A Guide for the Rehabilitation of Lake Trout in Lake Michigan
January 1, 2008 - Charles R. Bronte; Charles C. Krueger; Mark E. Holey; Michael L. Toneys; Randy L. Eshenroder; Jory L. Jonas
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EmailJournal or Book Title: Great Lakes Fishery Commission - Miscellaneous Publication
Volume/Issue: April 2008
Year Published: 2008
Over the past 40 years, efforts to rehabilitate lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) populations in Lake Michigan have met with minimal success. Suspected impediments include inadequate numbers of stocked fish, suboptimal stocking practices, excessive mortality from sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and fishing, and interactions between lake trout and native and non-native species. This guide is intended to provide technical direction for the ongoing effort to rehabilitate the lake trout population of Lake Michigan.
By 2037, rehabilitated populations in specified deep- and shallow-water habitats should be phenotypically diverse, composed predominately (>75%) of wild fish for age groups <10 years old, and capable of sustaining fisheries. Stocking should be focused in priority areas of limited geographic extent that potentially have the best reproductive habitat and where exposure to mortality is lessened. In these defined areas, hatchery-reared fish should be concentrated to provide a density of adults sufficient for successful
reproduction and to reestablish lake trout as a dominant local predator. Selected morphotypes introduced from Lake Superior are expected to augment the population in deep, offshore waters. Continued control of fishing and increased control of sea lamprey populations are needed to achieve the population densities required for sustainable natural reproduction. Progress toward achievement of rehabilitation should be reviewed annually and reported.
Type of Publication: Book
Publisher: Great Lakes Fishery Commission
