Movements Within the and Corridor: Lessons from the Lake Erie Interagency Tagging ToddStudy Wills Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division What is the Huron-Erie Corridor? Why are Walleye Important? Objectives

• Highlight interagency fisheries management • Describe the movement of walleye in the Huron-Erie Corridor (HEC) and beyond • Approximate the number of Lake Erie walleye migrating through the HEC How are Lake Erie Walleye Managed?

MU 5

MU 3 MU 4

MU 1 MU 2 Population Estimate of Age 2+ Walleye

1,808 tag returns

140

120

100

80

60

40

Millions of Millions of walleye 20

0

Year Interagency Jaw Tagging Study

• Essential component of collaborative walleye management in Lake Erie since 1978 • Allows estimation of population metrics such as survival, mortality, and exploitation Tagging site Capture site • Also provides data on walleye movement West Basin Walleye Tagging Sites

Tag sites

Lake St. Clair Creel survey grids

Lake Erie Number of Walleye Tagged

Tagging Site Total Number Chicken & Hen Islands 18,622 8,167 17,877 Bono 2,968 22,893 Sugar Rock 8,637 857 Raisin River 37,049 Huron River 7,453 Grand Total 124,523 Returns of Walleye in the HEC… 45 1,808 tag returns 40

35

30

25

20

15

10

Percent of tags recovered tags of Percent 5

0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Month of tag recovery

West Basin Lake Erie River Lake St. Clair St. Clair River …and Their Origin by Tagging Site

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20

Percent of reported tags of reported Percent 10 0 Chicken SanduskySandusky Bono Maumee Sugar Maumee Raisin Huron & Hen River Bay River Rock Bay River River Islands 1,808 tag returns Tagging site West Basin Lake Erie Lake St. Clair St. Clair River Do Walleye Move Beyond the HEC?

2,812 tag returns When are HEC Walleye Captured?

December November October September August July June May April March Calendar day recovered day Calendar February January

Tag recovery location

Raisin River tagging site 2,812 tag returns How Many Walleye Move Through HEC?

• Jaw tag return data show ~15% of walleye tagged in West Basin are recaptured north of Lake Erie (mostly in HEC) • Estimated West-Central Basin abundance: – 2006-2015 low: 24,039,030 walleye – 2006-2015 high: 83,920,517 walleye • Possible range of 3.6-12.6 million walleye moving north into HEC each In Summary:

• Lake Erie walleye are highly migratory – Substantial migration occurs after spawning – Walleye from across western Lake Erie move through the HEC – Lake Erie walleye tags recovered from southern Lake Huron, , and • Lake Erie walleye stock is an important source of walleye for HEC and beyond What Don’t We Know?

• Jaw tags: – Dependent upon fishery returns – Reflect single capture location • Unable to determine: – Fine-scale movements – Stock-specific movement patterns – Motivation for migration Thank You!

Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Outdoors www.michigan.gov/dnr