An Evaluation of Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Hooking Mortality in the Upper Great Lakes

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1473-1479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Loftus ◽  
William W. Taylor ◽  
Myrl Keller

Investigation of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) hooking mortality was conducted in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior during 1984 and 1985. Fish were caught and handled by charterboat operators and sport fishermen. Mortality was estimated by returning hooked fish to the lake after tethering them to a line–buoy system. Overall hooking mortality was estimated to be 14.9% (95% C.I. = 7.4–25.7). Significantly higher mortalities occurred in fish that were not discovered to have been hooked and in fish of smaller size classes. In addition, lake trout that were hooked in internal regions produced a mortality of 71.4% whereas those hooked in the upper or lower jaw had a mortality of 6.9%. The depth from which the fish was angled, the temperature differential from this depth to the surface, gear type, and handling times had no significant impact on survival. These results support the use of size limits, creel limits, and season restrictions as effective methods to reduce sport fishing mortality of lake trout.

1986 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. DeVault ◽  
Wayne A. Willford ◽  
Robert J. Hesselberg ◽  
David A. Nortrupt ◽  
Eric G. S. Rundberg ◽  
...  

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1989-2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Everett Louis King Jr.

Criteria for the classification of marks inflicted by sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) into nine categories were developed from laboratory studies in an attempt to refine the classification system used in field assessment work. These criteria were based on characteristics of the attachment site that could be identified under field conditions by unaided visual means and by touching the attachment site. Healing of these marks was somewhat variable and was influenced by the size of lamprey, duration of attachment, severity of the wound at lamprey detachment, season and water temperature, and by other less obvious factors. Even under laboratory conditions staging of some wounds was difficult, especially at low water temperatures. If these criteria are to be used effectively and with precision in the field, close examination of individual fish may be required. If the feeding and density of specific year-classes of sea lampreys are to be accurately assessed on an annual basis, close attention to the wound size (as it reflects the size of the lamprey's oral disc) and character of wounds on fish will be required as well as consideration of the season of the year in which they are observed.Key words: sea lamprey, attack marks, lake trout, Great Lakes


1983 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 681-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald J. Stewart ◽  
David Weininger ◽  
Donald V. Rottiers ◽  
Thomas A. Edsall

An energetics model is implemented for lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, and applied to the Lake Michigan population. It includes an egestion function allowing any proportional mix of fish and invertebrates in the diet, a growth model accounting for both ontogenetic and seasonal changes in energy-density of predator and prey, a model for typical in situ swimming speed, and reproductive energy losses due to gametes shed. Gross conversion efficiency of energy by lake trout over their life (21.8%) is about twice the efficiency of converting biomass to growth because they store large amounts of high-energy fats. Highest conversion efficiencies are obtained by relatively fast-growing individuals, and over half the annual energy assimilated by older age-classes may be shed as gametes. Sensitivity analysis indicates a general robustness of the model, especially for estimating consumption by fitting a known growth curve. Largest sensitivities were for the intercept and weight dependence coefficients of metabolism. Population biomass and associated predatory impact of a given cohort increase steadily for about 3.5 yr then decline steadily after fishing mortality becomes important in the fourth year in the lake. This slow response time precludes manipulation of lake trout stocking densities as a means to control short-term prey fluctuations. Predation by lake trout on alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, has been increasing steadily since 1965 to about 8 400 t∙yr−1, and is projected to rise to almost 12 000 t∙yr−1 by 1990.


Genetica ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 127 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 329-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Guinand ◽  
Kim T. Scribner ◽  
Kevin S. Page ◽  
Kristi Filcek ◽  
Laura Main ◽  
...  

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 2133-2145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl J. Walters ◽  
Greg Steer ◽  
George Spangler

Sustained yields, declines, and recovery of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) can be explained by a simple model that hypothesizes normal population regulation through density dependent body growth, coupled with depensatory lamprey mortality. The model indicates that either lamprey or fishing alone could have caused the Lake Superior decline, though they apparently operated in concert. The presence of depensatory lamprey mortality leads to a "cliff edge" in the system's dynamics, such that catastrophic changes may be repeated in the future. It is not unlikely that Lake Superior is on the verge of a second collapse. Options for dealing with potential disasters include conservative harvesting policies, development of more sensitive monitoring indicators, and modified stocking policies that may speed the coevolution of a viable lamprey/trout association.Key words: lake trout, sea lamprey, simulation, Great Lakes, policy analysis


2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1056-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A. Richter ◽  
Allison N. Evans ◽  
Maureen K. Wright-Osment ◽  
James L. Zajicek ◽  
Scott A. Heppell ◽  
...  

Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency is a global concern affecting wildlife, livestock, and humans. In Great Lakes salmonines, thiamine deficiency causes embryo mortality and is an impediment to restoration of native lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) stocks. Thiamine deficiency in fish may result from a diet of prey with high levels of thiaminase I. The discoveries that the bacterial species Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus produces thiaminase I, is found in viscera of thiaminase-containing prey fish, and causes mortality when fed to lake trout in the laboratory provided circumstantial evidence implicating P. thiaminolyticus. This study quantified the contribution of P. thiaminolyticus to the total thiaminase I activity in multiple trophic levels of Great Lakes food webs. Unexpectedly, no relationship between thiaminase activity and either the amount of P. thiaminolyticus thiaminase I protein or the abundance of P. thiaminolyticus cells was found. These results demonstrate that P. thiaminolyticus is not the primary source of thiaminase activity affecting Great Lakes salmonines and calls into question the long-standing assumption that P. thiaminolyticus is the source of thiaminase in other wild and domestic animals.


2014 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Binder ◽  
H. T. Thompson ◽  
A. M. Muir ◽  
S. C. Riley ◽  
J. E. Marsden ◽  
...  

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (S2) ◽  
pp. s229-s238 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Shuter ◽  
J. E. Matuszek ◽  
H. A. Regier

Creel survey and independent assessment data on the lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) populations of Lake Opeongo were evaluated. Annual estimates of total mortality, fishing mortality, and abundance were generated for each population over the period 1936–83. Large variations in survey efficiency, angler efficiency, fishing mortality, and abundance were identified over this period. We argue that a creel survey, which is expected to provide reliable information on fish population dynamics, requires an overall study design which includes collection of data on the number and relative efficiency of different kinds of anglers and periodic assessment studies aimed at providing independent checks on both survey effectiveness and population behaviour.


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