How Many Ciscoes are Needed for Stocking in the Laurentian Great Lakes?

Historically, Cisco Coregonus artedi and deepwater ciscoes Coregonus spp. were the most abundant and ecologically important fish species in the Laurentian Great Lakes, but anthropogenic influences caused nearly all populations to collapse by the 1970s. Fishery managers have begun exploring the feasibility of restoring populations throughout the basin, but questions regarding hatchery propagation and stocking remain. We used historical and contemporary stock-recruit parameters previously estimated for Ciscoes in Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior, with estimates of age-1 Cisco rearing habitat (broadly defined as total ha ≤ 80 m depth) and natural mortality, to estimate how many fry (5.5 months post-hatch), fall fingerling (7.5 months post-hatch), and age-1 (at least 12 months post-hatch) hatchery-reared Ciscoes are needed for stocking in the Great Lakes to mimic recruitment rates in Lake Superior, a lake that has undergone some recovery. Estimated stocking densities suggested that basin-wide stocking would require at least 0.641-billion fry, 0.469-billion fall fingerlings, or 0.343-billion age-1 fish for a simultaneous restoration effort targeting historically important Cisco spawning and rearing areas in Lakes Huron, Michigan, Erie, Ontario, and Saint Clair. Numbers required for basin-wide stocking were considerably greater than current or planned coregonine production capacity, thus simultaneous stocking in the Great Lakes is likely not feasible. Provided current habitat conditions do not preclude Cisco restoration, managers could maximize the effectiveness of available production capacity by concentrating stocking efforts in historically important spawning and rearing areas, similar to the current stocking effort in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Other historically important Cisco spawning and rearing areas within each lake (listed in no particular order) include: (1) Thunder Bay in Lake Huron, (2) Green Bay in Lake Michigan, (3) the islands near Sandusky, Ohio, in western Lake Erie, and (4) the area near Hamilton, Ontario, and Bay of Quinte in Lake Ontario. Our study focused entirely on Ciscoes but may provide a framework for describing future stocking needs for deepwater ciscoes.

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Paleohydrology of the upper Laurentian Great Lakes from the late glacial to early Holocene

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/j.yqres.2009.01.003 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 71 (3) ◽

pp. 397-408 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Andy Breckenridge ◽

Thomas C. Johnson

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Lake Superior ◽

Late Glacial ◽

Lake Huron ◽

Michigan Basin ◽

Great Lakes Basin ◽

Lake Agassiz ◽

Sharp Drop ◽

Freshwater Fluxes

AbstractBetween 10,500 and 9000 cal yr BP, δ18O values of benthic ostracodes within glaciolacustrine varves from Lake Superior range from − 18 to − 22‰ PDB. In contrast, coeval ostracode and bivalve records from the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan basins are characterized by extreme δ18O variations, ranging from values that reflect a source that is primarily glacial (∼ − 20‰ PDB) to much higher values characteristic of a regional meteoric source (∼ − 5‰ PDB). Re-evaluated age models for the Huron and Michigan records yield a more consistent δ18O stratigraphy. The striking feature of these records is a sharp drop in δ18O values between 9400 and 9000 cal yr BP. In the Huron basin, this low δ18O excursion was ascribed to the late Stanley lowstand, and in the Lake Michigan basin to Lake Agassiz flooding. Catastrophic flooding from Lake Agassiz is likely, but a second possibility is that the low δ18O excursion records the switching of overflow from the Lake Superior basin from an undocumented northern outlet back into the Great Lakes basin. Quantifying freshwater fluxes for this system remains difficult because the benthic ostracodes in the glaciolacustrine varves of Lake Superior and Lake Agassiz may not record the average δ18O value of surface water.

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

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada ◽

10.1139/f77-254 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 34 (10) ◽

pp. 1878-1889 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

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

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Spatial variability of lake trout diets in Lakes Huron and Michigan revealed by stomach content and fatty acid profiles

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2016-0202 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 75 (1) ◽

pp. 95-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Austin Happel ◽

Jory L. Jonas ◽

Paul R. McKenna ◽

Jacques Rinchard ◽

Ji Xiang He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acid ◽

Great Lakes ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Lake Trout ◽

Stomach Contents ◽

Neogobius Melanostomus ◽

Lake Huron ◽

Fatty Acid Profiles ◽

Rainbow Smelt ◽

Western Lake

Despite long-term efforts to restore lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) populations in the Great Lakes, they continue to experience insufficient recruitment and rely on hatchery programs to sustain stocks. As lake trout reproductive success has been linked to diets, spatial heterogeneity in diet compositions is of interest. To assess spatial components of adult lake trout diets, we analyzed stomach contents and fatty acid profiles of dorsal muscle collected throughout Lake Michigan and along Lake Huron’s Michigan shoreline. Lake trout from Lake Huron were generally larger in both length and mass than those from Lake Michigan. However, lake trout from Lake Michigan varied more in size based on depth of capture with smaller fish being caught more in deeper set nets. Fatty acids and stomach contents indicated that alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) were consumed more in western Lake Michigan in contrast with round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) along the eastern shoreline. Conversely, in Lake Huron, lake trout primarily consumed rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). These results indicate that diet compositions of lake trout populations are relatively plastic and offer new insights into within-basin heterogeneity of Great Lakes food webs.

