lloyd c. mohr upper great lakes management unit owen sound, on and mark p. ebener chippewa ottawa...
TRANSCRIPT
Lloyd C. MohrUpper Great Lakes Management Unit
Owen Sound, ONand
Mark P. EbenerChippewa Ottawa Resource Authority
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
The Fisheries of Lake Huron
The Fisheries of Lake Huron
Commercial Fishery - Historical
French Explorer Raudot wrote in 1710
"The fish that they fish for there are the trout, sturgeon, and
the whitefish. This last (whitefish) ..., must be
the best fish in the world, since all those who have eaten it
say that they never grow tired of it."
Commercial Fishery - Historical
Koelz (1929)
Berst and Spangler (1973)
Peters (1981)
Brown et al. (1999)
Commercial Fishery - Current
A. Management Direction
• 1960’s Michigan’s fishery policy shift
• 1980’s Assertion of First Nation’s / Native American’s Treaty Rights - COTFMA (1979)
• 1984 Modernization of Ontario’s commercial Industry
Commercial Fishery - Current
Commercial Fishing Fleet
1979 1999
OCF Licences 123 72+
Ont. Fishers 96 58+
COTFMA Fishers 54 (1982) 42
MI State Fishers 35 19
Commercial Fishery - Current
• Fleet Fishing Power
•Tracking ability
• Communication ability
• Size of vessels
• Processing capabilities
B. Technology Changes
Commercial Fishery - Distribution
Coregonids
Percids
Salmonids
Other (catfish, carp…)
Commercial Fishery - Harvest
Commercial Harvest of All Species in Lake Huron
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990Year
Har
vest
(kg
x10
3 )
CANADAU.S.
2.39 million kg 5.98 million kg12.72 million kg
Commercial Fishery - Harvest
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990Year
Pro
po
rtio
n o
f T
ota
l H
arv
est
Suckers
Carp
L. Herring
Catfish
N. Pike
Y. Perch
Walleye
Bloater
L. Trout
L. Whitefish
Commercial Fishery - Effort
Large Mesh Gill Nets
Lake Whitefish
Walleye
Chinook Salmon
Lake Trout
Carp (XLGE) 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997
Year
Eff
ort
(km
x10
00)
U.S. Waters
Canadian Waters
Commercial Fishery - Effort
0
4
8
12
16
20
1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999Year
Eff
ort
(km
x100
0)
U.S. Waters
Canadian WatersBloater Chub /Yellow Perch
Lake Herring
Round Whitefish
Small Mesh Gill Nets
Commercial Fishery - Effort
Lake Whitefish
Walleye
Yellow Perch
Round Whitefish
Trap Nets
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999Year
Tra
pn
et
Lif
ts
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
50,000
Tra
pn
et
Lif
ts
COTFMACanadian WatersMichigan
Commercial Fishery - Effort
Channel Catfish
Hook Sets
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
Year
Nu
mb
er
of
Ho
ok
s (
x1
06 )
Commercial Fishery - Effort
C. Gear Changes• Net Material (Northern Michigan waters)
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1973-1977 1978-1983 1984-1990 1991-1998
% o
f L
arg
e M
es
h G
N E
ffo
rtNylon Monofilament
Commercial Fishery - Effort
C. Gear Changes• Height of Nets (Northern Michigan waters)
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1973-1977 1978-1983 1984-1990 1991-1998% o
f L
arg
e M
esh
GN
Eff
ort 75
50
36
28
Commercial Fishery - Effort
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1973-1977 1978-1983 1984-1990 1991-1998
% o
f L
arg
e M
es
h G
N E
ffo
rt
0.28 0.23 0.2 0.17 0.15
C. Gear Changes• Twine Size (Northern Michigan waters)
Commercial Fishery - Effort
C. Gear Changes• Mesh Size (Canadian Waters)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
Year
Pro
po
rtio
n o
f E
ffo
rt (
Lg
Me
sh
)
5.5
5.25
5.19
5
4.88
4.75
4.63
4.5
Commercial Fishery - Synopsis
• Significant changes in Commercial Fishing Effort
