Response of alewife abundance to the bacterial kidney disease outbreak in the Chinook salmon population of Lake Michigan: Importance of predation

Charles P. Madenjian

doi:10.1139/cjfas-2021-0244

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Response of alewife abundance to the bacterial kidney disease outbreak in the Chinook salmon population of Lake Michigan: Importance of predation

Charles P. Madenjian

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Abstract

Prey fish abundance can be influenced by predation (top-down) and food limitation (bottom-up) effects. I characterized temporal trends in yearling and older (YAO) alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ) biomass density, as estimated by a long-term bottom trawl survey, in Lake Michigan during 1973–2019. Special attention was given to the bacterial kidney disease (BKD) outbreak in the population of Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ), the predominant predator on alewives in the lake. YAO alewife biomass density exhibited a steep and significant decline during 1973–1985, but then partially rebounded with a significant increase between the 1983–1985 and 1986–2003 (BKD years) periods, followed by a significant decrease between the 1986–2003 and 2004–2006 periods. YAO alewife biomass density showed another significant decline during 2004–2019. The BKD outbreak led to a partial relaxation of predation on the YAO alewife population, and YAO alewife biomass density responded by showing a moderate increase in 1986 and then fluctuating about this moderately higher level for more than 15 years. Overall, temporal trends in YAO alewife biomass density were primarily driven by predation.

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Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 41.60312076451184° to 46.12274903582433° latitude; -88.0609130859375° to -84.72656249999999° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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BibTeX RIS

Charles P. Madenjian. 2022. Response of alewife abundance to the bacterial kidney disease outbreak in the Chinook salmon population of Lake Michigan: Importance of predation. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0244

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