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Retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet from 14,000 to 9000 Years Ago

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/0033-5894(71)90068-8 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 316-330 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

H. E. Wright

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Lake Superior ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Laurentide Ice Sheet ◽

Great Lakes Region ◽

Forward Movement ◽

Western Lake ◽

Basal Sliding ◽

Lake Michigan Lobe

The intricate pattern of moraines of the Laurentide ice sheet in the Great Lakes region reflects the marked lobation of the ice margin in late Wisconsin time, and this in turn reflects the distribution of steam-cut lowlands etched in preglacial times in the weak-rock belts of gentle Paleozoic fold structures. It is difficult to trace and correlate moraines from lobe to lobe and to evaluate the magnitude of recession before readvance, but three breaks stand out in the sequence, with readvances at about 14,500, 13,000, and 11,500 years ago. The first, corresponding to the Cary advance of the Lake Michigan lobe, is represented to the west by distant advance of the Des Moines lobe in Iowa, and to the east by the overriding of lake beds by the Erie lobe. The 13,000-year advance is best represented by the Port Huron moraine of the Lake Michigan and Huron lobes, but by relatively little action to west and east. The 11,500-year advance is based on the Valders till of the Lake Michigan lobe, but presumed correlations to east and west prove to be generally older, and the question is raised that these and some other ice advances in the Great Lakes region may represent surges of the ice rather than regional climatic change. Surging may involve the buildup of subglacial meltwater, which can provide the basal sliding necessary for rapid forward movement. It would be most favored by the conditions in the western Lake Superior basin, where the Superior lobe had a suitable form and thermal regime, as estimated from geomorphic and paleoclimatic criteria. The Valders advance of the Lake Michigan and Green Bay lobes may also have resulted from a surge: the eastern part of the Lake Superior basin, whence the ice advanced, has a pattern of deep gorges that resemble subglacial tunnel valleys, which imply great quantities of subglacial water that may have produced glacial surges before the water became channeled.

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Shining a light on Laurentian Great Lakes cisco (Coregonus artedi): how ice coverage may impact embryonic development

10.1101/2021.03.23.436622 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Taylor R Stewart ◽

Mark R Vinson ◽

Jason D Stockwell

Keyword(s):

Light Intensity ◽

Great Lakes ◽

Light Exposure ◽

Lake Superior ◽

Lake Ontario ◽

Yolk Sac ◽

Laurentian Great Lakes ◽

Embryo Survival ◽

Ice Coverage ◽

Coregonus Artedi

Changes in winter conditions, such as decreased ice coverage and duration, have been observed in the Laurentian Great Lakes over the past 20+ years and hypothetically linked to low Coregonus spp. survival to age-1. Most cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations are autumn spawners whose embryos incubate under ice throughout the winter. The quantity and quality of light during winter is regulated by ice and snow coverage, and light has been shown to affect embryo survival and development in some teleosts. We experimentally evaluated how cisco embryos from lakes Superior and Ontario responded to three light treatments that represented day-light intensity under 0-10, 40-60, and 90-100% ice coverage. Embryonic response measures included two developmental factors (embryo survival and incubation period) and two morphological traits (length-at-hatch and yolk-sac volume). Embryo survival was highest at the medium light treatment and decreased at high and low treatments for both populations suggesting cisco may be adapted to withstand some light exposure from inter-annual variability in ice coverage. Light intensity had no overall effect on length of incubation. Length-at-hatch decreased with increasing light in Lake Superior, but had no effect in Lake Ontario. Yolk-sac volume was positively correlated with increasing light in Lake Superior and negatively correlated in Lake Ontario. Contrasting responses in embryo development between lakes suggests differences in populations' flexibility to light. These results provide a step towards better understanding the recent high variability observed in coregonine recruitment and may help predict what the future of this species may look like under current climate trends.

