Growth and survival of nearshore fishes in Lake Michigan

Illinois Department of Natural resources Grant/Contract No: F-138INHS Technical Report Prepared for Illinois Department of Natural resource

Growth and survival rate of nearshore fishes in Lake Michigan, 2014

Research described in this report focuses on Illinois waters of Lake Michigan and provides essential information for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to better understand factors contributing to nearshore fish community assemblages in a spatial and habitat related context. Information presented herein expands limited data and directly aids fisheries management efforts. This report describes results obtained during 2014field season and marks the sixthyear of major changes to the project, which included changing sampling locations, expanding sampling sites to include different habitat types, and expanding sampling techniques to collect juvenile fish. Data analysis from field sampling conducted in 2015is ongoing and lab processing is not complete. As such, a complete reporting of data collected during the 2014sampling season is presented, covering data from Segments 17and 18. Further, some objectives are based on long term data collection and insights will become clearer as results accrue through future sampling; therefore, results for each objective may not be specifically discussed in this report. Below, we present the study objectives and several research highlightsDivision of Fisheries, Ilinois Department of Natural Resources Grant/Contract No: Federal Aid Project F-138-R-18unpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

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

Growth and survival rate of nearshore fishes in Lake Michigan, 2012

Research described in this report focuses on Illinois waters of Lake Michigan and provides essential information for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to better understand factors contributing to nearshore fish community assemblages in a spatial and habitat related context. Information presented herein expands limited data and directly aids fisheries management efforts.This report describes results obtained during 2012field season and marks the fifth year of major changes to the project, which included changing sampling locations, expanding sampling sites to include different habitat types, and expanding sampling techniques to collect juvenile fish.Data analysis from field sampling conducted in 2013is ongoing and lab processing is not complete. As such, a complete reporting of data collected during the 2012sampling season is presented, covering data from Segments 15and 16. Further, some objectives are based on long term data collection and insights will become clearer as results accrue through future sampling; therefore, results for each objective may not be specifically discussed in this report. Below, we present the study objectives and several research highlights.Division of Fisheries, Ilinois Department of Natural Resources Grant/Contract No: Federal Aid Project F-138-R-16unpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

Growth and Survival of Nearshore Fishes in Lake Michigan

This report includes 2007 field season results of a project that began in August 1998. This project’s purpose is to identify factors that contribute to and determine yearclass strength of fishes in nearshore waters of Lake Michigan. This research focuses on Illinois waters of Lake Michigan and is needed because limited data exist on year-class strength and recruitment of nearshore fishes. The focus of this research is to describe patterns of year-class strength and to relate these patterns to a set of factors that allow managers to better predict inter-annual fluctuations in fish populations. After this project was funded, we learned that an artificial reef would be built at one of our nearshore sites. Little quantitative information exists on the role such artificial reefs play in the attraction and recruitment success of fishes in freshwater. Consequently, we added the artificial reef site (plus a nearby reference site) to our sampling protocol to identify how the addition of an artificial reef might attract sport fishes, affect recruitment success, and assess other possible effects on the nearshore fish community.Illinois Department of Natural Resources F-138 R-11unpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

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

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

Linking Egg Thiamine and Fatty Acid Concentrations of Lake Michigan Lake Trout with Early Life Stage Mortality

The natural reproduction of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Michigan is thought to be compromised by nutritional deficiency associated with inadequate levels of thiamine (vitamin B1) in their eggs. However, mortality driven by thiamine deficiency (commonly referred to as early mortality syndrome [EMS]) is not the only significant cause of low lake trout survival at early life stages. In this study, we sought to better understand the combined effects of variable levels of thiamine and fatty acids in lake trout eggs on prehatch, posthatch, and swim-up-stage mortality. We sampled the eggs of 29 lake trout females from southwestern Lake Michigan. The concentrations of free thiamine and its vitamers (e.g., thiamine monophosphate [TMP] and thiamine pyrophosphate [TPP]) as well as fatty acid profiles were determined in sampled eggs. Fertilized eggs and embryos were monitored through the advanced swim-up stage (1,000degree-days). Three distinct periods of mortality were identified: prehatch (0–400 degree-days), immediately posthatch (401–600 degree-days), and swim-up (601–1,000 degree-days). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed (1) that cis-7-hexadecenoic acid in both neutral lipids (NL) and phospholipids (PL) correlated with prehatch mortality, (2) that docosapentaenoic acid in PL and docosahexaenoic acid in NL correlated with posthatch mortality, and (3) that total lipids, TPP, and palmitoleic acid in NL, linoleic acid, and palmitic acid in PL correlated with the frequency of EMS. These results indicate the complexity of early life stage mortality in lake trout and suggest that inadequate levels of key fatty acids in eggs, along with variable thiamine content, contribute to the low survival of lake trout progeny in Lake Michigan

Effects of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Deficiency in Lake Trout Alevins and Preventive Treatments

The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of thiamine immersion of fish from a population known for compromised survival as a result of early mortality syndrome (EMS) and to investigate the causeâ response relationship between thiamine concentration and lesions in tissues in swimâ upâ stage lake trout Salvelinus namaycush alevins. Lake trout eggs from 14 fish from Lake Michigan were artificially fertilized and the progeny divided into two groups based on the thiamine concentration (low (0.85 nmol/g)) in the unfertilized eggs. Progeny were treated or not with a thiamine solution (2,000 mg/L for 2 h) at hatching or the swimâ up stage. The survival of progeny in control groups at the swimâ up stage correlated with thiamine concentration. The low thiamineâ treated groups had significantly higher survival between the swimâ up stage (812.0 degreeâ days) and 16 d after swimâ up (963.3 degreeâ days) than the control groups; the survival of the high thiamineâ treated groups did not differ between treated and control fish, regardless of the treatment at hatching and the swimâ up stage. Control alevins that had low thiamine levels showed EMS, which resulted in 94.9â 100% mortality 16 d after the swimâ up stage. No pathological changes were observed in the brain, olfactory lobe, eye, liver, or muscle in alevins of high thiamineâ treated group. Glycogen deposits in the liver of alevins from the low control group were variable, no glycogen being observed in the hepatocytes of 7 of the 24 fish. We demonstrate that thiamine treatment at swimâ up enhances the survival of EMSâ affected lake trout relative to treatment at hatching.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141712/1/aah0290.pd

Growth and Survival Rate of Nearshore Fishes in Lake Michigan, 2013

Research described in this report focuses on Illinois waters of Lake Michigan and provides essential information for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to better understand factors contributing to nearshore fish community assemblages in a spatial and habitat related context. Information presented herein expands limited data and directly aids fisheries management efforts. This report describes results obtained during 2013 field season and marks the sixth year of major changes to the project, which included changing sampling locations, expanding sampling sites to include different habitat types, and expanding sampling techniques to collect juvenile fish. Data analysis from field sampling conducted in 2014 is ongoing and lab processing is not complete. As such, a complete reporting of data collected during the 2013 sampling season is presented, covering data from Segments 16 and 17. Further, some objectives are based on long term data collection and insights will become clearer as results accrue through future sampling; therefore, results for each objective may not be specifically discussed in this report. Below, we present the study objectives and several research highlights.IDNR Division of Fisheries F-138 R-17U.S. Fish & Wildlife Serviceunpublishednot peer reviewedOpe