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

Biomass Dynamics of Lake Superior Lake Herring (Coregonus artedii): Application of Schnute's Difference Model

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (S2) ◽  
pp. s275-s288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence D. Jacobson ◽  
Wayne R. MacCallum ◽  
George R. Spangler
Keyword(s):  
General Trend ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Natural Mortality ◽  
Difference Model ◽  
Gill Nets ◽  
Thunder Bay ◽  
Biomass Dynamics ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
Lake Herring

Schnute's (1985. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 42: 414–429) difference model was used to study the biomass dynamics of lake herring (Coregonus artedii) in Thunder Bay and Black Bay, Lake Superior, during 1948–79. Recruitment to both fisheries appeared to be independent of escapement during previous years. Abundance of lake herring in Black Bay varied without trend during the study period despite a strong peak in effective fishing effort during 1968–70 and a general trend of increasing effort throughout the study period. Abundance of Thunder Bay lake herring declined during 1948–50 and 1959–67 and increased when fishing effort declined. The estimated catchability coefficient for small-mesh gill nets (54–83 mm stretched measure) set in Black Bay for lake herring during November was 0.467/102 km net. The estimated catchability coefficient for small mesh gill nets set in Thunder Bay for lake herring during December was 0.132/102 km net. Estimates of natural mortality rates and recruitment levels for both fisheries were confounded and unreliable. This analysis demonstrates the utility of Schnute's model for management of Great Lakes herring stocks and some difficulties with its application.

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

Density-Dependent Maturation, Growth, and Female Dominance in Lake Superior Lake Herring (Coregonus artedii)

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 569-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen H. Bowen ◽  
Donna J. D'angelo ◽  
Stephen H. Arnold ◽  
Michael J. Keniry ◽  
Ronald J. Albrecht
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Female Dominance ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Recruitment Failure ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
Lake Herring

Density-related changes in age at maturation, sex ratio of recruits, growth, and fecundity at very low density result in spawning populations which comprise many older females and few young males and in which egg production per lake herring (Coregonus artedii) is increased by a factor of five. Age of maturation is delayed at low density for females, but not for males. Thus, males dominate the youngest age classes but females become increasingly more abundant from age 2 + through age 6 +. A model of lake herring population structure showed that although delayed maturation accounts for many characteristics of depressed populations, it does not explain overall population femaleness. The model was used to evaluate effects of differential adult mortality, recruitment failure, and changes in the sex ratio of recruits, and only the latter provided an adequate explanation for overall femaleness. Despite the apparently compensatory nature of these responses, the slow and unsteady recovery of depressed Lake Superior populations during the last two decades indicates that one or more additional factors play important roles in determination of year class strength.

Evaluation of Methods to Estimate Lake Herring Spawner Abundance in Lake Superior

2006 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 680-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Yule ◽  
Jason D. Stockwell ◽  
Gary A. Cholwek ◽  
Lori M. Evrard ◽  
Steven Schram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Superior ◽  
Evaluation Of Methods ◽  
Lake Herring

Acidification of the La Cloche Mountain Lakes, Ontario, and Resulting Fish Mortalities

1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1131-1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Beamish ◽  
Harold H. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Sulfur Dioxide ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Mountain Lakes ◽  
Single Source ◽  
Catostomus Commersoni ◽  
General Study ◽  
Ph Measurements ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
Lake Herring

The loss of populations of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), lake herring (Coregonus artedii), white suckers (Catostomus commersoni), and other fishes in Lumsden Lake was attributed to increasing levels of acidity within the lake. An absence of fishes was also observed in nearby lakes. In some lakes, acid levels have increased more than one hundredfold in the last decade. The increases in acidity appear to result from acid fallout in rain and snow. The largest single source of this acid was considered to be the sulfur dioxide emitted by the metal smelters of Sudbury, Ont.In 1971, pH measurements were taken from 150 lakes in the general study area 65 km southwest of Sudbury. Some 33 of these lakes showed a pH of less than 4.5 and were described as "critically acidic." An additional 37 lakes had a pH in the range of 4.5–5.5 and were termed "endangered" lakes.

