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Twenty five years of Federal fishery research on the Great Lakes
The major purpose of this publication is to present an annotated bibliography of papers resulting from Federal investigations on the Great Lakes fish and fisheries since the formal initiation of a continuing research program by the Fish and Wildlife Service. It is believed that this purpose can be served best by prefacing that bibliography with a brief account of the origins of Great Lakes Fishery Investigations, of the circumstances that have guided their course, and of the scientists who have participated in the several studies.
Challenges in merging fisheries research and management: The Upper Mississippi River experience
The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) is a geographically diverse basin extending 10?? north temperate latitude that has produced fishes for humans for millennia. During European colonization through the present, the UMRS has been modified to meet multiple demands such as navigation and flood control. Invasive species, notably the common carp, have dominated fisheries in both positive and negative ways. Through time, environmental decline plus reduced economic incentives have degraded opportunities for fishery production. A renewed focus on fisheries in the UMRS may be dawning. Commercial harvest and corresponding economic value of native and non-native species along the river corridor fluctuates but appears to be increasing. Recreational use will depend on access and societal perceptions of the river. Interactions (e. g., disease and invasive species transmission) among fish assemblages within the UMRS, the Great Lakes, and other lakes and rivers are rising. Data collection for fisheries has varied in intensity and contiguousness through time, although resources for research and management may be growing. As fisheries production likely relies on the interconnectivity of fish populations and associated ecosystem processes among river reaches (e. g., between the pooled and unpooled UMRS), species-level processes such as genetics, life-history interactions, and migratory behavior need to be placed in the context of broad ecosystem- and landscape-scale restoration. Formal communication among a diverse group of researchers, managers, and public stakeholders crossing geographic and disciplinary boundaries is necessary through peer-reviewed publications, moderated interactions, and the embrace of emerging information technologies. ?? Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010.
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2019
A comprehensive understanding of fish populations and their interactions is the cornerstone of modern fishery management and the basis for Fish Community Goals and Objectives for Lake Erie (Ryan et al. 2003). This report is responsive to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) obligations via Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Great Lakes Council of Lake Committees (CLC) to provide scientific information in support of fishery management. Goals for the USGS Great Lakes Deepwater Fish Assessment and Ecological Studies in 2019 were to monitor long-term changes in the fish community and population dynamics of key fishes of interest to management agencies. Specific to Lake Erie, expectations of this agreement were sustained investigations of native percids, forage (prey) fish populations, and Lake Trout. Our 2019 deepwater program operations began in April and concluded in December, and utilized trawl, gillnet, hydroacoustic, lower trophic sampling, and telemetry methods. This work resulted in 88 bottom trawls covering 65 ha of lake-bottom and catching 24,140 fish totaling 3,622 kg during three separate trawl surveys in the West and Central basins of Lake Erie. Overnight gillnet sets (n=44) for cold water species were performed at 42 unique locations in the West and East basins of Lake Erie. A total of 8.0 km of gillnet was deployed during these surveys, which caught 286 fish, 114 of which were native coldwater species: Lake Trout, Burbot, and Lake Whitefish. USGS hydroacoustic surveys in 2019 produced 240 km of transects, and lower trophic sampling provided data from zooplankton samples (n=21) and water quality profiles (n=21) to populate a database maintained by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF), Ohio Division of Natural Resources (ODNR), Michigan Division of Natural Resources (MDNR), Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). USGS also assisted CLC member agencies with deployment and maintenance of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS) throughout all three Lake Erie sub-basins, supporting multiple coordinated telemetry investigations. In 2019, Lake Trout investigations included annual gill net surveys and acoustic telemetry of spawning migration and habitat use in coordination with OMNRF, NYSDEC, and PFBC. Results from Lake Trout investigations were reported in the Coldwater Task Group annual report to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) and the CLC (Coldwater Task Group 2020). Likewise, interagency forage fish assessments conducted with hydroacoustics were summarized and reported in the Forage Task Group annual report (Forage Task Group 2020). This report presents biomass-based summaries of fish communities in western Lake Erie derived from USGS bottom trawl surveys conducted from 2013 to 2019 during June and September. The survey design provided temporal and spatial coverage that did not exist in the historic interagency trawl database, and thus complemented the August ODNR-OMNRF effort to reinforce stock assessments with more robust data. Analyses herein evaluated trends in: total biomass, abundance of dominant predator and forage species, non-native species composition, biodiversity and community structure. Data from this effort can be explored interactively online (https://lebs.shinyapps.io/western-basin/), and are accessible for download (https://doi.org/10.5066/P9LL6YOR, Keretz et al. 2020). Annual survey data are added to these sources as the data become available.
