Decrease Stocking Lake Michigan

FYI

For Immediate Release

August 27, 2012

PROPOSED SALMON STOCKING REDUCTIONS ANNOUNCED

FOR LAKE MICHIGAN

ANN ARBOR, MI—Following more than a year of consultation with angler groups and other stakeholders, the Lake Michigan Committee (LMC) has proposed a new management strategy for Lake Michigan salmon. Beginning in spring of 2013, the LMC recommends that Chinook salmon stocking in Lake Michigan be reduced to one-half of current stocking levels. With salmon egg collections to begin in September, 2012, fisheries management agencies are now developing plans to decrease fingerling production targets to levels supporting reduced stocking, for a minimum of three years. The LMC comprises representatives from each of the state fisheries management agencies in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority (CORA). The Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) facilitates the committee’s activities.

The proposed Chinook salmon reduction is in response to recent increases in natural reproduction of Chinook and declines in the forage base. Recent studies have shown that approximately 55% of Chinook salmon in Lake Michigan is produced naturally, and prey fish (e.g., alewife) are currently at or near historic low levels, conditions similar to those leading to the collapse of prey fish populations in Lake Huron. The planned stocking reductions are intended to maintain a quality Chinook salmon fishery, while reducing the predation on the forage population.

While Chinook salmon are highly dependent on alewives, all Great Lakes salmonids use those forage fish to varying degrees. Balancing predator and prey populations by reducing predation pressure is necessary to stabilize the ecosystem as well as to preserve the quality and diversity of the multi-billion-dollar sport fishery. The LMC’s approach gained widespread support from all agencies and their constituents throughout the decision-making process. Along with the proposed reductions, an adopted monitoring plan should allow management agencies to react quickly if conditions change.

Each LMC member agency must still approve and implement the committee’s recommendations. Under the proposed agreement, the 3.3 million Chinook salmon annually stocked into Lake Michigan would be reduced by 1.6 million fish, for a total of 1.7 million fish to be stocked. Of the reduced stocking, Michigan would shoulder the largest reduction, stocking 1.1 million fewer fish, since Michigan streams currently contribute the majority of the natural reproduction. Wisconsin would reduce its stocking by 440,000 fish, while Illinois and Indiana would reduce by 20,000 and 25,000 fish, respectively. The CORA tribes do not stock Chinook salmon. This proposed stocking reduction should still provide for fall spawning runs for stream and nearshore anglers. Each agency will work with their respective management teams to implement these changes in the manner most appropriate to each jurisdiction.

Contacts:

Tom Gorenflo, CORA: 906-632-0072

Marc Gaden, GLFC: 734-417-8012

Steve Robillard, Illinois: 847-294-4134

Jeremy Price, Indiana: 260-244-6805

Jay Wesley, Michigan: 269-685-6851 x 117

Copied from a Lake Michigan forum and not meant to be contradictory in any way, shape or form.
Draw your own conclusions if you like.

from Tammie Paoli..WDNR ..

On Wednesday, August 22, 2012, WDNR completed the 35th annual late summer yellow perch trawling surveys on Green Bay. This was our first year utilizing the new 60-ft. RV Coregonus for trawling. Prior to the start of the surveys, we went out on the RV Gaylord Nelson and recorded measurements of door spread in various depths, and repeated the process on the RV Coregonus. The door spread was very similar on each vessel, within about 1 m. There were a few minor adjustments to get used to on the new boat, but all went surprisingly smooth. The crew appreciated the available workspace to be able to measure, weigh, sex, and take aging structures on the ride back to the dock each day.

A quick glance at the data suggests that the 2012 year class of yellow perch was comparable to the strong 2005, 2009, and 2011 year classes. You may recall that the 2010 year class was the 3rd highest in over 30 years (2003 and 1986 being 1st and 2nd best).