• Commercial Fleet Dynamic - Participants changing
• Fishing Power increasing
• Significant changes in Commercial Fishing Harvest
• Lake whitefish dominant commercial species
• Lake Trout Incidental concern
• Warmwater species harvest decreasing
Recreational Fishery
Historically - nearshore fishery, Lodge or cottage based
Walleye, yellow perch, bass and pike fisheries in Georgian Bay
Yellow perch, lake herring fisheries in Saginaw Bay, northern Lake Huron (MI)
Offshore fisheries not significant
Recreational Fishery - Historical
Recreational Fishery - Current
Technology advancesBoats, electronics, gear
Changes in Fish Community/ExoticsSea Lamprey, alewife, smelt
Recreational Fishery - Current
Habitat ManipulationSpawning, Passage Rehab
Technology advancesLarger, safer boats, electronic gear
Changes in Fish Community/ExoticsSea Lamprey, alewife, smelt
Salmonid Stocking Strategy
• Walleye, N. Pike, L. Herring, Yellow Perch, Smallmouth Bass
• Most stocks depressed
• Managed locally, stocking tool
• Vulnerable to over exploitation, environmental change, habitat loss, exotic invasions
Recreational Fishery - Nearshore
• Chinook salmon, Lake trout, Coho salmon, Brown trout, Rainbow trout
• Heavily dependent upon stocking
• Managed globally, Predator - Prey dynamics
• Lake trout targeting concerns
Recreational Fishery - Offshore
Recreational Fishery - River
• Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Walleye, Catfish
• Habitat/Passage Main Issues
• Stocking used to manage
• Susceptible to environmental changes, habitat loss
• Yellow Perch, Lake Whitefish, Lake Trout
• Dependent upon climate
• Highly variable
• Potential for high exploitation rates
Recreational Fishery - Winter
Main Basin
Recreational Fishery - Harvest
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998
Year
Ha
rve
st
(# f
ish
x 1
00
0)
Cdn
US
Main Basin
Recreational Fishery - Yield
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998
Year
Yie
ld (
kgx1
000)
SmallmouthBassChannel Catfish
Yellow Perch
Walleye
Coho Salmon
Pink Salmon
Brown Trout
Lake Trout
Rainbow Trout
Chinook Salmon
Main Basin
Recreational Fishery - Effort
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998
Year
Eff
ort
(an
gle
r-h
rs x
100
0)
Cdn
US
Recreational Fishery
Georgian Bay
Recreational Fishery - Harvest/Effort
South Western Georgian Bay
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
Year
Ha
rve
st
(# f
ish
x 1
00
0)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Eff
ort
(rd
-hr
x 1
00
0)
Catch
Effort
Recreational Fishery
Georgian Bay
44.6 % effort 2000 1979
1992SW G. Bay S. Sound126,000 120,130 rd-hrs
63,000 22,700 fish
North Channel
Recreational Fishery
NearshoreWalleye, Yellow PerchNorthern PikeBass
OffshoreChinook SalmonRainbow TroutLake TroutWalleye
North Channel
Recreational Fishery
1996 - Bay of Islands 19,635 rd-hr 2,990 fish harvested
1998 - North Shore Index 16,840 rd-hr 4,772 fish harvested
1999 - North Shore Index 18,397 rd-hr 8,357 fish harvested
St. Mary’s River
Recreational Fishery
1999 - Joint Creel 556,399 ang-hr
141,544 fish harvested
Key Species Yellow Perch Lake Herring Lake Whitefish walleye chinook salmon northern pike
Recreational Fishery - Overview
Lake Huron
Estimated Effort4.23 million ang-hrs
Estimated Harvest 1.73 million fish
Estimated Yield1.4 million kgs
Pacific salmonids, percids
Lake Huron Fisheries
Current Yield = 5.98 x106 (CH) + 1.4 x106 (RF) kg
Extremely Diverse
Evolved over past 20 years, over past 5 years, Future?
Key Issues- Rehabilitation of Lake Trout- Stocking - Nearshore/River rehabilitation efforts- Changing fish/aquatic community - Exotics- Data needs
The Fisheries of Lake Huron