Changing concepts in fishery research on the Great Lakes
Abstract has not been submitted
Microhematocrit as a tool in fishery research and management
No abstract available at this time
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2025
Lake Erie has the most populated watershed of all the Great Lakes and has undergone dramatic anthropogenic changes. Since the 1800s, overexploitation of fish populations, habitat destruction, non-native species proliferation, industrial contamination, and changes in nutrient loading have impacted the fish community including declines in or extirpation of many native species (Regier et al. 1969, Hartman 1973; Leach & Nepszy 1976; Ludsin et al. 2001). Implementation of the Clean Water Act and Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in the 1970s improved habitat conditions (Reutter 2019), which contributed to several strong percid year-classes (Vandergoot et al. 2019). These strong year-classes also benefited from more restrictive management practices that reduced harvest, ultimately rehabilitating Lake Erie percid stocks (Kayle et al. 2015, STC 2020). Historically, Lake Erie supported a cool water fish community dominated by percids and salmonids. Recently updated FCOs set forth a vision that “Lake Erie will consist of diverse fish communities that support ongoing societal benefits, including thriving commercial and recreational fisheries, improved fish habitat and desirable ecosystem performance, and reduced adverse impacts from invasive fish” (Francis et al. 2020). Today, mixed fisheries resulting from seasonally changing cool and warm water habitats have developed in Lake Erie, and the new FCOs reflect a desire to manage both predator and prey fish communities within them. Although Lake Erie management agencies have traditionally focused on numerical indices of a few economically important species, aquatic ecosystem models are typically evaluated in terms of entire fish community biomass. As a result, our understanding of fish community structure and ecosystem dynamics from biomass-based models has been limited to short-term investigations and proxy measurements (e.g., length-weight conversion; FTG 2020). Therefore, many Lake Erie fish community databases are now incorporating biomass-based measurements. In response, USGS revised the Lake Erie trawl program to provide biomass-based measurements for all encountered species (Table 1). The survey design change occurred in 2012, coincident with commissioning of a new research vessel and a change in bottom trawl gear. These modifications already altered the existing time series; therefore, the survey design was also expanded to include greater spatial coverage and increased sample size generating a new time series. The purpose of this report is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the long-term changes and fish community dynamics including population dynamics of key fishes of interest to management agencies, such as native percids and their prey. Here, we summarize survey results for the most recent series of West Basin trawl data from 2013 through 2025. Note that a detailed description of the sampling process along with traditional numericallybased catch data (e.g., fish/ha) for individual species can be downloaded online (DuFour et al. 2026) or obtained for earlier years (https://doi.org/10.5066/F75M63X0; U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center 2019).
Surgical insertions of transmitters and telemetry methods in fisheries research
Use of electronic transmitter and monitoring systems to track movements of aquatic animals has increased continuously since the inception of these systems in the mid-1950s. The purpose of the present report is to provide information about veterinary principles and their incorporation into surgical implantation procedures for fish. We also intend to provide insight into the unique challenges of field-based aquatic surgical studies. Within this context, 4 aspects of the process for surgical implantation of transmitters in fish (ie, handling, aseptic technique, anesthesia, and implantation) will be described. Effects of surgical insertion of transmitters (ie, tagging) and aspects of the surgical implantation process where collaboration and professional exchanges among nonveterinarian researchers and veterinarians may be most fruitful will be discussed. Although this report focuses on surgical implantation, the principles and protocols described here (other than incision and suture placement) are also applicable to studies that involve injection of transmitters into fish.
