The State of Lake Huron in 2018
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THE STATE OF LAKE HURON IN 2018 SPECIAL PUBLICATION 2020-01 The Great Lakes Fishery Commission was established by the Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries between Canada and the United States, which was ratified on October 11, 1955. It was organized in April 1956 and assumed its duties as set forth in the Convention on July 1, 1956. The Commission has two major responsibilities: first, develop coordinated programs of research in the Great Lakes, and, on the basis of the findings, recommend measures that will permit the maximum sustained productivity of stocks of fish of common concern; second, formulate and implement a program to eradicate or minimize Sea Lamprey populations in the Great Lakes. The Commission is also required to publish or authorize the publication of scientific or other information obtained in the performance of its duties. In fulfillment of this requirement the Commission publishes two types of documents, those that are reviewed and edited for citation indexing and printing and those intended for hosting on the Commission’s website without indexing or printing. Those intended for citation indexing include three series: Technical Reports—suitable for either interdisciplinary review and synthesis papers of general interest to Great Lakes fisheries researchers, managers, and administrators, or more narrowly focused material with special relevance to a single but important aspect of the Commission’s program (requires outside peer review); Special Publications—suitable for reports produced by working committees of the Commission; and Miscellaneous Publications—suitable for specialized topics or lengthy reports not necessarily endorsed by a working committee of the Commission. One series, Fishery Management Documents, is not suited for citation indexing. It is intended to provide a web-based outlet for fishery management agencies to document plans or reviews of plans while forgoing technical review and style editing by Commission staff. Those series intended for citation indexing follow the style of the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. The style for Fishery Management Documents is at the discretion of the authors. Sponsorship of publications does not necessarily imply that the findings or conclusions contained therein are endorsed by the Commission. COMMISSIONERS United States Canada Doug Stang James McKane Don Pereira Jean-Guy Forgeron William Taylor Robert Hecky David Ullrich Tracey Mill Charlie Wooley Great Lakes Fishery Commission 2200 Commonwealth Blvd., Suite 100 Ann Arbor, MI 48105 THE STATE OF LAKE HURON IN 2018 Edited by Stephen C. Riley1 and Mark P. Ebener2 Citation (entire volume) (online): Riley, S.C., and Ebener, M.P. [EDS]. 2020. The state of Lake Huron in 2018 [online]. Available from http://www.glfc.org/pubs/SpecialPubs/Sp20_01.pdf [accessed 05 November 2020]. Citation (individual chapter) (online): Riley, S.C., Roseman, E.F., Hondorp, D.W., O’Brien, T.P., and Farha, S.A. 2020. Status of offshore prey fish in Lake Huron in 2019. In The state of Lake Huron in 2018. Edited by S.C. Riley and M.P. Ebener [online]. Available from http://www.glfc.org/pubs/SpecialPubs/Sp20_01.pdf [accessed 05 November 2020]. November 2020 ISSN 2159-6581 (online) 1S.C. Riley. U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, 1451 Green Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA (e-mail: [email protected]). 2M.P. Ebener. Fresh Lake Whitefish Company, 4234 I75 Business Spur, #250 Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783, USA. Frontispiece. Map of Lake Huron showing major geographical features and statistical districts. The main basin of Lake Huron is waters outside of the North Channel and Georgian Bay. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .......................................................................................................... 1 Introduction to the State of Lake Huron in 2018 ........................................ 5 Lake Huron and Its Fisheries .............................................................................. 6 Fish Community Objectives ............................................................................. 10 Status of Lower Trophic Levels in Lake Huron in 2018 .......................... 14 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 14 Nutrients and Water Clarity .............................................................................. 16 Phytoplankton................................................................................................... 23 Zooplankton and Mysis..................................................................................... 30 Benthos ............................................................................................................. 34 Summary and Discussion ................................................................................. 41 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................ 45 Status of Offshore Prey Fish in Lake Huron in 2018 ................................ 46 Alewife, Rainbow Smelt, and Bloater .............................................................. 47 Ninespine Stickleback, Sculpins, and Trout-Perch ........................................... 50 Emerald Shiner ................................................................................................. 52 Round Goby ..................................................................................................... 52 Invasive Species ............................................................................................... 53 Total Biomass Index ......................................................................................... 55 Progress and Outlook ....................................................................................... 55 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................ 59 Status of Whitefishes and Ciscoes in Lake Huron in 2018 ....................... 60 Lake Whitefish ................................................................................................. 61 Cisco ................................................................................................................. 72 Deepwater Ciscoes ........................................................................................... 74 Round Whitefish .............................................................................................. 75 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 76 Status of Lake Trout in Lake Huron in 2018 ............................................ 77 Natural Reproduction ....................................................................................... 80 Age Structure and Survival .............................................................................. 83 Abundance and Survival................................................................................... 86 Achievement of Rehabilitation Milestones ....................................................... 89 Summary .......................................................................................................... 91 Status of Sea Lamprey in Lake Huron in 2018 ......................................... 92 Adult Abundance .............................................................................................. 94 Marking Rates on Lake Trout ........................................................................... 96 Lampricide Control .......................................................................................... 97 St. Marys River .............................................................................................. 100 Regional Treatment Strategies ........................................................................ 102 Barriers ........................................................................................................... 103 Sterile-Male Release Technique ..................................................................... 103 Potential Threats to Control ............................................................................ 105 Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................... 105 Status of Introduced Salmonines in Lake Huron in 2018 ...................... 107 Chinook Salmon ............................................................................................. 109 Steelhead ........................................................................................................ 117 Brown Trout ................................................................................................... 121 Atlantic Salmon .............................................................................................. 122 Coho and Pink Salmon ................................................................................... 122 The Recreational Fishery ................................................................................ 123 Status of Nearshore Fish Communities in Lake Huron in 2018 ............ 126 Walleye ........................................................................................................ 130 Yellow Perch .................................................................................................. 134 Lake Sturgeon ................................................................................................ 137 Northern Pike and Muskellunge ....................................................................