Using laser technology to characterize substrate morphology and Geology of selected lake trout spawing habitat in Northern Lake Michigan
No abstract available.
Northern Lake Michigan↗
Geology topics
Guy W. Fleischer
Publications and source records attributed to Guy W. Fleischer.
Modeling time-varying growth using a generalized von Bertalanffy model with application to bloater (Coregonus hoyi) growth dynamics in Lake Michigan
A concurrent increase in lakewide abundance and decrease in size-at-age of bloater ( Coregonus hoyi ) in Lake Michigan have suggested density-dependent growth regulation. We investigated these temporal patterns by fitting a dynamic von Bertalanffy model and lengthweight relationship with time-varying parameters to mean length- and weight-at-ages (ages 17) from annual surveys (1965-1999). We modeled yearling length, asymptotic size ( L ‰), and the parameters of a power relationship between mean weight and mean length (α and β) as changing slowly over time using a random walk model. The Brody growth coefficient ( k ) was modeled as a linear function of L ‰ with year-specific random deviations. Our results support a positive relationship between L ‰ and k , indicating that under conditions supporting larger asymptotic lengths, individuals approach the asymptote more rapidly. We explored the relationship between year-specific growth parameters and indices of lakewide bloater abundance and found evidence of density-dependent growth. However, in the most recent years, L ‰ and yearling length have remained low in Lake Michigan despite low bloater abundances, suggesting the occurrence of a fundamental shift in the food web.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
Dynamics of the Lake Michigan food web, 1970-2000
Herein, we document changes in the Lake Michigan food web between 1970 and 2000 and identify the factors responsible for these changes. Control of sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) and alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ) populations in Lake Michigan, beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, had profound effects on the food web. Recoveries of lake whitefish ( Coregonus clupeaformis ) and burbot ( Lota lota ) populations, as well as the buildup of salmonine populations, were attributable, at least in part, to sea lamprey control. Based on our analyses, predation by salmonines was primarily responsible for the reduction in alewife abundance during the 1970s and early 1980s. In turn, the decrease in alewife abundance likely contributed to recoveries of deepwater sculpin ( Myoxocephalus thompsoni ), yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ), and burbot populations during the 1970s and 1980s. Decrease in the abundance of all three dominant benthic macroinvertebrate groups, including Diporeia , oligochaetes, and sphaeriids, during the 1980s in nearshore waters ( 50 m deep) of Lake Michigan, was attributable to a decrease in primary production linked to a decline in phosphorus loadings. Continued decrease in Diporeia abundance during the 1990s was associated with the zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha ) invasion, but specific mechanisms for zebra mussels affecting Diporeia abundance remain unidentified.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
First finding of the amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus and the mussel Dreissena bugensis in Lake Michigan
The first finding of the amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus and the mussel Dreissena bugensis in Lake Michigan is documented. These two species are widespread and abundant in the lower lakes, but had not yet been reported from Lake Michigan. E. ischnus is generally considered a warmwater form that is typically associated with hard substrates and Dreissena clusters in the nearshore zone. Along the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan, this species was present at rocky, breakwall habitats along the entire north-south axis of the lake. Although not abundant, this species was also found at soft-bottomed sites as deep as 94 m in the southern basin. The finding of this species in deep offshore waters apparently extends the known habitat range for this species in the Great Lakes, but it is found in deep water areas within its native range (Caspian Sea). D. bugensis was not abundant, but was present in both the southern and northern portions of the lake. Individuals of up to 36 mm in length were collected, indicating that it had probably been present in the lake for 2 or more years. Also presented are depth-defined densities of D. polymorpha at 37 sites in the Straits of Mackinac in 1997, and densities at up to 55 sites in the southern basin in 1992/93 and 1998/99. Mean densities decreased with increased water depth in both regions. Maximum mean density in the Straits in 1997 was 13,700/m 2 (≤ 10 m), and maximum density in the southern basin in 1999 was 2,100/m 2 (≤ 30 m). Mean densities at the ≤ 30-m interval in the southern basin remained relatively unchanged between 1993 and 1999, but increased from 25/m 2 to 1,100/m 2 at the 31 to 50 m interval over the same time period. D. polymorpha was rare at sites > 50 m. The presence of E. ischnus and the expected population expansion of D. bugensis will likely contribute to further foodweb changes in the lake.
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
Vertical migration and nighttime distribution of adult bloaters in Lake Michigan
The vertical migration and nighttime vertical distribution of adult bloaters Coregonus hoyi were investigated during late summer in Lake Michigan using acoustics simultaneously with either midwater or bottom trawling. Bloaters remained on or near bottom during the day. At night, bloaters were distributed throughout 30–65 m of water, depending on bottom depth. Shallowest depths of migration were not related to water temperature or incident light. Maximum distances of migration increased with increasing bottom depth. Nighttime midwater densities ranged from 0.00 to 6.61 fish/1,000 m 3 and decreased with increasing bottom depth. Comparisons of length distributions showed that migrating and nonmigrating bloaters did not differ in size. However, at most sites, daytime bottom catches collected a greater proportion of larger individuals compared with nighttime midwater or bottom catches. Mean target strengths by 5‐m strata indicated that migrating bloaters did not stratify by size in the water column at night. Overall, patterns in frequency of empty stomachs and mean digestive state of prey indicated that a portion of the bloater population fed in the water column at night. Bloater diet composition indicated both midwater feeding and bottom feeding. In sum, although a portion of the bloater population fed in the water column at night, bloaters were not limited to feeding at this time. This research confirmed that bloaters are opportunistic feeders and did not fully support the previously proposed hypothesis that bloater vertical migration is driven by the vertically migrating macroinvertebrate the opossom shrimp Mysis relicta .