The Western Fisheries Research Center studies: threatened and endangered fishes
Within historical time, western native fish communities have faced increasing threats from habitat loss, invasive species, and pollution. It should come as no surprise that human development has greatly altered fish habitat in the west because of the importance of water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses, power generation, waste disposal, flood protection, and transportation. Fish that were adapted to natural cycles of river flow, lake levels, and water temperatures have been unable to adapt to the changes to these cycles caused by development, leading to the listing as threatened or endangered of 68 species of western native fishes. Rapid expansion of non-native fishes, aquatic plants, and invertebrates has increased competition for food and space while pollutants from past and present degrade our lakes, streams, and rivers.
Standardized methods for Grand Canyon fisheries research 2015
This document presents protocols and guidelines to persons sampling fishes in the Grand Canyon, to help ensure consistency in fish handling, fish tagging, and data collection among different projects and organizations. Most such research and monitoring projects are conducted under the general umbrella of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program and include studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), various universities, and private contractors. This document is intended to provide guidance to fieldworkers regarding protocols that may vary from year to year depending on specific projects and objectives. We also provide herein documentation of standard methods used in the Grand Canyon that can be cited in scientific publications, as well as a summary of changes in protocols since the document was first created in 2002.
Telemetry techniques: A user guide for fisheries research
Telemetry provides a powerful and flexible tool for studying fish and other aquatic animals, and its use has become increasingly commonplace. However, telemetry is gear intensive and typically requires more specialized knowledge and training than many other field techniques. As with other scientific methods, collecting good data is dependent on an understanding of the underlying principles behind the approach, knowing how to use the equipment and techniques properly, and recognizing what to do with the data collected. This book provides a road map for using telemetry to study aquatic animals, and provides the basic information needed to plan, implement, and conduct a telemetry study under field conditions. Topics include acoustic or radio telemetry study design, tag implantation techniques, radio and acoustic telemetry principles and case studies, and data management and analysis. Chapters are written by biologists, technicians, and engineers from the private, academic, and government sectors, with decades of experience using these technologies.
Great Lakes fisheries research - Big water, big task
Abstract has not been submitted
Bibliography of publications of the National Fisheries Research Center-Leetown 1981-1985
No abstract available at this time
Predicted time from fertilization to maximum wet weight for steelhead alevins based on incubation temperature and egg size (Study site: Western Fishery Research Center, Seattle; Stock: Dworshak hatchery; Year class: 1996)
The accuracy of a model that predicts time between fertilization and maximum alevin wet weight (MAWW) from incubation temperature was tested for steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss from Dworshak National Fish Hatchery on the Clearwater River, Idaho. MAWW corresponds to the button-up fry stage of development. Embryos were incubated at warm (mean=11.6°C) or cold (mean=7.3°C) temperatures and time between fertilization and MAWW was measured for each temperature. Model predictions of time to MAWW were within 1% of measured time to MAWW. Mean egg weight ranged from 0.101-0.136 g among females (mean = 0.116). Time to MAWW was positively related to egg size for each temperature, but the increase in time to MAWW with increasing egg size was greater for embryos reared at the warm than at the cold temperature. We developed equations accounting for the effect of egg size on time to MAWW for each temperature, and also for the mean of those temperatures (9.3°C).
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2012
No abstract available.
