Predation by Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) on Lake Herring (Coregonus artedii) in Western Lake Superior

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 1457-1463 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Selgeby ◽  
Wayne R. MacCallum ◽  
Donald V. Swedberg
Keyword(s):  
Lake Superior ◽  
Commercial Production ◽  
Osmerus Mordax ◽  
Rainbow Smelt ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
Historical Levels ◽  
Lake Herring

The stock of lake herring (Coregonus artedii) in the Apostle Islands (Wisconsin) region of western Lake Superior has diminished severely during the past 30 yr, and predation by rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) on herring larvae has been considered a possible cause of this decline. In contrast, the herring stock in Black Bay, 160 km to the northeast, has remained nearly stable despite the presence of large numbers of smelt and high commercial production of herring. Predator–prey interactions were studied in both areas during 1974. Herring larvae and smelt were about 120 and 3 times as dense, respectively, in Black Bay as in the Apostle Islands region. Substantial predation by smelt on young herring was evident in Black Bay, where 17% of 1195 smelt stomachs examined contained herring larvae. From calculations of the relative densities of the two species, and of the daily ration of the predators, we estimated that smelt consumed 3.3–11% of the herring larvae. Nevertheless, the herring stocks have sustained average historical levels of commercial production. In contrast, no herring larvae were found in the stomachs of 1711 smelt collected in the Apostle Islands region. We conclude that predation by smelt on herring larvae is not the major factor controlling or suppressing herring stocks in either region. Key words: lake herring, rainbow smelt, predation, Lake Superior

Lake Herring (Coregonus artedi) and Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) Diets in Western Lake Superior

2004 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 407-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy B. Johnson ◽  
William P. Brown ◽  
Timothy D. Corry ◽  
Michael H. Hoff ◽  
Jill V. Scharold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Superior ◽  
Osmerus Mordax ◽  
Rainbow Smelt ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Coregonus Artedi ◽  
Lake Herring

Lake Superior Revisited 1984

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (S2) ◽  
pp. s23-s36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne R. MacCallum ◽  
James H. Selgeby
Keyword(s):  
Fish Community ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Sea Lamprey ◽  
Osmerus Mordax ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Rainbow Smelt ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
Historical Levels

The Lake Superior fish community has changed substantially since the early 1960s, when control of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) became effective. Self-reproducing stocks of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) have been reestablished in many inshore areas, although they have not yet reached pre-sea lamprey abundance; offshore lake trout are probably at or near pre-sea lamprey abundance. Stocks of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) appear to have fully recovered; commercial catches are at or above historical levels. Lake herring (Coregonus artedii) are recovering rapidly in U.S. waters and are abundant in western Canadian waters. The population of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), which declined in the 1970s, is recovering. Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus) are becoming more abundant as a result of increased stocking in U.S. waters and are reproducing in most suitable tributaries; they have become significant in anglers' creels.

Isostatic rebound and its effects on fish colonization and distribution in the western Lake Superior basin

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-86
Author(s):  
S. A. Stephenson ◽  
W. T. Momot
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Mountain Lakes ◽  
Isle Royale ◽  
Lake Agassiz ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Glacial Retreat ◽  
Isostatic Rebound ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Large Numbers

Ichthyofaunal surveys of the Huron Mountains and Isle Royale, Michigan, and the Sibley Peninsula, Ontario, allow for both a comparative study of colonization events and the effects of sequential isostatic rebound within a large portion of the western Lake Superior basin. The distribution of some fish species in these areas is the result of catastrophic events related to glacial retreat. The highest Huron Mountain lakes were colonized during channel events occurring shortly after the Marquette readvance began its retreat. Some species present on the Sibley Peninsula were likely carried by overflows from Lake Agassiz. Most lakes within these areas, however, were colonized well after 9700 BP, when large numbers of species had gained entrance to Lake Superior, mainly from Mississippi basin refugia. Several species, presumably because of earlier warming periods, had a wider distribution than they exhibit today. Some colonization of Isle Royale was probably through the straying of a few individuals from these populations. Lake Superior remains a formidable barrier to many species, restricting them to favourable areas within the western basin.

Decline of Lake Herring (Coregonus artedii) In Lake Superior: An Analysis of the Wisconsin Herring Fishery, 1936–78

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 554-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Selgeby
Keyword(s):  
Lake Superior ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Productive Capacity ◽  
Spawning Areas ◽  
Spawning Stock ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Lake Herring

Annual harvests of lake herring (Coregonus artedii) in American waters of Lake Superior declined from an average of 2 million kg in 1936–62 to less than 25 000 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

Interspecific Relations among Fish Species in South Bay, Lake Huron, 1949–84

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (S2) ◽  
pp. s10-s14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan A. Henderson ◽  
F. E. J. Fry
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Osmerus Mordax ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
White Sucker ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Rainbow Smelt ◽  
Coregonus Artedii

Of the nine species caught in pound and gill nets in South Bay, Lake Huron (lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), splake (S. namaycush × S. fontinalis), burbot (Lota lota), lake hering (Coregonus artedii), alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), white sucker (Catostomus commersoni), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens)), only yellow perch, white sucker, and lake whitefish were significantly related to the abundances of all other fish species (multiple regression) from 1965 to 1984. For the longer period (pound nets 1949–84), all but smelt, burbot, and white sucker were dependent upon variations in the abundance of the nine other species. For the same period (1965–84) and species (nine), the abundances only of yellow perch and white suckers were significantly and positively related in two basins of the Bay. None of the inverse correlations between species abundances was significant in both basins. Within the Outer Basin, only the correlations between alewife and lake herring (r = −0.49, r = −0.45) and yellow perch and white sucker (r = +0.55, r = +0.47) were significant in the same direction for both time periods (1949–64 and 1965–84, respectively). We concluded that there was little evidence that the abundances of species were affected significantly by interspecific influences.

A stable isotope evaluation of the structure and spatial heterogeneity of a Lake Superior food web

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1395-1403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris J Harvey ◽  
James F Kitchell
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Rainbow Smelt ◽  
Western Lake

We used stable isotope analysis to derive trophic relationships and movement patterns for components of the western Lake Superior food web. Trophic linkages implied by previous gut content studies were only marginally supported by stable isotope data. Siscowet lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush siscowet) were the top predators, and trophic overlap between siscowet and lean lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) was low. Exotic Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) occupied a lower trophic position than native piscivores because the latter relied more on coregonids. To evaluate spatial heterogeneity of the food web, we assumed that the adjacent cities of Duluth and Superior (DS) were a point source of 15N, and we measured isotopes of organisms close to and far from DS. Slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) were enriched in the DS area relative to other sites, implying that they are relatively sedentary. Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) showed no differences at any sites, implying high vagility. Other organisms showed differences that could not be attributed to DS, implying that other mechanisms, such as trophic ontogeny, were influencing their isotopic signatures.

Winter Diet of Lake Herring (Coregonus artedi) in Western Lake Superior

1995 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Link ◽  
James H. Selgeby ◽  
Michael H. Hoff ◽  
Craig Haskell
Keyword(s):  
Lake Superior ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Coregonus Artedi ◽  
Lake Herring

Postspawning Mortality of Rainbow Smelt in Western Lake Superior

1981 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne F. Schaefer ◽  
Richard A. Heckmann ◽  
William A. Swenson
Keyword(s):  
Lake Superior ◽  
Rainbow Smelt ◽  
Western Lake
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document