Hanchin, P. A. 2017. the Fish Community and Fishery of Elk and Skegemog Lakes, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Grand Traverse Counties, Michigan in 2008-09
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ATUR F N AL O R T E N S E O U M R T C R E A STATE OF MICHIGAN S P E DNR D MI N DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES CHIGA FR19 February 2017 The Fish Community and Fishery of Elk and Skegemog Lakes, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Grand Traverse counties, Michigan in 2008-09 Patrick A. Hanchin www.michigan.gov/dnr/ FISHERIES DIVISION FISHERIES REPORT 19 Suggested Citation Format Hanchin, P. A. 2017. The fish community and fishery of Elk and Skegemog lakes, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Grand Traverse counties, Michigan in 2008-09. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Report 19, Lansing. MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (DNR) MISSION STATEMENT “The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations.” NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION (NRC) STATEMENT The Natural Resources Commission, as the governing body for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, provides a strategic framework for the DNR to effectively manage your resources. The NRC holds monthly, public meetings throughout Michigan, working closely with its constituencies in establishing and improving natural resources management policy. MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES NON DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) provides equal opportunities for employment and access to Michigan’s natural resources. Both State and Federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, sex, height, weight or marital status under the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 as amended (MI PA 453 and MI PA 220, Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you desire additional information, please write: HUMAN RESOURCES or MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS or OFFICE FOR DIVERSITY AND CIVIL RIGHTS MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES CADILLAC PLACE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PO BOX 30028 3054 W. GRAND BLVD., SUITE 3-600 4040 NORTH FAIRFAX DRIVE LANSING MI 48909-7528 DETROIT MI 48202 ARLINGTON VA 22203 For information or assistance on this publication, contact: MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ATUR F N AL O R Fisheries Division T E N S E O PO BOX 30446 U M R T C LANSING, MI 48909 R E A S P 517-373-1280 E DNR D TTY/TDD: 711 (Michigan Relay Center) M ICHIGAN This information is available in alternative formats. Table of Contents Introduction ..............................................................................................................................1 Study Area ...............................................................................................................................1 Methods ...................................................................................................................................7 Fish Community Composition .............................................................................................................7 Size Structure and Sex Ratio ..............................................................................................................8 Abundance ..........................................................................................................................................8 Growth ...........................................................................................................................................11 Angler Survey ....................................................................................................................................12 Field methods ................................................................................................................................12 Estimation methods .......................................................................................................................15 Mortality .........................................................................................................................................16 Recruitment ....................................................................................................................................17 Movement ......................................................................................................................................17 Results...................................................................................................................................18 Fish Community Composition ...........................................................................................................18 Size Structure and Sex Ratio ............................................................................................................19 Abundance ........................................................................................................................................19 Growth and maturity .......................................................................................................................24 Angler Survey ....................................................................................................................................27 Open-water period .........................................................................................................................27 Ice-cover period .............................................................................................................................27 Annual period .................................................................................................................................30 Mortality .........................................................................................................................................30 Recruitment ....................................................................................................................................36 Movement ......................................................................................................................................36 Discussion .............................................................................................................................37 Fish Community Composition ...........................................................................................................37 Size structure, growth, and maturity ..............................................................................................38 Abundance .....................................................................................................................................39 Angler Survey ....................................................................................................................................41 Summary ........................................................................................................................................41 Historical comparisons ...................................................................................................................41 Comparison to other large lakes ....................................................................................................43 Mortality .........................................................................................................................................47 Recruitment ....................................................................................................................................48 Movement ......................................................................................................................................49 Summary and Management Recommendations ...................................................................49 Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................................51 References ............................................................................................................................51 i ii Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Report 19, 2017 The Fish Community and Fishery of Elk and Skegemog Lakes, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Grand Traverse Counties, Michigan in 2008-09 Patrick A. Hanchin Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station, 96 Grant Street, Charlevoix, Michigan 49720 Introduction From April 2008 through March 2009, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Fisheries Division surveyed fish populations and angler catch and effort in Elk and Skegemog lakes, the two lower lakes in the Antrim Chain of Lakes occurring in Antrim, Kalkaska, and Grand Traverse counties, Michigan. This work was part of the Large Lakes Program, which is the assessment and monitoring program for fish communities and fisheries in Michigan’s largest inland lakes (Clark et al. 2004). The Large Lakes Program has three primary objectives: (1) to produce indices of abundance and estimates of annual harvest and fishing effort for four target species—Walleye Sander vitreus, Northern Pike Esox lucius, Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu, and Muskellunge Esox masquinongy; (2) to produce growth and mortality statistics to evaluate the effects of fishing on these species; and (3) to evaluate the suitability of various abundance and exploitation rate estimators for use in large lakes. For this report, I quantified abundance, growth, mortality, size structure, angler effort, and