Geology topics

William H. Horns

Publications and source records attributed to William H. Horns.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2000

Seasonal changes in ruffe abundance in two Lake Superior tributaries: Implications for control

Since the discovery of ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus in the St. Louis River in 1987, state, federal, and tribal management agencies have sought to slow its spread to areas outside the western end of Lake Superior. A debate over control strategies highlighted uncertainties about seasonal movements of this species between Lake Superior and its western tributaries. One strategy called for eliminating reproducing populations in tributaries on the periphery of the range using chemical piscicides. That strategy rested on the assumption that ruffe congregate in tributaries during a predictable time of year. This study was designed to explore that assumption. Ruffe collections from the Iron and Sand rivers during 1995 indicated that ruffe were present in those tributaries throughout the summer but that abundance was not highest at the predicted time: June 19–22. Maximum abundance in the Iron River did not coincide with that in the Sand River and did not occur during June 19–22 in either river. The timing of peak abundance was not clearly related to changes in water temperature. Ruffe were present in substantial numbers in Lake Superior during June 19–22 when aggregations in the tributaries had been predicted. These findings do not support the assumption of the chemical control strategy.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗

USGS1995

Lake trout spawning habitat in the Great Lakes - a review of current knowledge

We review existing information on lake trout spawning habitat, which might indicate whether habitat is now a limiting factor in lake trout reproductive success. Lake trout spawning habitat quality is defined by the presence or absence of olfactory cues for homing, reef location with respect to the shoreline, water depth, proximity to nursery areas, reef size, contour, substrate size and shape, depth of interstitial spaces, water temperature at spawning time, water quality in interstitial spaces, and the presence of egg and fry predators. Data on factors which attracted native spawners to spawning reefs are lacking, due to the absence of historic data on egg deposition. No direct evidence of egg deposition has been collected from sites deeper than 18 m. Interstitial space and, therefore, substrate size and shape, appear to be critical for both site selection by adults and protection of eggs and fry. Water quality is clearly important for egg incubation, but the critical parameters which define water quality have not yet been well determined in the field. Exposure to wave energy, dictated in part by reef location, may maintain high water quality but may also damage or dislodge eggs. The importance of olfactory cues, water temperature, and proximity to nursery habitat to spawning trout is unclear. Limited data suggest that egg and fry predators, particularly exotic species, may critically affect fry production and survival. Although availability of physical spawning habitat is probably not limiting lake trout reproduction, changes in water quality and species composition may negatively affect early life stages. This review of habitat factors that affect early life stages of lake trout suggests several priorities for research and management.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗

USGS1993

Distribution, abundance, and resting microhabitat of burbot on Julian's Reef, southwestern Lake Michigan

We used a remotely operated submersible vehicle equipped with a color video camera to videotape the lake bed and document the distribution and abundance of burbot Lota lota on a 156‐hectare portion of Julianˈs Reef in southwestern Lake Michigan. The substrates and bathymetry of the study area had been mapped recently by side‐scan sonar. Burbot density determined from videotapes covering 6,900 m 2 of lake bed at depths of 23–41 m averaged 139 individuals/ hectare (range, 0–571/hectare). This density was substantially higher than the highest burbot density (59–95/hectare) reported in the literature. Burbot were present on the lake bed at depths of 23–36 m, but were most abundant near the crest of the reef at 23–28 m, where the water temperature was 8–13°C, their preferred summer temperature range. Substrates in that temperature range on the reef were bedrock, bedrock ridges, and bedrock and rubble. Burbot were most abundant on the bedrock and rubble. Small fish and macroinvertebrates typically eaten by burbot elsewhere in western Lake Michigan were distributed on the reef according to their summer preferred temperatures and were not seen in abundance where burbot density was highest. We saw no lake trout Salvelinus namaycush on Julianˈs Reef, although large numbers of juvenile lake trout have been stocked there annually and temperatures on the reef were in the preferred summer temperature range for lake trout.

Michigan, Wisconsin↗