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USGS · 70254540

Status and trends of the Lake Huron prey fish community, 1976-2023

Timothy P. O’Brien·Darryl W. Hondorp·Edward F. Roseman·Peter C. Esselman·Cory O. Brant·Steven A. Farha·Kristy Phillips
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Abstract

The U. S. Geological Survey-Great Lakes Science Center has monitored annual changes in the offshore (depth >9m) prey fish community of Lake Huron since 1973. Monitoring of prey fish populations in Lake Huron is based on a bottom trawl survey that targets demersal (benthic) species and an acoustic-midwater trawl survey that targets pelagic species and life stages. In 2023, Bloater ( Coregonus hoyi ) accounted for 77% of the main basin biomass in bottom trawls and 86% of the main basin biomass in the acoustics survey. Despite this sustained importance of native species in the main basin, species diversity is below desired levels. Bloater in the main basin has exhibited population growth and strong recruitment in recent years, and Cisco ( Coregonus artedi ) has exhibited increased biomass in the North Channel since 2015. In contrast non-native Alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ), whose population collapsed in 2004 and has not recovered, were less than 1% of fish biomass in 2023. Rainbow Smelt ( Osmerus mordax ) accounted for 7% of the main basin biomass in bottom trawls and 22% of the main basin biomass in the acoustics survey. Despite remaining the second-most abundant prey species in the main basin, Rainbow Smelt has not shown appreciable increases in biomass despite recent strong year classes. Deepwater Sculpin ( Myoxocephalus thompsonii ) increased by 47% in 2023 and were 33% of the long-term average. Slimy Sculpin ( Cottus cognatus ) increased to 60% of the long-term average but remained rare in bottom trawl catches. In contrast, biomass of Round Goby ( Neogobius melanostomus ), a non-native species similar ecologically to the sculpin species, remained near the record high biomass reached in 2022. Current lake conditions characterized by ongoing oligotrophication seem to favor native coregonines over non-native fishes. Use of complementary surveys (bottom trawl, acoustics) remains important for evaluating prey fish status in Lake Huron, where prey fish community dynamics vary by basin and prey fish responses to changing environmental conditions depend on species and/or habitat.

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90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 42.94838139765314° to 46.39998810407942° latitude; -84.7705078125° to -79.56298828125° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Timothy P. O’Brien, Darryl W. Hondorp, Edward F. Roseman, Peter C. Esselman, Cory O. Brant, Steven A. Farha, Kristy Phillips. 2024. Status and trends of the Lake Huron prey fish community, 1976-2023. https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70254540

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