades. Apparently these stocks were more capable of withstanding the additional stresses exerted by alien species. Key words: population fluctuations, Percidae, Stizostedion, Great Lakes walleye, history of fisheries, summary of stresses, harvests, management implications

Environmental Factors Affecting the Strength of Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) Year-Classes in Western Lake Erie, 1960–70

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1733-1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolf-Dieter N. Busch ◽  
Russell L. Scholl ◽  
Wilbur L. Hartman
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Stizostedion Vitreum ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Brood Stock ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Spawning Area ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Class Strength ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Commercial production of walleyes (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) from western Lake Erie declined from 5.9 million pounds in 1956 to 140,000 pounds by 1969. Since 1956, marked irregularity in year-class success has developed. Only four year-classes were considered good during 1959–70. The rate and regularity of water warming during the spring spawning and incubation periods in 1960–70 had a positive effect on the density of egg deposits and the resulting year-class strength. Rates of warming were not themselves detrimental, but rather the extended length of the incubation period in cool springs increased the exposure of eggs to such negative influences as dislodgment from the spawning reefs by strong current action generated by spring storms, or siltation and low oxygen tensions. The annual brood stock size had much less influence on year-class strength than did water temperature. Reproductive success was unrelated to fluctuations in size of suitable reef spawning area caused by changes in water level. Apparently the usable spawning area at any water level is more than adequate to serve the limited walleye brood stocks.

Dynamics of the Recovery of the Western Lake Erie Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) Stock

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (S2) ◽  
pp. s15-s22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W. Hatch ◽  
Stephen J. Nepszy ◽  
Kenneth M. Muth ◽  
Carl T. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Standing Stock ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Stizostedion Vitreum ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Quota Management ◽  
Western Lake Erie

After its 1957 collapse under intensive fishing and environmental stresses, the walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) stock of western Lake Erie remained low throughout the 1960s. A moratorium on both sport and commercial fishing, resulting from the 1970 discovery of mercury concentrations in walleye flesh, provided an opportunity for the development of an international interagency management plan. The quota management plan developed depended on sequential projection of the fishable stock on the basis of estimated annual recruitment and reports of total withdrawals from the stock. The fishery reopened gradually and quota management (including allocation among jurisdictions) was implemented in 1976. The stock, which had been gradually increasing as a result of relatively strong year-classes produced in 1970, 1972, and 1974, responded well to limited exploitation and produced a record year-class in 1977. Quotas were exceeded in 1978–80, but the stock continued to improve to the extent that the recommended rate of exploitation was increased in 1980 and again in 1981. As the population expanded, growth began to decline; the decline became apparent in young-of-the-year in the early 1970s and in older walleyes in the late 1970s. This trend toward progressively slower growth, which continued in the 1977 and subsequent year-classes, was accompanied by an increase in length at sexual maturity and a decrease in the percentage of female walleyes reaching sexual maturity at age III. As a net result of these changes, the proportion of mature females in the stock (an index of stock fecundity) decreased slightly during the interval 1975–84, while the estimated biomass of the standing stock rose from 9 000 to nearly 26 000 t. Both sport and commercial catches increased markedly after 1980 in Lake Erie's central basin.

Migrations of Adult and Juvenile Walleyes (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) in Southern Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, and Connecting Waters

1971 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1133-1142 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Ferguson ◽  
A. J. Derksen
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Stizostedion Vitreum ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Reverse Migration ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Young Of The Year ◽  
Thames River ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Recoveries of walleyes (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) tagged as adults and juveniles at various sites in waters from southern Lake Huron to eastern Lake Erie provided information on the migrations of the Thames River stock and the mixing of these fish with other stocks in the study area. Walleyes spawning in the Thames River in March and April quickly migrated into the St. Clair River and southern Lake Huron, where they mingled with other stocks, including some from Lake Erie. The return migration to the Thames River occurred between November and March. Juvenile walleyes tagged in Lake St. Clair, on the other hand, moved downriver to Lake Erie. Young-of-the-year fish tagged in western Lake Erie, many presumably of Lake St. Clair origin, provided evidence of a reverse migration, since they tended to move back into Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron as they matured. Adult walleyes tagged along the Canadian shore of Lake Erie migrated eastward during the summer, but were recovered in or near the western basin during the spawning season. Thus, western Lake Erie appeared as a juvenile milling or mixing area during the summer, whereas southern Lake Huron and the north shore of central and eastern Lake Erie were adult areas.

Historical Changes in Mercury Contamination in Michigan Walleyes (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum)

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1745-1754 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. Kelly ◽  
J. D. Jones ◽  
G. R. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Stizostedion Vitreum ◽  
Saginaw Bay ◽  
The Past ◽  
Bear Lake ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Western Lake Erie ◽  
Historical Samples

Mercury concentrations in Michigan walleyes (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) are more variable among localities than between recent and historical samples within localities. Increases in mercury concentrations were noted in the recent populations of lakes Cadillac and Mitchell, Lake Gogebic, and western Lake Erie. Walleyes in four of seven localities showed no statistically significant increases in the level of mercury contamination over the past 40 yr. Mercury values over 0.5 ppm are common only on Isle Royale, in Saginaw Bay, and in western Lake Erie. Walleyes from Houghton Lake, Bear Lake, and lakes Cadillac and Mitchell show low levels of mercury contamination.Methods for validly comparing preserved and fresh specimens were established by tests to determine the weight loss through dehydration in preservation. In 74% alcohol, muscle tissue of medium to large walleyes dehydrates to about 70% of the fresh weight in the first year.Mercury concentration in walleye muscle from recent and old museum collections is positively correlated with age and size. Considerable variation in concentration exists not only between geographic localities, but within populations, and even within subsamples of the same tissue.

scholarly journals Changes in Prey Fish Populations in Western Lake Erie, 1969–88, as Related to Walleye, Stizostedion vitreum, Predation

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1289-1298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger L. Knight ◽  
Bruce Vondracek
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Stizostedion Vitreum ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Relative abundance of the total prey fish community in the western basin of Lake Erie varied little from 1969 to 1988, but species composition changed significantly. Soft-rayed fishes such as emerald shiner, Notropis atherinoides, spottail shiner, N. hudsonius, and alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, declined significantly after 1977 whereas only one spiny-rayed species, white bass, Morone chrysops, declined over the same period. Trout-perch, Percopsis omiscomaycus, a relatively abundant species rarely eaten by piscivores in this system, experienced only minor shifts in abundance between 1969 and 1988. Although several factors could be responsible for the shift in species composition, predation by increasingly abundant walleye, Stizostedion vitreum, played a major role. Walleye prefer to eat soft-rayed fishes; thus, observed shifts in the community match expectations of selection noted in the diet. We suggest that management goals focusing primarily on walleye affected not only the targeted species but the entire fish community of western Lake Erie.

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