April 1, 1999
TO: People interested in Great Lakes fisheries
FROM: Bill Horns, Great Lakes Fisheries Specialist
This is an update on some of the issues facing us on the Great Lakes. If you have questions or comments about the topics discussed here or any other issues related to Great Lakes fisheries, contact me by phone (608.266.8782), FAX (608.266.2244), or e-mail (william.horns@wisconsin.gov).
Chinook salmon stocking in Lake Michigan. The four states on Lake Michigan have agreed to cut chinook salmon stocking by 27%, from 6,000,000 in 1998 to 4,400,000 in 1999. Michigan will take a 35% cut, the largest of any state. Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana will each reduce stocking by 15%. This means that Wisconsin will stock 1,467,000 chinook fingerlings this year, compared with 1,735,000 last year. This action reflects a concern for the health of the forage base (predominately alewives, but also bloater chubs and smelt). Although the effects of these cuts will not be immediately seen, we believe that in the long run the cuts will help maintain a balance between predator and prey populations by reducing the consumption of forage species by approximately 10%. The decision to make these cuts followed an extended process of public consultation, and was endorsed by the Wisconsin Federation of Great Lakes Sport Fishing Clubs. We hope to maintain the public dialogue on this issue as we review and assess this stocking plan and establish future stocking policies.
Whitefish quotas. In February the Natural Resources Board approved an increase in the annual total allowable commercial harvest of whitefish from Lake Michigan and Green Bay, from 1,770,000 pounds to 2,470,000 pounds. The increase is subject to Legislative review, but is expected to take effect this summer. In addition the NRB approved an increase, from 78 feet to 90 feet, in the maximum depth at which pound nets and trap nets may be set. This provision will expire in the year 2003, unless extended.
Spring hearings. A few Great Lakes rule proposals will appear on the questionnaire for the Spring Fish and Wildlife Rules Hearings, April 12, 1999. The Great Lakes proposals are as follows: 1) Close the hook and line sturgeon season on Green Bay, Lake Michigan, and their tributaries, in order to rehabilitate the lake sturgeon population in those areas. 2) Designate additional reaches of Lake Michigan and Green Bay tributaries as outlying waters. By adding these reaches to those defined as outlying waters, this change would make the geographic applicability of the Great Lakes Trout and Salmon Stamp and the Two-day Great Lakes fishing license coincide with all areas where Lake Michigan bag and size limits apply. 3) Change bag and size limits for walleye and northern pike on waters of Lake Michigan south of U.S. Highway 10 to make them consistent with regulations now in effect in Lake Michigan tributaries. If, following the hearings, any of these proposals are advanced by the Department, they would be considered for adoption by the Natural Resources Board in May. If adopted, they would take effect next year..
IPN in Indiana hatcheries. In December, 1998, a routine fish health inspection revealed evidence of the infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) virus in a small number of steelhead being reared in one of Indiana’s
hatcheries. In conformance with the Great Lakes Fish Disease Control Policy and Model Program, the Indiana DNR will not stock steelhead yearlings this spring from lots of fish confirmed to harbor the disease, even though no fish have yet displayed the symptoms of the disease. This cautious approach will minimize the chances of a significant outbreak of IPN in Lake Michigan. Indiana has enough unaffected yearling steelhead to meet a large fraction of its annual stocking quota, and Wisconsin has offered approximately 34,000 surplus Skamania yearlings to help fill the Indiana stocking shortfall. Inspections in Wisconsin have not detected the presence of IPN.
Revised Steelhead/Rainbow Fisheries Management Plan for Lake Michigan. Under the leadership of Steve Hogler, the Department’s biologist at Mishicott, a revised management plan for steelhead/rainbow trout is nearing completion. Under this Plan, the major features of our current program will be continued; we will continue to produce Ganaraska, Chambers Creek, and Skamania steelhead in order to support both an open water fishery during summer and an extended stream fishing season. Steelhead are rainbow trout that migrate up tributaries to spawn. Currently, all rainbow trout stocked by the Department into Lake Michigan are steelhead, but non-migratory strains have been used in the past. The new Plan includes a commitment to look into obtaining and stocking a strain of rainbow trout that will stay closer to shore and therefore provide improved fishing opportunities for anglers who fish from shore and from piers. Because the development of such a strain might require changes in other parts of the stocking program, we will move ahead with this only after consultation with the public. Stocking of a new strain would not be initiated before the year 2001, at the earliest.
Smelt harvest limit from Lake Michigan. The Assembly Committee on Natural Resources has asked the Department to consider making changes to the rule, adopted last fall by the Natural Resources Board, which would reduce the annual total allowable commercial harvest of smelt from 2,358,000 pounds to 713,340 pounds. The Department is not obligated to alter the rule, but may do so. If the rule proposal is changed by the Department, the revised rule would be presented to the Natural Resources Board for adoption before being referred to the Legislature again for review. Until this issue is resolved, the 2,358,000 pound harvest limit remains in effect.
Brook trout management on Lake Superior. There is a growing public interest in rehabilitating brook trout populations all around Lake Superior. Shortly, we expect that the interagency "Brook Trout Rehabilitation Plan for Lake Superior" will be completed. This lakewide plan will guide Wisconsin's effort to develop strategies to improve brook trout within our watershed. At present, Department biologists are developing initial stages of the state brook trout plan which includes the history of decline, past and present management, current population status and a laundry list of potential strategies to attempt to rehabilitate this native species in Wisconsin's Lake Superior drainage.
Few sea lamprey, many steelhead in the Brule River. Lamprey control. The lamprey barrier/fishway on the Brule River has been successful in reducing reproduction by sea lamprey in Lake Superior. The barrier blocks and traps all sea lamprey that ascend the river to spawn. In 1998 only 16 sea lamprey were trapped, the second lowest number since the facility began operating in 1986. In that year 7, 017 lamprey were trapped. Steelhead runs. The facility also allows passage by salmon and trout, all of which are filmed as they pass the observation window so that they may later be counted, measured as needed, and examined for fin clips (evidence of stocking). The steelhead run last fall was the largest in recent years, with 8349 steelhead passing the observation window. Of those fish, only 347 were stocked. This is a significant improvement since 1993 when only 1611 fish were counted at the observation window.