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
Buoyancy characteristics of the bloater (Coregonus hoyi) in relation to patterns of vertical migration and acoustic backscattering
Acoustic studies in Lake Michigan found that bloaters ( Coregonus hoyi ) were less reflective per size than the other major pelagic species. This difference in in situ acoustic backscattering could indicate that the deep-water bloaters have compressed swimbladders for much of their vertical range with related implications on buoyancy. To test this hypothesis, the buoyancy characteristics of bloaters were determined with fish placed in a cage that was lowered to bottom and monitored with an underwater camera. We found bloaters were positively buoyant near surface, neutrally buoyant at intermediate strata, and negatively buoyant near bottom. This pattern was consistent for the range of depths bloaters occur. The depth of neutral buoyancy (near the 50-n strata) corresponds with the maximum extent of vertical migration for bloaters observed in acoustic surveys. Fish below this depth would be negatively buoyant which supports our contention that bloaters deeper in the water column have compressed swimbladders. Understanding the buoyancy characteristics of pelagic fishes will help to predict the effects of vertical migration on target strength measurement and confirms the use of acoustics as a tool to identify and quantify the ecological phenomenon of vertical migration.
Lake Michigan↗
Parasites of the recently established round goby (Negobius melanostomus) and tubenose goby (Proterorhinus marmoratus) (Gobiidae) from the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair, Michigan, USA
Specimens of the recently established European round goby (Negobius melanostomus Pallas, 1811) and tubenose goby (Proterorhinus marmoratus Pallas, 1811) were collected from different locations in the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair, USA and were examined for parasites. Parasites were observed in 76% of the round gobies and 35% of the tubenose gobies. Four species of parasites in the gobies occur in the Black Sea watershed. Two of them have been reported in North America for the first time: Sphaeromyxa sevastopoli Naidenova, 1970 and Ichthyocotylurus pileatus (Rudolphi, 1802). Three parasite species found in the gobies are endemic to North America and were most likely obtained locally.
Michigan, Ontario↗
Effects of pulsed turbidity and vessel traffic on lake herring eggs and larvae
Proposals to extend commercial shipping in the St. Marys River (connecting Lakes Superior and Huron) to include winter months have raised concerns regarding its effect on lake herring ( Coregonus artedi ). Because lake herring spawn in fall and their eggs overwinter in the river and hatch in spring, their hatching success could be impacted by early opening of the locks in spring. Our laboratory studies showed that under the range of turbidities expected in the river due to vessel traffic, lake herring eggs hatched and larvae fed adequately. Field incubation studies produced about 75% survival and 70% hatching success of lake herring eggs at two of three study sites. Collections in the river throughout the month following ice-out showed that sufficient plankton of appropriate size were available to ensure growth and survival of larval lake herring. We did not detect any negative impacts on the early life stages of lake herring as a result of sedimentation in the laboratory or field. However, detailing the spawning sites of lake herring and defining the normal survival-to-hatch in these areas are necessary before making accurate predictions of the effects of early season vessel traffic on lake herring hatching success.
Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
Reappearance of spoonhead sculpins ( Cottus ricei ) in Lake Michigan
Spoonhead sculpins ( Cottus ricei ) were collected at night in bottom trawls during fall 1990 in Lake Michigan. Specimens were collected at depths from 9 to 91 m at three sites in northern Lake Michigan and at one site in southern Lake Michigan. These specimens represent the first documented collection of this species in Lake Michigan since 1973.
Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
Status of coregonine fishes in the Laurentian Great Lakes
The post-glacial coregonine assemblage in the Great Lakes included several species of the genera Prosopium and Coregonus. Overfishing, habitat degradation, and competition with various exotic fish species severely reduced coregonine abundance and altered their distribution by the mid to latter part of the 20th century. Most of the original Coregonus species, some which were endemic to the Great Lakes, are now extinct or are extremely rare. The prevailing coregonines are mostly benthic and deep-water species, contrasted to the original assemblage dominated by pelagic, nearshore species. Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) populations have recovered and now support record fisheries in Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron. Bloaters (C. hoyi) have recovered to dominate the planktivorous fish community in Lake Michigan and are rapidly increasing in Lake Huron. The recent resurgence in some coregonine populations are linked to declines in exotic fish populations and favorable climatic changes. The reduced diversity of the coregonines may explain the dominance of the remaining species. The stability of this simplified coregonine community is uncertain but the existing coregonines have demonstrated resiliency.
Polskie Archiwum Hydrobiologii↗