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Peter J. Colby

Publications and source records attributed to Peter J. Colby.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2003

Cisco ( Coregonus artedii ) mortalities in a southern Michigan lake, July 1968

Cisco die-offs are common in the summer in certain lakes of northern Indiana and southern Michigan, along the southern boundary of the national distribution of coregonine fishes. Although numerous cisco die-offs have been reported, few, if any, have been accompanied by environmental information at the time of the die-off. On 31 July and 1 August 1968, we investigated a cisco die-off on Halfmoon Lake, on the border of Washtenaw and Livingston Counties, Michigan.

Limnology and Oceanography↗
USGS1973

Effects of temperature on embryonic development of lake herring ( Coregonus artedii )

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 (DS) 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 j (DR j ), expressed as the reciprocal of time, to temperature (x). The generalized equation for a development stage is: DR j = ab x c x 2 d x 3 . 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 superimposition 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.

Michigan↗
USGS1972

Feeding behavior of lake whitefish and lake herring in Torch Lake, Michigan

It is proposed that Haemoproteus nettionis (Johnston and Cleland, 1909) Coatney, 1936 be accepted as the correct name for the Haemoproteus of Anatidae. A list of synonyms and amended description of the parasite is given. Infections are reported from wood ducks (Aix sponsa) and from domestic ducks and geese, the last representing a new host record. Natural transmission was demonstrated at the Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, Maryland. Possible seasonal variation is suggested with active carriers present as early as mid-April among adult wood ducks and most active transmission occurring in June and early July with limited transmission earlier or later.

Progressive Fish-Culturist↗
USGS1971

Effects of temperature on electrolyte balance and osmoregulation of the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) in fresh and sea water

A study of the effects of temperature and salinity on ionoregulation in the alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, revealed that concentrations of sodium, potassium, and calcium in plasma and muscle were similar in fish adapted to fresh water and those adapted to sea water. The non-stressed alewife is apparently an excellent ionoregulator in both environments. Acute exposure to cold caused a shift in plasma concentrations of sodium and calcium toward environmental concentrations, i.e., these ions decreased in fresh water and increased in sea water. An ionoregulatory failure due to cold is suggested. High temperatures had little effect on plasma electrolyte levels in fresh water whereas in sea water the concentrations of sodium, potassium, and calcium were elevated. Mortalities of the alewife in the Great Lakes may be caused by osmoregulatory failure induced by acute exposure to cold, but are probably not induced by exposure to elevated temperatures. Fish thermally acclimated in the laboratory or in Lake Michigan had essentially normal concentrations of blood electrolytes. In muscle, sodium was reduced during exposure to acute cold in both fresh water and sea water. The effect of warm water on ion levels in muscle was, in general opposite that of cold. These data suggest shifts of ions or water between cellular and extracellular fluids of muscle. Such shifts might affect the function of excitable tissue. Muscle tremors and loss of equilibrium observed in dying alewives during summer mortalities might be brought about when sudden temperature drops (e.g., as a result of upwellings which are common occurrences in the Great Lakes) induce disturbances in cellular or extracellular concentrations of ions. In the laboratory, alewife mortalities caused by increasing or decreasing temperatures were about equal in fresh water and sea water. These findings suggest that salinity does not modify the capacity of alewives to tolerate acute temperature stress.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1971

Alewife dieoffs: Why do they occur?

Periodid midwinter, early spring, and summer mortalities of alewives ( Alosa pseudoharengus ) have been common in the Great Lakes since the first appearance of the silvery marine invader in Lake Ontario in the mid-1870's. In 1967 a nationally publicized dieoff of tremendous magnitude (estimated at several hundred million pounds of fish) in Lake Michigan resulted in losses to industry,municipalities, and recreational interests in excess of $100 million. The cause of these mortalities is still unclear. The apparent inability of this primarily marine species to adjust completely to the Great Lakes has several suspected causes, among which failure to adjust to temperature extremes and fluctuations in the Great Lakes now appears to be of primary importance. Other possible causes are exhaustion of the food supply, failure to osmoregulate (maintain a suitable chemical balance) adequately in fresh water, failure to extract sufficient iodine from the iodine-poor Great Lakes, and a combination of these several possibilities.

Limnos↗
USGS1970

Concentrations of trace elements in Great Lakes fishes

The concentration of 15 trace elements was determined by activation analysis of samples of whole fish and fish livers from three of the Great Lakes: Michigan, Superior, and Erie. The average concentrations of 7 elements in 19 whole fish from 3 species were as follows: uranium, 3ppb (parts per billion); thorium, 6ppb; cobalt, 28ppb; cadmium, 94ppb; arsenic, 16ppb; chromium, 1ppm; and copper, 1.3ppm. The average concentrations of 8 elements in 40 liver samples from 10 species of fish were as follows: uranium, 2ppb; thorium, 2ppb; cobalt, 40ppb; copper, 9ppm; zinc, 30ppm; bromine, 0.4ppm; arsenic, 30ppb; and cadmium, 0.4ppm. Other elements observed in most of the samples were: antimony, 5100ppb; gold, 25ppb; lanthanum, 120ppb; rhenium, 0.55ppb; rubidium, 0.064ppm; and selenium, 0.12ppb.Trace element concentrations varied with species and lake. Uranium and thorium varied with species, but not for the same species from different lakes. The levels of copper, cobalt, zinc, and bromine varied little between species and lakes. The concentration of cadmium, arsenic, and chromium varied between species and with species between lakes.

Great Lakes↗
USGS1970

Temperature tolerance of young-of-the-year cisco, Coregonus artedii

Young-of-the-year ciscoes (Coregonus artedii) acclimated to 2, 5, 10, 20 and 25 C and tested for tolerance to high and low temperatures provide the first detailed description of the thermal tolerance of coregonids in North America. The upper ultimate lethal temperature of the young ciscoes was 26 C (6 C higher than the maximum sustained temperature tolerated by adult ciscoes in nature) and the ultimate lower lethal temperature approached 0 C (near that commonly tolerated in nature by adult ciscoes). The temperature of 26 C is slightly higher than the lowest ultimate upper lethal temperature recorded for North American freshwater fishes; however, published information on the depth distributions of fishes in the Great Lakes suggests that some of the other coregonids may be less tolerant of high temperatures than the cisco.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1970

Survival and development of lake herring (Coregonus artedii) eggs at various incubation temperatures

Lake herring eggs stripped and fertilized from a local stock were incubated in a constant-flow incubator at constant temperatures ranging from 0 to 12.1° C. Rate of development, percentage survival, percentage of abnormal and normal hatching, and length of fry at hatching were determined. The average incubation time from fertilization to 50% hatch varied from 37 days at 9.9-10.3° C to 236 days at 0.5° C. The optimum temperature range for normal development was approximately 2 to 8° C. Eggs incubated at 0 and 12.1° C developed but did not hatch. Mortality was high among eggs incubated at 0.5 and 10.0° C. Most of the mortalities came during the early stages of development. The incidence of abnormalities was highest among fry hatched at 10° C, and was high in the one incubation series in which the eggs were rolled because of a high flow rate. Total length of fry at hatching decreased with increased incubation temperature. A comparison of survival and development between lake herring and whitefish ( Coregonus clupeaformis ) at various constant incubation temperatures suggests that lake herring have a higher optimum temperature (5.6 °C) than whitefish (0.5 °C) for successful development.

Book chapter↗