Yellow Perch Population Assessment in Southwestern Lake Michigan July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014

Reports on progress and results of the following study objectives: monitor the adult yellow perch population on a seasonal basis; determine the age composition of angler-caught yellow perch; sample demersal age-0 yellow perch and their food resources in nearshore waters; sample juvenile (age-0 through age-3) yellow perch in nearshore waters; survey nearshore substrate with a focus on historical yellow perch spawning grounds; data analysis and report preparation.Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries F-123-R-20unpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

Genetic Structure of Yellow Perch Populations in Coastal Areas of Eastern Lake Michigan

Genetic population substructure is often overlooked because of discontinuities between management and actual population structure as in the case of yellow perch, an ecologically and economically important indigenous fish species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. A knowledge gaps pertaining to the natural history of yellow perch relates to the biological connectivity between nearshore Lake Michigan and drowned river mouth (DRM) lakes, where it remains unclear whether resident yellow perch from Lake Michigan use DRM lakes for spawning or whether DRM lakes contribute to nearshore yellow perch populations in Lake Michigan. I used DNA fingerprinting (genotyping) to explore biological connectivity between DRM lakes and nearshore Lake Michigan during autumn by: (1) comparing the genetic structure of yellow perch collected from littoral habitats among DRM lakes, and (2) comparing genetic structure of yellow perch from DRM lakes with nearshore Lake Michigan. I hypothesized that (a) yellow perch from Lake Michigan move into DRM lakes during autumn but do not spawn, (b) yellow perch from DRM lakes differ genetically from nearshore Lake Michigan and do not form a panmictic population, and (c) DRM lakes will exhibit genetic isolation by distance. Overall, yellow perch exhibited low genetic diversity. The southern DRM lakes (i.e., Muskegon, White, and Pentwater lakes) were genetically similar to each other. Lake Charlevoix was genetically different from all other sites, but most similar to nearshore northern Lake Michigan. Nearshore northern Lake Michigan was intermediate to Lake Charlevoix and southern Lake Michigan. Analysis of a subset of yellow perch from Muskegon Lake revealed that fish captured in deep-water habitat differed genetically from individuals from littoral habitat and were most genetically similar to nearshore southern Lake Michigan. Understanding yellow perch spawning stocks is important for managing and maintaining a yellow perch fishery in eastern Lake Michigan

Yellow Perch Population Assessment in Southwestern Lake Michigan July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012

Reports on progress and results for the following project objectives: Improve annual assessments of the yellow perch spawning population, spring spawning assessment; Improve annual assessments of the yellow perch spawning population, fall assessment; Develop angler-caught age and sex distribution; Sample pelagic age-0 yellow perch and their food resources in offshore waters; Sample demersal age-0 yellow perch and their food resources in nearshore waters; Sample juvenile (age-0 through age-2) yellow perch in nearshore waters; Data analysis and report preparation.Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fisheries F-123-R-18unpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

Temperature Impacts on Embryonic and Larval Development of Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens)

Early life stages of fishes are critical stages due to their importance in enhancing recruitment. Given the high mortality through the embryonic and larval stages, managers have started investigating factors that impact these stages. Environmental factors, such as water temperature, have been found to play a larger role in early life survival. Climate change predications will be more apparent in northern temperate systems like the Great Lakes. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are an important sport fish in the region whose populations have been declining since the 1980s. The development of yellow perch as an aquaculture species has occurred in order to meet consumer demands. Yellow perch recruitment is highly erratic due to the species dependence on spring water temperatures. With warming waters occurring earlier in the seasons, it is unsure how wild yellow perch will adapt. The literature suggests that warming water temperatures could either improve or hinder yellow perch recruitment through early life stages. Even in aquaculture, larval survival is still low in tank cultured yellow perch. An importance has been placed on finding one rearing methodology that yields the highest production of larvae. The objective of this study was to determine how variations in temperature regimes during the egg incubation period would impact embryonic and larval development in yellow perch. Four different temperature treatments were used in this study. The results of this study confirm that water temperatures severely impact embryonic development and incubation periods of yellow perch. This study reveals that yellow perch are better adapted to withstand acute cold shifts in water temperature than acute warming events. The incorporation of cold shocks could yield higher percentages of viable larvae in tank cultured yellow perch if used in union with a gradual warming of water temperature during incubation. Climate change could potentially hinder an already struggling Lake Michigan yellow perch population causing a higher demand on producing more cultured yellow perch

Temperature, Hatch Date, and Prey Availability Influence Age-0 Yellow Perch Growth and Survival

Throughout their range, Yellow Perch Perca flavescens are an important ecological and economic component of many fisheries, but they often exhibit highly variable recruitment. Much research effort has been devoted to better understanding the mechanisms responsible for these erratic recruitment patterns, yet few studies have examined this process at the detail necessary to reveal complex interactions that may exist across multiple early life stages. Our current understanding of the early life recruitment patterns of Yellow Perch suggests a strong abiotic component. Using existing information, we developed three working hypotheses to examine Yellow Perch recruitment at two larval stages (5–14 and 15–24 d old) and to further identify the overarching mechanisms (abiotic versus biotic) related to Yellow Perch recruitment in 332-ha Pelican Lake, Nebraska, during 2004–2012. Larval Yellow Perch growth and mortality were largely regulated by hatching date, temperature, and zooplankton availability. The growth of young larval Yellow Perch (5–14 d old) was positively related to temperature and hatch date; that of old larval perch (15–24 d old) was positively related to water temperature and postlarval age-0 (≤25 mm TL) Yellow Perch density but negatively related to the available preferred zooplankton biomass. Mortality was inversely related to total zooplankton biomass and water temperature. Our results describe a model with two potential Yellow Perch recruitment bottlenecks, one immediately posthatch that is regulated by hatch date and temperature and another during the older larval stage that is regulated by temperature and zooplankton

