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Sport fisheries of lakes are embedded in complex system of ecological and social interactions. The multiple drivers that affect lake sport fisheries, along with the complex interactions within lakes, make it difficult to forecast changes in sport fisheries and plan adaptive responses to build resilience of these important resources. Resilience involves managing with an eye toward critical thresholds for behavior of ecosystems. Project researchers are working to develop quantitative tools for assessment of thresholds in sport fisheries that can be used by management agencies to evaluate potential impacts of climate change mediated through species and habitat interactions. Several outputs of the project will be adaptable...
Abstract (from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.1853/full): Predicting species responses to perturbations is a fundamental challenge in ecology. Decision makers must often identify management perturbations that are the most likely to deliver a desirable management outcome despite incomplete information on the pattern and strength of food web links. Motivated by a current fishery decline in inland lakes of the Midwestern United States, we evaluate consistency of the responses of a target species (walleye (Sander vitreus)) to press perturbations. We represented food web uncertainty with 196 plausible topological models and applied four perturbations to each one. Frequently the direction of the focal...
We classified walleye ( Sander vitreus) recruitment with 81% accuracy (recruitment success and failure predicted correctly in 84% and 78% of lake-years, respectively) using a random forest model. Models were constructed using 2779 surveys collected from 541 Wisconsin lakes between 1989 and 2013 and predictor variables related to lake morphometry, thermal habitat, land use, and fishing pressure. We selected predictors to minimize collinearity while maximizing classification accuracy and data availability. The final model classified recruitment success based on lake surface area, water temperature degree-days, shoreline development factor, and conductivity. On average, recruitment was most likely in lakes larger than...
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We are seeking to better understand networks among resource managers with respect to developing plans for climate change adaptation. We are pursuing this through a network analysis based on a survey of federal resource management staff and scientists in the southwestern and Midwestern U.S. Originally planned, this study was conceived to cover the Southwest and North Central Climate Science Centers, as defined by the USGS. In practice, surveys are most easily distributed within regions as defined by the federal resource agencies. Unfortunately, there is no uniform set of regions. We have tried to be comprehensive in our survey and cover at least the North Central and Southwestern Region.
Climate change is predicted to alter sport fish communities in Midwestern lakes, according to a new study that related water temperature to suitability for walleye and largemouth bass in more than 2,100 Wisconsin lakes.
Abstract: Macrophyte removal by lakefront property owners occurs on glacial lakes throughout the range of Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, yet little information exists on how it affects recruitment of these fish populations. We hypothesized that with greater prey availability in macrophytes, age‐0 Largemouth Bass consumption and growth would increase. To test this hypothesis, we conducted an in‐lake experiment with age‐0 Largemouth Bass in twelve 9.29‐m2 littoral mesocosms in glacial Chancellor Lake, Michigan, during summer and fall 2014. We removed macrophytes from mesocosm substrates to produce low‐coverage, high‐coverage, and vegetation edge treatments and determined treatment effects on consumption and...
Abstract (from http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjfas-2014-0394#.Vc36E_lVikp): Understanding variability in fish production, biomass, production/biomass ( P/ B) ratios, and their relationship to exploitation is central to fisheries sustainability. At Escanaba Lake, Wisconsin, USA, data from a compulsory creel census (1965–2009) were combined with survey data on fish populations to test for empirical relationships between annual production and exploitation rates of walleye ( Sander vitreus). Empirical estimates of walleye production were relatively high and temporally variable in Escanaba Lake. Annual production, biomass, and P/ B ratios ranges were 2.4–11.3 kg·ha −1·year −1, 9.1–49.4 kg·ha −1, and...
Abstract (from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03632415.2016.1160894): To identify past successes and future opportunities for improved fisheries management in Wisconsin, we synthesized size-structure information on 19 gamefish species from 1944 to 2012, incorporating data on more than 2 million measured individuals. Since the 1940s, mean and mean maximum sizes of five “gamefish” species (Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens, Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, Smallmouth Bass M. dolomieu, Northern Pike Esox lucius, and Sauger Sander canadensis) have stayed fairly stable, and one (Muskellunge E. masquinongy) initially dropped and then rebounded—most likely as a product of increased catch-and-release...
