Proceedings of a Workshop on the Dynamics of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus Clupeaformis) and the Amphipod Diporeia Spp. in the Great Lakes

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Proceedings of a Workshop on the Dynamics of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus Clupeaformis) and the Amphipod Diporeia Spp. in the Great Lakes PROCEEDINGS OF A WORKSHOP ON THE DYNAMICS OF LAKE WHITEFISH (COREGONUS CLUPEAFORMIS) AND THE AMPHIPOD DIPOREIA SPP. IN THE GREAT LAKES TECHNICAL REPORT 66 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 which 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 the Technical Report Series, intended for peer-reviewed scientific literature; Special Publications, designed primarily for dissemination of reports produced by working committees of the Commission; and other (non-serial) publications. Technical Reports are most 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. Special Publications, being working documents, may evolve with the findings of and charges to a particular committee. Both publications follow the style of the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Sponsorship of Technical Reports or Special Publications does not necessarily imply that the findings or conclusions contained therein are endorsed by the Commission. COMMISSIONERS Canada United States Peter Wallace,Vice-Chair Garry Barnhart, Chair John Davis Bernard Hansen Robert Hecky Michael Hansen Ray Pierce Craig Manson William Taylor (Alternate) March 2005 PROCEEDINGS OF A WORKSHOP ON THE DYNAMICS OF LAKE WHITEFISH (COREGONUS CLUPEAFORMIS) AND THE AMPHIPOD DIPOREIA SPP. IN THE GREAT LAKES Edited by Lloyd C. Mohr Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources 1450 Seventh Avenue East Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada N4K 2Z1 Thomas F. Nalepa Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2205 Commonwealth Blvd. Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. 48105 Citation (entire volume): Mohr, L.C., and Nalepa, T.F. (Editors). 2005. Proceedings of a workshop on the dynamics of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and the amphipod Diporeia spp. in the Great Lakes. Great Lakes Fish. Comm. Tech. Rep. 66. Citation (individual paper): Hoyle, J.A. 2005. Status of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Ontario and the response to the disappearance of Diporeia spp. In Proceedings of a workshop on the dynamics of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and the amphipod Diporeia spp. in the Great Lakes. Edited by L.C. Mohr and T.F. Nalepa. Great Lakes Fish. Comm. Tech. Rep. 66. pp. 47-66. Great Lakes Fishery Commission 2100 Commonwealth Blvd., Suite 100 Ann Arbor, MI 48105-1563 Technical Report 66 March 2005 ISSN 0072-730X Printed on recycled paper. TR66-03/2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS Lake Whitefish and Diporeia spp. in the Great Lakes: An Overview, Thomas F. Nalepa, Lloyd C. Mohr, Bryan A. Henderson, Charles P. Madenjian, and Philip J. Schneeberger.................................................. 3 On the Role of Natural Selection in Promoting Population Divergence in Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis): Relevance for Population Management in the Great Lakes, Louis Bernatchez ........................................................................................... 21 STATUS OF WHITEFISH POPULATIONS Status of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Ontario and the Response to the Disappearance of Diporeia spp., James A. Hoyle ................................................................................................... 47 Status of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Michigan, Philip J. Schneeberger, Mark P. Ebener, Michael Toneys, and Paul J. Peeters.................................................................................................. 67 Status of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Erie, H. Andrew Cook, Timothy B. Johnson, Brian Locke, and Bruce J. Morrison .............................................................................................. 87 Status of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Huron, Lloyd C. Mohr and Mark P. Ebener.................................................................. 105 BIOENERGETICS AND TROPHIC DYNAMICS Changes in Lake Whitefish Diet in Lake Michigan, 1998-2001, Stephen A. Pothoven ............................................................................................ 127 Recovery and Decline of Lake Whitefish in U.S. Waters of Eastern Lake Ontario, 1980-2001, Randall W. Owens, Robert O'Gorman, Thomas H. Eckert, Brian F. Lantry, and Dawn E. Dittman............................. 141 Characteristics and Potential Causes of Declining Diporeia spp. Populations in Southern Lake Michigan and Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, Thomas F. Nalepa, David L. Fanslow, and Gretchen Messick.......... 157 Preliminary Evaluation of a Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) Bioenergetics Model, Charles P. Madenjian, Steven A. Pothoven, Philip J. Schneeberger, Daniel V. O'Connor, and Stephen B. Brandt ................................................................................................ 189 Preliminary Investigations for Causes of the Disappearance of Diporeia spp. from Lake Ontario, Ronald Dermott, Mohiuddin Munawar, Robert Bonnell, Silvina Carou, Heather Niblock, Thomas F. Nalepa, and Gretchen Messick .............................................................................. 203 The Status of Diporeia spp. in Lake Ontario, 1994-1997, Stephen J. Lozano and Jill V. Scharold............................................................................ 233 EXPLOITATION AND MANAGEMENT The Population Dynamics of Unexploited Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) Populations and Their Responses to Stresses, Kenneth H. Mills, Eric C. Gyselman, Sandra M. Chalanchuk, and Douglas J. Allan .................................................................................................. 247 Application of Statistical Catch-at-Age Models to Assess Lake Whitefish Stocks in the 1836 Treaty-Ceded Waters of the Upper Great Lakes, Mark P. Ebener, James R. Bence, Kurt R. Newman, and Philip J. Schneeberger ..................................................................................... 271 Editor’s Note Each paper in this volume referencing the amphipod Diporeia spp. states that diporeia will be used as a common name following its first usage, which gives the Latin name. This convention was intended to create a more-parallel usage of names between the two key players in these papers: lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis, which has an accepted common name, and diporeia, which doesn’t. Diporeia is a recently evolved species complex lacking, in addition to a common name, a formal taxonomic description (see Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 46: 1714-1725). The use of Diporeia without the spp. was considered and rejected because this construction, although not uncommon in journals, is incorrect unless referring to the genus itself (CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, Sixth Edition). Readers are asked to bear with this ad hoc convention of a faunal name. Randy L. Eshenroder, January 25, 2005 1 2 Lake Whitefish and Diporeia spp. in the Great Lakes: An Overview Thomas F. Nalepa1 Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2205 Commonwealth Blvd. Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. 48103 Lloyd C. Mohr Upper Great Lakes Management Unit, Lake Huron, Ontario Ministry of natural Resources 1450 Seventh Avenue East Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada N4K 2Z1 Bryan A. Henderson Erindale College University of Toronto in Mississauga Biology Department 3359 Mississauga Road North Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6 Charles P. Madenjian U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center 1451 Green Road Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. 48105 Philip J. Schneeberger Michigan Department of Natural Resources Marquette Fisheries Research Station 484 Cherry Creek Road Marquette, Michigan, U.S.A. 49855 1 Corresponding author: [email protected] 3 Abstract Because of growing concern in the Great Lakes over declines in abundance and growth of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and declines in abundance of the benthic amphipod Diporeia spp., a workshop was held to examine past and current trends, to explore trophic links, and to discuss the latest research results and needs. The workshop was divided into sessions on the status of populations in each of the lakes, bioenergetics and trophic dynamics, and exploitation and management. Abundance, growth, and condition of whitefish populations in Lakes Superior and Erie are stable and within the range of historical means, but these variables are declining in Lakes Michigan and Ontario and parts of Lake Huron. The loss of Diporeia spp., a major food item of whitefish, has been a factor in observed declines, particularly in Lake Ontario, but density-dependent factors also likely played a role in Lakes Michigan and Huron. The loss of Diporeia
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