. nagement RTMENTOFNATURALRESOURCES FISHERIES DIVISION Fisheries Special Report No. 14 April 1990 REVIEW OF SALMON AND TROUT MANAGEMENT IN LAKE MICHIGAN Myrl Keller Kelley D. Smith and Ronald W. Rybicki Editors Michigan Department of Natural Resources Charlevoix Fisheries Station Box 205 Charlevoix, Michigan 49720 LAKE MICIDGAN TASK FORCE Cannon Downriggers Lou Pomaville Federation of Fly Fishers James Schramm Grand Traverse Bay Sportfishing Association William Hicks James Mattis Great Lakes Fishery Advisory Committee Alberta Bradford Great Lakes Sportfishing Council Walter Olmstead Lake Michigan Sportfishing Coalition John Keyser Michigan Boating Industries Association Ray Underwood Michigan Charterboat Association Dennis Grinold Michigan Department of Natural Resources Myrl Keller Dell Siler Jerry Manz (Retired) Kelley Smith Leo Mrozinski Wayne Tody (Retired) Donald Reynolds John Trimberger John Robertson Bernhard Ylkanen Michigan Fisherman Magazine Kenneth Darwin Michigan Steelheaders Association Andrew Pelt William Geisler John Rutherford Michigan United Conservation Clubs Mark Ducharme Natural Resources Commission Gordon Guyer Trout Unlimited James Bedford U. S. Advisor to the Great Lakes Fish Commission Paul Wendler 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The editors would like to express their appreciation to the following individuals for their service during the preparation of this report. The members of the Lake Michigan Task Force who spent many hours reviewing and discussing the fishery biology of Lake Michigan to develop this proposed management plan for the salmonids. The authors of each chapter, Fisheries Division personnel, who provided the needed specialized knowledge of fish and fishing in Lake Michigan. John Hnath, fish pathologist for the Fisheries Division, who was extremely helpful in the preparation of materials regarding diseases of salmonids. His thoughtful insights into the current outbreak of bacterial kidney disease in Lake Michigan chinook salmon was extremely helpful in understanding and communicating this problem to all concerned. Paul Gelderblom, fisheries technician at the Charlevoix Great Lakes Station, who synthesized all of the material found in the appendices. Susan Bice, secretary at the Charlevoix Station, who typed drafts of many parts of the report. We also express our thanks to both Sue and Deb Feldpausch, Division secretary in Lansing, for their untiring efforts in covering the many details for, and preparing minutes of, the numerous Task Force meetings which have occurred over the last 2 years. Grace Zurek, word processing specialist at the Institute for Fisheries Research in Ann Arbor, who completed the typing of the final draft. We thank her for this monumental effort. W. C. Latta, Research and Evaluation Program Manager for the Fisheries Division who reviewed the final draft of this Task Force Report. We wish to thank him for the review and the many comments over the last 2 years, which have greatly improved this document. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LAKE MICHIGAN TASK FORCE .......................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . iii INTRODUCTION . 1 Description of Lake Michigan . 3 History of the Lake Michigan Fishery . 4 HATCHERY PRODUCTION AND PLANTING . 14 History of the Broodstock ............................................ 14 Lake trout . 14 Rainbow (steelhead) trout . 14 Chinook salmon . 15 Coho salmon . 16 Atlantic salmon . 17 Rainbow trout (domestic) ........................................ 17 Brown trout . 18 Characteristics of the Product . 18 Lake trout . 19 Rainbow (steelhead) trout . 19 Chinook salmon . 19 Coho salmon . 19 Atlantic salmon . 20 Rainbow trout (domestic) . 20 Brown trout . 20 Stocking History . 20 1966-82 ..................................................... 21 1983-87 . 22 Stocking Plans . 23 STREAM MANAGEMENT . 46 Weirs ...................................................... 46 Snagging ................................................... 47 Dam removal ................................................ 50 Fish ladders . 51 Trap and transfer operations ..................................... 51 Sea lamprey control ........................................... 51 Rainbow (steelhead) trout fishery ................................ 52 Water management ........................................... 54 SALMONID HARVEST . 56 Catch and Effort Sampling . 56 Angler Effort . 57 Chinook Salmon . 58 Angling success . 58 Number and percent return . 59 Size at age of fish harvested . 60 iv Sport harvest in other states . 60 Charter harvest ................................................ 61 Coho Salmon . 61 Angling success . 61 Number and percent return . 62 Size at age of fish harvested . 62 Sport harvest in other states . 63 Charter harvest ................................................ 63 Rainbow (Steelhead) Trout . 64 Angling success . 64 Number and percent return . 65 Size at age of fish harvested . 65 Sport harvest in other states ...................................... 66 Charter harvest ................................................ 66 Lake Trout . 67 Angling success ................................................ 67 Number and percent return . 68 Size at age of fish harvested ...................................... 68 Sport harvest in other states . 68 Charter harvest . 69 Brown Trout . 69 Angling success . 69 Number and percent return ....................................... 70 Size at age of fish harvested . 71 Sport harvest in other states . 71 Charter harvest . 72 Other Salmonids . 72 Angling success ................................................ 72 Sport harvest in other states . 73 Charter harvest . 73 Weir Harvest ..................................................... 73 Number and percent return ....................................... 74 Size at age of fish harvested . 77 Tribal Harvest . 79 Commercial Effects . 80 Salmon Egg Sale . 81 BIOLOGY OF SALMONIDS . 138 Coho Salmon . 138 Food habits . 138 Natural reproduction . 139 Movement and lake distribution . ..