Abstract (from NRC Research Press): Walleye (Sander vitreus) populations are declining in Wisconsin and neighboring regions, motivating broader interest in walleye biology amidst ecological change. In fishes, growth integrates variation in ecological drivers and provides a signal of changing ecological conditions. We used a 23-year data set of length-at-age from 353 walleye populations across Wisconsin to test whether walleye growth rates changed over time and what ecological factors best predicted these changes. Using hierarchical models, we tested whether spatiotemporal variation in walleye growth was related to adult walleye density (density-dependent effects), water temperature, and largemouth bass (Micropterus...
Abstract (from AFS): Many Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus populations are dominated by fish ≤125 mm total length (TL) that may be underrepresented when using standard sampling gears. To identify efficient sampling methods for these populations, we compared catch per unit effort (CPUE) and TL frequency distributions of Bluegill captured in cloverleaf traps, boat electrofishing, mini‐fyke nets, and beach seine hauls from two northern Wisconsin lakes supporting populations dominated by fish ≤125 mm TL. Mean Bluegill CPUE ranged from 41 (SE = 11) fish per cloverleaf trap lift to 16 (SE = 8) fish per beach seine haul. Cloverleaf traps generally captured smaller Bluegill relative to other gears and were the only gear to...
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Despite the important effects of inland fisheries on food, economy, and ecosystem services throughout the world, no comprehensive understanding on the status or key drivers of inland fisheries exists (Beard et al. 2011). Our lack of knowledge regarding the status results from the common belief that inland fishery harvests are widely under reported (FAO 2009; Welcomme et al. 2010), particularly the contributions from recreational, artisanal, and illegal fisheries (FAO 2003; Allan et al. 2005). Overcoming this knowledge gap has no simple solution, given that resources to conduct on-the-ground fisheries assessments are lacking throughout much of the world, particularly in Africa or Asia where the majority of the inland...
Largemouth Bass (LMB) Micropterus salmoides is one of the most popular sport fish in the United States and is intensively managed across much of its range. Beginning in 1989, Wisconsin implemented more restrictive harvest regulations for LMB, including greater minimum length limits, reduced bag limits, and a catch-and-release-only season during the spawning period across much of northern Wisconsin. We tested for trends in LMB relative abundance, growth, and angler catch and harvest in relation to LMB management policies from 1990 to 2011. We also tested for potential sport fish community responses to changes in LMB abundances using Walleye (WAE) Sander vitreus as an example. Angler catch rates and electrofishing...
Abstract (from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/faf.12230/abstract): The Safe Operating Space (SOS) of a recreational fishery is the multidimensional region defined by levels of harvest, angler effort, habitat, predation and other factors in which the fishery is sustainable into the future. SOS boundaries exhibit trade-offs such that decreases in harvest can compensate to some degree for losses of habitat, increases in predation and increasing value of fishing time to anglers. Conversely, high levels of harvest can be sustained if habitat is intact, predation is low, and value of fishing effort is moderate. The SOS approach recognizes limits in several dimensions: at overly high levels of harvest, habitat...
Abstract (from PLOS One): Body size governs predator-prey interactions, which in turn structure populations, communities, and food webs. Understanding predator-prey size relationships is valuable from a theoretical perspective, in basic research, and for management applications. However, predator-prey size data are limited and costly to acquire. We quantified predator-prey total length and mass relationships for several freshwater piscivorous taxa: crappie (Pomoxis spp.), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), muskellunge (Esox masquinongy), northern pike (Esox lucius), rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), and walleye (Sander vitreus). The range of prey total lengths increased...
Abstract (from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03632415.2014.996804#.VSbE2I7F8qY): Freshwaters are being transformed by multiple environmental drivers, creating uncertainty about future conditions. One way of coping with uncertainty is to manage for resilience to unanticipated events while facilitating learning through adaptive management. We outline the application of these strategies to freshwater recreational fisheries management using a case study in Wisconsin, USA, where black bass (Micropterus spp.) populations are increasing, while Walleye (Sander vitreus) populations are decreasing. Managing for heterogeneity in functional groups (e.g., age classes and prey species of sport fishes), fishery objectives,...
map background search result map search result map Climate Change and Federal Land Management: Assessing Priorities Using a Social Network Approach Climate Change and Resilience of Sport Fisheries in Lakes Developing New Strategies for Modeling and Assessing the Response of Global Inland Fisheries to Regional Changing Climate Climate Change and Resilience of Sport Fisheries in Lakes Climate Change and Federal Land Management: Assessing Priorities Using a Social Network Approach Developing New Strategies for Modeling and Assessing the Response of Global Inland Fisheries to Regional Changing Climate