Yellow Perch Population Assessment in Southwestern Lake Michigan July 1, 2014- June 30, 2015

To evaluate yellow perch population demographics and identify factors that continue to limit recruitment our objectives were to: 1) Monitor the age and size structure of adult yellow perch on a seasonal basis, 2) estimate the age and, if possible, sex composition of angler-harvested Dubet al.7yellow perch, 3)determine the relative abundance of demersal age-0 yellow perch and the availability of their macroinvertebrate and zooplankton prey, 4)monitor the abundance and diet of juvenile yellow perchon a seasonal basis, and 5) collect high resolution substrate data in the nearshore with focus on historical yellow perch spawning grounds.Results of this project will help strengthen management strategies for thisimportant sport fish species. These findings will be incorporated into yellow perch management decisionsthroughmulti-agency collaboration, which reflects a changing philosophy in the Great Lakes fisheries from jurisdictional to lake-wide management.Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries F-123-R-21unpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

Temperature, Hatch Date, and Prey Availability Influence Age-0 Yellow Perch Growth and Survival

Throughout their range, Yellow Perch Perca flavescens are an important ecological and economic component of many fisheries, but they often exhibit highly variable recruitment. Much research effort has been devoted to better understanding the mechanisms responsible for these erratic recruitment patterns, yet few studies have examined this process at the detail necessary to reveal complex interactions that may exist across multiple early life stages. Our current understanding of the early life recruitment patterns of Yellow Perch suggests a strong abiotic component. Using existing information, we developed three working hypotheses to examine Yellow Perch recruitment at two larval stages (5–14 and 15–24 d old) and to further identify the overarching mechanisms (abiotic versus biotic) related to Yellow Perch recruitment in 332-ha Pelican Lake, Nebraska, during 2004–2012. Larval Yellow Perch growth and mortality were largely regulated by hatching date, temperature, and zooplankton availability. The growth of young larval Yellow Perch (5–14 d old) was positively related to temperature and hatch date; that of old larval perch (15–24 d old) was positively related to water temperature and postlarval age-0 (≤25 mm TL) Yellow Perch density but negatively related to the available preferred zooplankton biomass. Mortality was inversely related to total zooplankton biomass and water temperature. Our results describe a model with two potential Yellow Perch recruitment bottlenecks, one immediately posthatch that is regulated by hatch date and temperature and another during the older larval stage that is regulated by temperature and zooplankton

Effects of Hypoxia on Consumption, Growth, and RNA:DNA Ratios of Young Yellow Perch

As in various freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems worldwide, seasonal bottom water hypoxia is a recurring phenomenon in Lake Erie’s central basin. While bottom hypoxia can strongly affect sessile benthic animals, its effects on mobile organisms such as fish are less understood. We evaluated the potential for bottom hypoxia to affect the growth rates of yellow perch Perca flavescens, a species of ecological and economic importance in the lake. To this end, we (1) conducted laboratory experiments to quantify the effects of reduced dissolved oxygen on consumption, somatic growth, and RNA : DNA ratios (an index of short‐term growth) of young yellow perch and (2) explored the effects of bottom hypoxia on young yellow perch growth in Lake Erie’s central basin by collecting individuals in hypoxicand normoxic regions of the lake and quantifying their RNA : DNA ratios. Yellow perch consumption and growth in our experiments declined under hypoxic conditions (≤2 mg O2/L). While yellow perch RNA : DNA ratios responded strongly to experimental temperature, nucleic acid ratios were not significantly affected by dissolved oxygen or feeding ration. We did, however, observe a positive correlation between yellow perch growth and RNA : DNA ratios at low temperatures (11°C). The nucleic acid ratios of yellow perch collected in Lake Erie varied spatiotemporally, but their patterns were not consistent with hypoxia. In short, while yellow perch consumption and growth rates respond directly and negatively to low oxygen conditions, these responses are not necessarily reflected in RNA : DNA ratios. Moreover, in central Lake Erie, where yellow perch can behaviorally avoid hypoxic areas, the RNA : DNA ratios of yellow perch do not respond strongly to bottom hypoxia. Thus, this study suggests that there is no strong negative effect of bottom hypoxia on the growth of young yellow perch in Lake Erie.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141858/1/tafs1574.pd

Yellow Perch Genetic Stock Structure in Eastern Lake Michigan: What is the Importance of Drowned River Mouth Lakes?

Habitat heterogeneity has the possibility of structuring populations. Even in connected landscapes, there can be cryptic structuring of populations that coincides with landscape features that limit gene flow or select for different phenotypes within a species. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) is an economically and ecologically prominent fish in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In the Lake Michigan basin, yellow perch reside in nearshore Lake Michigan, including drowned river mouths (DRMs, lake-like habitats that link tributaries to Lake Michigan). The goal of this study was to understand whether yellow perch populations are structured in eastern Lake Michigan by the connected DRM lake habitats. Specifically, I tested whether DRMs and Lake Michigan are distinct genetic stocks of yellow perch and which habitats those stocks occur in throughout the year. To do so, I genotyped yellow perch at 14 microsatellite loci collected from 10 DRMs in both deep and littoral habitats during spring, summer, and fall and two nearshore sites in Lake Michigan (spring and fall) during 2015-2016. I found that all DRMs are genetically distinct from nearshore Lake Michigan. My data also suggest that Lake Michigan yellow perch likely use DRM deep habitats during the fall season, based on how deep-habitat DRM yellow perch from fall cluster with Lake Michigan yellow perch. I also found weak but significant genetic structuring between DRMs. These results are consistent with previous studies and angler accounts of yellow perch. Fisheries managers should take into account this population structure when setting fishing regulations in DRM systems