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Prescribed Courses for the Navigation of the Great Lakes of North America

Journal of Navigation ◽

10.1017/s0373463300033385 ◽

1964 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 376-385

Author(s):

O. T. Burnham ◽

C. M. Jansky

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

North America ◽

Great Lakes ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Lake Superior ◽

The United States ◽

Lake Huron ◽

Border Line ◽

West Lake ◽

North Lake

The Great Lakes of North America, four of which form the border-line between the United States and the Dominion of Canada, increase in size from east to west, Lake Ontario being the smallest but still 180 statute miles in length. Lake Erie is the shallowest, with an east to west extent of 236 statute miles. Lake Huron has a maximum length of 247 statute miles from south to north. Lake Michigan is the only one of the lakes entirely within the confines of the United States, extending 321 statute miles from north to south. The largest and deepest of the group is Lake Superior, where the principal sailing course from Sault Ste. Marie to Duluth is 383 statute miles.

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Burbot: Ecology, Management, and Culture

Burbot: Ecology, Management, and Culture ◽

10.47886/9781888569988.ch6 ◽

2008 ◽

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Dreissena Polymorpha ◽

Native Species ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Round Goby ◽

Lake Huron ◽

Lower Growth ◽

Quagga Mussels ◽

Western Lake ◽

Round Gobies

Abstract.—Burbot Lota lota is a native species of cod (Gadidae) found in the coldwater regions of all five Laurentian Great Lakes. Burbot age-at-length data from along western Lake Huron showed that fish reached 18 years of age. Fish age 7 and younger grew more slowly in southern Lake Huron than in north-central and northern Lake Huron, while this trend was reversed for fish ≥ 8 years old. Burbot growth and diet data were recorded for fish collected near Leland, Fairport, and Bridgman (D. C. Cook nuclear power plant), Michigan and Washington Island, Wisconsin in Lake Michigan and Alpena, Michigan in northern Lake Huron to determine changes in growth and diet with the recent invasion of the nonindigenous round goby Neogobius melanostomus. We compared burbot growth at four length intervals (500–800 mm) among these locations and found significantly lower growth at Alpena compared with the other sites; burbot from Bridgman at 500 and 600 mm were the lightest among all sites. Burbot diets have changed substantially in some areas from native fish and invertebrate species to a diet that includes large proportions of the nonindigenous round goby (77% by wet weight in Lake Huron near Alpena, 53% in Lake Michigan near Fairport). Establishment of round gobies in the open waters of the Great Lakes is likely to change coldwater food webs, including replacement of sculpins (Cottus spp.) at depths up to 70 m, where round gobies have been found. Burbot, whose diets were composed of large amounts of round gobies, showed lower growth, and there is a potential for decreased bioaccumulation of toxic substances because round gobies consume zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha and quagga mussels D. bugensis, which are lower in the food chain than organisms that native species eat.

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Role of Phosphorus in Great Lakes Eutrophication: Is There a Controversy?

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada ◽

10.1139/f79-045 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 286-288 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Claire L. Schelske

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Lake Superior ◽

Conclusive Evidence ◽

Lake Huron ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Upper Great Lakes ◽

Limiting Nutrients ◽

Cast Doubt

Phosphorus is undoubtedly the major plant nutrient controlling phytoplankton growth in the upper Great Lakes and the nutrient responsible for accelerated eutrophication in the lower Great Lakes. No studies published before 1970 provide conclusive evidence of the specific roles of phosphorus and other nutrients as growth limiting factors for phytoplankton. Improper citation of references can inadvertently cast doubt on the key role of phosphorus, or denigrate uncited work, depending on the reader's background. Key words: phosphorus, nitrogen, eutrophication, phytoplankton, limiting nutrients, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron

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Fecundity of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from the Great Lakes and a Comparison with Ocean Salmon

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada ◽

10.1139/f76-144 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 1150-1155 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Thomas M. Stauffer

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Early Life ◽

First Generation ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Coho Salmon ◽

Pacific Salmon ◽

Lake Superior ◽

Oncorhynchus Kisutch ◽

Early Life History ◽

Freshwater Salmon

I measured fecundity of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) that matured in the Great Lakes to make comparisons with Pacific Ocean coho salmon and among groups of Great Lakes salmon. Numbers of eggs produced (1600–3500) by Great Lakes salmon were comparable to production (1500–3300) by Pacific salmon of similar size. Average egg diameters of Lake Michigan (7.1–7.4 mm) and Pacific salmon (6.1–7.4 mm) were also comparable but Lake Superior eggs were smaller (5.1–5.4 mm). Fecundity of second generation freshwater salmon which originated from Lake Michigan eggs was similar to that of the first generation which originated from Pacific eggs because the average numbers (2938–3243) and diameters (7.1–7.4 mm) of eggs produced were about the same. On the average, Lake Michigan salmon contained more (2938) and larger (7.1-mm diam) eggs than did Lake Superior salmon (2150 and 5.1-mm diam) of the same year-class and early life history.

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