Role of lake-wide prey fish survey in understanding ecosystem dynamics and managing fisheries of Lake Michigan

Abstract

With this study, the role of this lake-wide prey fish survey in both understanding the dynamics of the Lake Michigan ecosystem and managing Lake Michigan fisheries was documented. The complexity of ecosystems is such that long-term study is required before the dynamics of the ecosystem can be understoond. Furthermore, long-term observation is needed before important or meaningful questions about ecosystem dynamics can be asked. My approach is to first illustrate, by example, the usefulness of the survey results in providing insights into the dynamics of the Lake Michigan ecosystem. Then, examples of direct application of the survey results toward Lake Michigan fisheries management are presented.