Effects of Temperature on Embryonic Development of Lake Herring (Coregonus artedii)

1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 799-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Colby ◽  
L. T. Brooke
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Development Stage ◽  
General Assumption ◽  
Hatching Time ◽  
First Feeding ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
Washtenaw County ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Lake Herring

Embryonic development of lake herring (Coregonus artedii) was observed in the laboratory at 13 constant temperatures from 0.0 to 12.1 C and in Pickerel Lake (Washtenaw County, Michigan) at natural temperature regimes. Rate of development during incubation was based on progression of the embryos through 20 identifiable stages.An equation was derived to predict development stage at constant temperatures, on the general assumption that development stage [Formula: see text] is a function of time (days, D) and temperature (T). The equation should also be useful in interpreting estimates from future regressions that include other environmental variables that affect egg development.A second regression model, derived primarily for fluctuating temperatures, related development rate for stage [Formula: see text], expressed as the reciprocal of time, to temperature (x). The generalized equation for a development stage is:[Formula: see text]In general, time required for embryos to reach each stage of development in Pickerel Lake agreed closely with the time predicted from this equation, derived from our laboratory observations. Hatching time was predicted within 1 day in 1969 and within 2 days in 1970.We used the equations derived with the second model to predict the effect of the super-imposition of temperature increases of 1 and 2 C on the measured temperatures in Pickerel Lake. Conceivably, hatching dates could be affected sufficiently to jeopardize the first feeding of lake herring through loss of harmony between hatching date and seasonal food availability.

scholarly journals Spatial diversity of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) spawning areas

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (8) ◽  
pp. 1662-1666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas E. Hay ◽  
P. Bruce McCarter ◽  
Kristen S. Daniel ◽  
Jacob F. Schweigert
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Spatial Diversity ◽  
Pacific Herring ◽  
Spatial Unit ◽  
Clupea Pallasi ◽  
Spawning Areas ◽  
Stock Biomass ◽  
Spawning Stock ◽  
Shallow Subtidal ◽  
Spawning Sites

Abstract Hay, D. E., McCarter, P. B., Daniel, K. S., and Schweigert, J. F. 2009. Spatial diversity of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) spawning areas. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1662–1666. Eastern Pacific herring spawn in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas. Spawning sites are conspicuous: milt turns coastal waters white, sometimes for distances of many kilometres. This attribute has enabled biologists to document spawning distributions for more than 70 years throughout the 29 500 km coastline of western Canada. Spawning distributions and spatial diversity have varied over time. When aggregated over 70 years (1938–2007), spawning occurred along 5574 km or ∼20% of the total coastline. Cumulative annual spawn length ranges from 131 (in 1966) to 770 km (in 1992). We examined annual changes in spawn distribution using spatial units of variable size, ranging in area from a maximum of >1000 km2 to a minimum of <0.1 km2. Assessment of spatial diversity varied with the size of the spatial unit. Spatial diversity estimated from small spatial units (area <0.1 km2) was significantly correlated with spawning-stock biomass (SSB). In contrast, there was no correlation, and sometimes opposite temporal trends, between SSB and all larger spatial units (mean area >0.3 km2). The choice of spatial scale can affect the results from analyses of other factors, such as SSB, that could affect spatial diversity of spawning areas.

Precision Micrometer Measurement of Mouth Gape of Larval Fish

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 1786-1791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Arts ◽  
D. O. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Data Capture ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Manual Method ◽  
Direct Data ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
Lake Herring

A precision micrometer device is described which standardizes measurement of mouth gape of larval fish and provides a greater degree of accuracy and speed than the conventional manual method. We compared gape measurements of larval lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and lake herring (Coregonus artedii) using the gape micrometer versus the manual method. The micrometer measurements revealed a greater increase in gape with body length and resulted in a greater proportion of the variance in gape being explained, indicating that the gape micrometer is more sensitive and accurate than the manual method. Coefficient of variation of gape measurements on 238 larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens) decreased with body size from 0.5–4.0% at 0.8–1.2 cm standard length to 0.2–0.5% at 3.0 cm. The device has the added advantage that it could be adapted to connect to a microcomputer for direct data capture.

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