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2014
In 2014, the USGS LEBS successfully completed large vessel surveys in all three of Lake Erie’s basins. Lake Erie Biological Station’s primary vessel surveys included the Western Basin Forage Fish Assessment and East Harbor Forage Fish Assessment as well as contributing to the cooperative multi-agency Central Basin Hydroacoustics Assessment, the Eastern Basin Coldwater Community Assessment, and LTLA (see FTG, CWTG, and FTG reports, respectively). Results from the surveys contribute to Lake Erie Committee Task Group data needs and analyses of trends in Lake Erie’s fish communities. The cruise survey schedule in 2014 was greatly increased by LEBS’s participation in the Lake Erie CSMI, which consisted of up-to two weeks of additional sampling per month from April to October. CSMI is a bi-national effort that occurs at Lake Erie every five years with the purpose of addressing data and knowledge gaps necessary to management agencies and the Lake Erie LaMP. LEBS deepwater science capabilities also provided a platform for data collection by Lake Erie investigators from multiple agencies and universities including: the USGS GLSC, ODW, KSU, OSU, UM, PU, UT, and the USNRL. Samples from this survey are being processed and a separate report of the findings will be made available in a separate document. Our 2014 vessel operations were initiated in mid-April, as soon after ice-out as possible, and continued into early December. During this time, crews of the R/V Muskie and R/V Bowfin deployed 196 bottom trawls covering 48.5 km of lake-bottom, nearly 6 km of gillnet, collected data from 60 hydroacoustics transects, 285 lower trophic (i.e., zooplankton and benthos) samples, and 330 water quality measures (e.g., temperature profiles, water samples). Thus, 2014 was an intensive year of field activity. Our June and September bottom trawl surveys in the Western Basin were numerically dominated by Emerald Shiner, White Perch, and Yellow Perch; however, Freshwater Drum were dominant by biomass. Age-2+ Yellow Perch and White Perch diets from our western basin trawl had highest occurrences of benthic invertebrates in spring and fall. Hexagenia spp. accounted for >25% of Yellow Perch and White Perch diet composition (dry weight) in spring. We conducted an analysis using data from the past 6 years of our East Harbor survey to determine to what degree our new research vessel and trawl is affecting our ability to detect trends across the 50+ year time series. We also evaluated trends in water temperatue, dissolved oxygen, secchi depth and total Phosphorus from our LTLA sites near Vermilion, Ohio. Within the following report sections, we describe specific results from our primary surveys conducted in 2014.
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2013
In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Erie Biological Station successfully completed large vessel surveys in all three of Lake Erie’s basins. Lake Erie Biological Station’s primary vessel surveys included the Western Basin Forage Fish Assessment and East Harbor Forage Fish Assessment as well as contributing to the cooperative multi-agency Central Basin Hydroacoustics Assessment and the Eastern Basin Coldwater Community Assessment (see Forage Task Group and Coldwater Task Group reports, respectively). Further large vessel sampling included individual research data collection as well as assisting with University (e.g., University of Toledo) and agency (e.g., USFWS, USEPA) large vessel sampling needs. Our 2013 vessel operations began on April 4th and concluded on November 21 with a total of 77 large vessel sampling days (83 total days). During this time, crews of the R/V Muskie and R/V Bowfin deployed 174 trawls covering 147 km of lake-bottom, over 13 km of gillnet, collected hydroacoustic data that extended over 250 km of the central and eastern basins, and approximately 180 collective zooplankton, benthos, and water samples. 2013 was the first complete sampling year using the R/V Muskie. Technologies available on the new platform provided opportunities for LEBS to improve data sampling methods and results. An investment was made in mensuration gear for the trawls. This gear is attached to the trawl’s headrope, footrope, and wings; thus, allowing measurement of the area swept and conversion of catches to densities. Another improvement included real-time output of water parameter sonde profiles (e.g., temperature, dissolved oxygen). The ability to view profile data on a tablet allowed quick identification of thermoclines as well as the presence (or absence) of hypoxia. Minor modifications were made to survey designs relative to last year (see 2013 report), and thus, collection of long-term data from the R/V Muskie has commenced. One minor change was that we are now indexing yellow perch maturation data during our fall trawl surveys in response to a request from the Lake Erie Yellow Perch Task Group. Within the following sections, we describe results from our 2013 sampling efforts in Lake Erie.