Some notable things from 2012:
The highest abundance of YOY yellow perch was off the mouth of the Pensaukee River (8-12 feet of water), with several quarter-mile drags netting over 900 YOY, and one drag netting over 1600. Those YOY were 61-81 mm. We also had good numbers of YOY yellow perch off of Little River/Marinette.
YOY in sites farther south were up to 100 mm (pending aging confirmation), and are about 10mm larger than a typical year which should bode well for survival going into the first winter.
Healthy numbers of (mainly YOY) white perch and white bass, even in some deeper sites that we typically don’t see those species. 3-5 inch white bass were fat, and we checked stomachs. Most were eating YOY alewife , YOY yellow perch, or spiny waterfleas. I also noted quite a few of adult yellow perch with spiny waterfleas in their stomachs.
High alewife numbers comparable to those last seen in trawl surveys in the mid to late 1990’s. Last year we also saw high alewife (YOY and adult) numbers in the bay, and this year there were more YOY alewife than we’ve seen in a few decades. Particularly high YOY alewife in drags in the southern bay near Little Tail, Green Bay Entrance Light, and off Little Suamico River in 7-30 FOW. For the 2nd year in a row, southern Green Bay seems to be the exception to the record low numbers of alewives in the main lake.
We had a few really impressive drags for YOY whitefish, with over 250 caught in one drag east of Young’s Reef, but we did not see many YOY whitefish in many of the other deep locations. However, the ones we did catch appear to have good growth, and the Sturgeon Bay office confirmed age-0 up to 125mm.
We weigh all dreissenid mussels caught in the net. While total catches weren’t huge in the deeper sites where we often get dreissenids, we did notice that this year quagga mussels dominated the catches. Up until now, most of the dreissenids were zebra mussels.
Mediocre catches of YOY walleye: 5 total (range 171-200 mm). 4 out of 5 were caught off the mouth of the Pensaukee River.
A 15-minute online video episode of the yellow perch trawling surveys will soon be featured on Fish Door County TV’s website (http://www.fishdoorcountytv.com)
I still have some analysis to complete, and final CPE’s will be determined after the data is entered and fish are aged.

I thought that there was no natural production of kings on Lake Michigan? Where are they successfully reproducing?

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I thought that there was no natural production of kings on Lake Michigan? Where are they successfully reproducing?

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The rivers where they run every year and fisherman are allowed to “fish” for them…. I never understood this. Why not close the season, just stock less and let them naturally reproduce?

Sounds crazy, I know.

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I thought that there was no natural production of kings on Lake Michigan? Where are they successfully reproducing?

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The rivers where they run every year and fisherman are allowed to “fish” for them…. I never understood this. Why not close the season, just stock less and let them naturally reproduce?

Sounds crazy, I know.

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I’d have to say because it would eliminate an opportunity for people to fish for salmon without a boat or on a small budget.

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I thought that there was no natural production of kings on Lake Michigan? Where are they successfully reproducing?

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“Of the reduced stocking, Michigan would shoulder the largest reduction, stocking 1.1 million fewer fish, since Michigan streams currently contribute the majority of the natural reproduction.”

Michigan does have some cold clear rocky streams where Kings do successfully reproduce. Our streams are mostly silt bottomed, warm and polluted in comparison

The rivers where they run every year and fisherman are allowed to “fish” for them…. I never understood this. Why not close the season, just stock less and let them naturally reproduce?

Sounds crazy, I know.

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“necessary to stabilize the ecosystem as well as to preserve the quality and diversity of the multi-billion-dollar sport fishery.”

That is why

Joel, the key here in this report is the comparison of the lower Green Bay to the main basin. For the 2nd year in a row, southern Green Bay seems to be the exception to the record low numbers of alewives in the main lake.

As stated above, there are a lot of rivers that have some reproduction. Oxygen levels, water levers, and over-all suitable habitat are much less than desirable for sustaining fry and fingerlings for the amount of time that they would naturally remain in the river before venturing down to the lake. While fishing early spring steelhead, its common to see or catch a few fingerlings that are a few inches long. Survival rate is very low. MI has a few rivers that remain cold, good water flow, and sufficient oxygen levels.
Also, not all stocked fish are released in the river. Many are dropped at marinas, harbors, and so on. Like walleyes, not all fish run up the river to spawn. A number of them are hanging out on the reefs