nical Bulletin Number 1 SURVEY AND FISH MAN- E STREAMS OF THE NORTH SHORE WATERSHED LLOYD L. SM ITH, JR. and JOHN B. MOYLE DEPARTMENT Of CONSERVATION ISION OF GAME AND FISH This document is made available electronically by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library as part of an ongoing digital archiving project. http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/lrl.asp (Funding for document digitization was provided, in part, by a grant from the Minnesota Historical & Cultural Heritage Program.) MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION DIVISION OF GAME AND FISH A BIOLOGICAL SURVEY AND FISHERY MAN­ AGEMENT PLAN FOR THE STREAMS OF THE LAKE SUPERIOR NORTH SHORE WATERSHED LLOYD L. SMITH, JR. Research Supervisor and JOHN B. MOYLE Aquatic Biologist A CONTRIBUTION FROM THE MINNESOTA FISHERIES RESEARCH LABORATORY TECHNICAL BULLETIN NO. 1 1 9 4 4 STATE OF MINNESOTA The Honorable Edward J. Thye ................... Governor MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION Chester S. Wilson ............................ Commissioner E. V. Willard ........................ Deputy Commissioner DIVISION OF GAME AND FISH Verne E. Joslin ............................. Acting Director E. R. Starkweather ........................ Law Enforcement Norman L. Moe ........................... Fish Propagation George Weaver ........................ Commercial Fisheries Stoddard Robinson .................... Rough Fish Removal Lloyd L. Smith,- Jr........................ Fisheries Research Thomas Evans ........................ Stream Improvement Frank Blair .......................... ~ .. Game Management Richard Dorer ................... Pittman-Robertson Projects Thaddeus Surber .......................... Technical Adviser Albert Klancke .............................. Administration Page Reservation River .......................................................................................... 108 Hollow Rock Creek........................................................................................ 110 Grand Portage River............... ,..............................•....................................... 111 Pigeon River tributaries ................................................................................ 111 THE FISHES OF THE STREAMS OF THE NORTH SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR WITH ANNOTATED LIST.......................... 115 Salmonidae ························-··············-······-·-·····-··--······································-···· 118 Catostomidae ·-------···------···················-·····································-······················· 120 Cyprinidae........................................................................................................ 120 Umbridae.......................................................................................................... 122 Esocidae................... ·--······---················-·············--'·····················'···-·················· 122 Percopsidae...................................................................................................... 122 Percidae ·······························-·······'··-·························-····-··'·······'······················· 122 Centrarchidae .................................................................................................. 123 Cottidae ·················-··-----··············-·-·······---··--···············-············--··--···--········---·· 123 Gasterosteidae ········--···--·--·-·········--·---····--·---------·--·--·--·--·····----·-···---------········ 124 THE CHEMICAL QUALITY OF THE TROUT-STREAM WATERS ON THE MINNESOTA NORTH SHORE OF LAKE SUPE- - RI 0 R---·--------·-·--·---·------··--··----·-·-········-············-···············-··············-········· 124 Sampling and analytical methods.............................................................. 124 General chemical quality of the water...................................................... 125 Dissolved gases and hydrogen-ion concentrations....... , .......................... 126 Dissolved iron.................................................................................................. 127 Chemical fertility ............................................................... ,.......................... 127 THE PLANT AND ANIMAL PLANKTON AND THE BOTTOM­ INHABITING ALGAE OF THE NORTH SHORE STREAMS 129 THE LARGER AQUATIC PLANTS OF THE NORTH SHORE STREAMS ................................................................................................ 131 THE BOTTOM FAUNA OF THE NORTH SHORE STREAMS............ 140 Bottom fauna production of the North Shore streams.......................... 141 Composition of the North Shore bottom fauna........................................ 142 Factors influencing the production of bottom fauna .............................. 145 Food preferences of trout-stream :fishes .................................................... 146 STREAM IMPROVEMENT ON THE NORTH SHORE WATERSHED 147 Scope of improvement work. ....................................................................... 147 Application of development methods to North Shore streams............ 149 The Knife River project................................................................................ 151 Purpose of the project.. ........................................................................ 151 Planning and execution of the program............................................ 151 Devices used in channel developments.............................................. 153 Execution of the program.................................................................... 160 Results of the work. ............................................................................... 162 LITERATURE CITED.......................................................................................... 164 APPENDIX I ................................................................................................... ,...... 175 Detailed stocking recommendations for North Shore streams............ 175 Detailed stream data by stations................................................................ 175 Page FIGURES 1. Lake Superior-North Shore drainage areas____________________________________________ 7 2. Rock formations of the Minnesota North Shore, Lake Superior________ 9 3. Surface formations of the Minnesota North Shore, Lake Superior____ 12 4. Lester River·-----------------------------··--·----·--······-------------------------··········--·-------------· 40 5. French River·-·--·-·--·-·····--··--·········-············-············-·······-·······--------················ 42 6. Sucker River ·---------------····-----·-·····-----------------·--····-··-··---------------------------·-·-····- 44 7. Knife River ----------····-·-··-····-----···-······--···············-·····--·-----··············-······-'······· 48 8. Stewart River········-·------·---·-·-····-------···-·--·····-·-·-··-·······~---······················-····-·· 50 9. Gooseberry River ·············--·······---·······--·············--······---·····--···············-········· 54 10. Split Rock River.. ·-···-···············-·-·····-·········--·-·--·-····-··-····--·····----·-··-·-··-·····-··· 56 11. Beaver River·····-···············-·········-·--···-·-·-········--·····----·························--······-·· 60 12. Baptism River.... -------···------··-·····--···········-·-····-···-····-----···-·---··-·········---···-·-····· 64 13. Manitou River ---·-············-·-···········-··-··········-·······-·······-·-·················-·-··-------··· 68 14. Caribou River ----·--···-··-····--············-·····-····-····-····-·--·-·····-·-·····--····--·······-·-·····- 72 15. Two Island River·---···-··-······--··················-······-······--····························-········ 7 4 16. Cross River ---··························-·········-··-·····-·--········-·-··-·-····-·········-··············--· 76 17. Temperance River····-······--'-~----····-················-··-··········-····--····-········-··············· 80 18. Onion River ······································-····-········-···--·········-····················-·······-··· 82 19. Poplar River........ -------···-·-···············-········-··············-···-·······-······-········-··········· 84 20. Spruce Creek ................ ---·····-··-··········-·····-···················-············-············-······· 87 21. Cascade River ·-·-···········.··-···-··························-······-·-······----~---··················-·--··· 88 22. Devil Track River_·--·-··········---·-·····--······--·······--·-······-···-·-·-················-···-·····-· 94 23. Durfee Creek ...... ·--·--·------·--·-·------·-·--·--···-·---------------·-··-··········-·-···-··--·····-··-··-·- 98 24. Kimball Creek ..... ------····---------------·--··········----·-····-·-·-··-····-·-·--·-···-··-··-------------- 99 25. Kadunce Creek ···········--·····-·········--····--·-·-······-··-··-·····················-···-··············- 101 26. Arrowhead River·-·····--·-······--··········-·-············-·-·······---······-·········-·······----------- 103 27. Flute Reed River·-------------------------------------···-------··--------··--------------··-··-----------·· 107 28. Reservation River·---------------··········----------------·-···-·······-··············-····-·-····------·· 109 29. Hollow Rock Creek. ................ ------··-·-·········---------------···········--·-······--------------· 110 30. Pigeon River system.. ·--········--·----------··················--·-·······----·········-···------------ 112 31. Boulder deflector__________________________________ .........................................................