Geology topics

W.W. Taylor

Publications and source records attributed to W.W. Taylor.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2006

Predation on walleye eggs by fish on reefs in western Lake Erie

We examined diets of fishes from gillnet and egg pump collections conducted on reefs in western Lake Erie during walleye ( Sander vitreus ) egg incubation periods from 1994–1999 and 2004 to assess incidence of walleye eggs in fish diets. We collected no potential egg predators in samples taken in 1994 but from 1995–1999 and in 2004 we caught 22 different species of fish on reefs in addition to spawning walleye. In most years, white perch ( Morone americana ) stomachs contained more walleye eggs than any other species on the reefs averaging 253 eggs per stomach. We also found lower numbers of walleye eggs in the stomachs of channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ; 53 eggs/stomach), johnny darter ( Etheostoma nigrum ; 2 eggs/stomach), logperch ( Percina caprodes ; 10 eggs/stomach), quillback ( Carpiodes cyprinus ; 184 eggs/stomach), rock bass ( Ambloplites rupestris ; 3 eggs/stomach), round goby ( Neogobius melanostomus ; 4 eggs/stomach), sculpin ( Cottidae ; 21 eggs/stomach), silver chub ( Macrhybopsis storeriana ; 3 eggs/stomach), spottail shiner ( Notropis hudsonius ; 14 eggs/stomach), trout-perch ( Percopsis omiscomaycus ; 30 eggs/stomach), white sucker ( Catastomus commersonii ; 20 eggs/stomach), and yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ; 181 eggs/stomach). Similar to other studies of predation on walleye eggs, our results indicate that prolonged incubation periods increase the potential for egg loss due to predation.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗

USGS1987

Predicting Great Lakes fish yields: tools and constraints

Prediction of yield is a critical component of fisheries management. The development of sound yield prediction methodology and the application of the results of yield prediction are central to the evolution of strategies to achieve stated goals for Great Lakes fisheries and to the measurement of progress toward those goals. Despite general availability of species yield models, yield prediction for many Great Lakes fisheries has been poor due to the instability of the fish communities and the inadequacy of available data. A host of biological, institutional, and societal factors constrain both the development of sound predictions and their application to management. Improved predictive capability requires increased stability of Great Lakes fisheries through rehabilitation of well-integrated communities, improvement of data collection, data standardization and information-sharing mechanisms, and further development of the methodology for yield prediction. Most important is the creation of a better-informed public that will in turn establish the political will to do what is required.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗

USGS1985

Fishery survey and related limnological conditions of Williams Lake, Hubbard County, Minnesota

Bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ), pumpkinseed sunfish ( Lepomis gibbosus ), largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ), yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) rock bass ( Amploplites rupestris ), black crappie ( Pomozis nigromaculatus ), and northern pike ( Esox lucius ) were found in Williams Lake, Hubbard County, Minnesota, during a fishery survey of the lake in late August 1982. The most abundant fish were the bluegills. These fish live in the large littoral zone of the lake; this zone underlies 55% of the surface area of the lake. The most ubiquitous benthic invertebrate in the littoral zone ( amphipods ) and the most abundant benthic invertebrate ( chironomid larvae ) were major food sources for the bluegill. Other organisms found in the stomach contents of fish collected in this survey were zooplankton, gastropods, Diptera larvae, odonates, terrestrial insects, and other fish. Daphnia were the only zooplankters of a diverse plankton community that were found in stomach contents. The abundance of fish other than bluegill was typical for a system in which northern pike is the major predator.

Minnesota↗