Publications
Welcome to the Great Lakes Science Center's Publications page.
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Cisco (Coregonus artedi) and bloater (Coregonus hoyi) culture manual
The primary objective of the Coregonine Research Program established at the U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science as mandated by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is to restore native coregonines, specifically Coregonus artedi (Lesueur, 1818; ciscoes) and Coregonus hoyi (Milner, 1874; bloaters) into Lake Ontario. This objective focuses on pr
Authors
Marc A. Chalupnicki, Gregg E. Mackey, James E. McKenna
How well do existing surveys track fish community performance measures in the St. Clair-Detroit River System?
The St. Clair-Detroit River System (SCDRS) connects Lake Huron to Lake Erie and provides important habitats for many fishes of economic and ecological importance. Portions of the SCDRS are designated as Great Lakes Areas of Concern and fish production and conservation may be compromised. Efforts to address beneficial use impairments have focused on restoring habitat for native fishes and improving
Authors
Corbin David Hilling, M. L. Belore, J. Boase, Justin A. Chiotti, Robin L. DeBruyne, Susan E. Doka, Richard Drouin, Christine M. Mayer, Jeff T. Tyson, T. Wills, Edward F. Roseman
Spawning habitat selection and egg deposition by reintroduced Lake Sturgeon in a tributary to Cayuga Lake, NY
In June 2017, we documented the first observed spawning event by a reintroduced population of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Fall Creek, a tributary to Cayuga Lake, New York, USA. This is the first observed spawning encounter of adult Lake Sturgeon since the beginning of the multi-agency Lake Sturgeon restoration effort in Cayuga Lake initiated in 1995 by the New York State Department of
Authors
Dawn E. Dittman, Marc Chalupnicki, Phyllis Randall, Emily C. Zollweg‐Horan
Gap analysis: A proposed methodology to describe and map historical and contemporary populations and habitats
This is a methodology paper that describes an approach for modeling and mapping historical and contemporary spawning areas for coregonine fishes in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Coregonines are a family of native whitefishes and ciscoes that are now greatly reduced or extirpated, but once served important roles for both the food web and society. This method can illustrate where habitats once existed
Authors
Cory Brant, Karen M Alofs, Chris Castiglione, Susan E. Doka, Alexander T. Duncan, Dave Fielder, Matthew Herbert, Arunas Liskauskus, Edward S. Rutherford, Jason Smith, Ralph W. Tingley, Ted Treska, Ted Turschak, Cindy Chu, Peter C. Esselman
Trophic ecology of juvenile lean and siscowet lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Superior: Assessing for potential competition
We investigated the spatial overlap, diet, isotopic niche, and growth of juvenile lean and siscowet lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Superior to address concerns of potential competition with implications to the study of resource polymorphism. Catch data revealed the greatest levels of sympatry in waters from 40 to 60 m. Juvenile lean and siscowet diet changed ontogenetically with Mysis b
Authors
Brandon S. Gerig, Shawn P. Sitar, Will F Otte, Daniel Yule, Heidi K. Swanson, Charles R. Bronte, Dray Carl, Joshua Blankenheim
Status and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2023
The U.S. Geological Survey annually conducts fishery surveys across Lake Superior that describe trends in fish species occurrence and relative abundance to inform fisheries management and large lake ecology. In 2023, the Lake Superior fish community was sampled with daytime bottom and surface trawls at 51 nearshore locations in June and 31 offshore locations in July. Nearshore bottom trawls collec
Authors
Mark Vinson, Lori M. Evrard, Owen Gorman, Sydney B Phillips, Daniel Yule
Characterization of acoustic detection efficiency using an unmanned surface vessel as a mobile receiver platform
Studies involving acoustic telemetry typically use stationary acoustic receivers arranged in an array or grid. Unmanned surface vehicle (USV)-based mobile receivers offer advantages over the latter approach: the USV can be programmed to autonomously carry a receiver to and from target locations, more readily adapting to a survey’s spatial scope and scale. This work examines the acoustic detection
Authors
Eric M. Gaskell, Tyler Reid Funnell, Christopher Holbrook, Darryl W. Hondorp, Xiaobo Tan
A comparison of stable isotopes and polychlorinated biphenyls 1 among genetic strains of Lake Ontario lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)
This study quantified stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations and growth rates among multiple genetic strains of Lake Ontario lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) to evaluate the potential role of genetics in these parameters. Fish ranging in age from 1 to 31 years (n = 72) and representing nine genetic strains including wild-recruits to hatche
Authors
Nicole E. Saavedra, N. Roxanna Razavi, Donald J. Stewart, Brian F. Lantry, Gordon Paterson
Extinction risk modeling predicts range-wide differences of climate change impact on Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)
The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis, or Kbb), a federally endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in decline due to habitat loss, can be further threatened by climate change. Evaluating how climate shapes the population trend of the Kbb can help in the development of adaptive management plans. Current demographic models for the Kbb incorporate in either a density
Authors
Yudi Li, David Wilson, Ralph Grundel, Steven Campbell, Joe Knight, Jim Perry, Jessica J. Hellmann
Whole-lake acoustic telemetry to evaluate survival of stocked juvenile fish
Estimates of juvenile survival are critical for informing population dynamics and the ecology of fish, yet these demographic parameters are difficult to measure. Here, we demonstrate that advances in animal tracking technology provide opportunities to evaluate survival of juvenile tagged fish. We implemented a whole-lake telemetry array in conjunction with small acoustic tags (including tags < 1.0
Authors
Alexander Koeberle, Webster Pearsall, Brad Hammers, Daniel Mulhall, James E. McKenna Jr., Marc Chalupnicki, Suresh Andrew Sethi
Spatial distribution and diet of Lake Michigan juvenile lake trout
Most studies of Lake Michigan lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) have focused on adults, with scant attention to juveniles (<400 mm). We explored the spatial distribution and diet of juvenile lake trout using U.S. Geological Survey September bottom trawl data (2015–2022) and stomach content information opportunistically collected since 2012 by various agencies using multiple gear types. Most juveni
Authors
Benjamin Scott Leonhardt, Ralph W. Tingley, Charles P. Madenjian, Lynn M. Ogilvie, Brian Roth, Jory L. Jonas, Jason B. Smith
Assessing potential spawning locations of Silver Chub in Lake Erie
ObjectiveSilver Chub Macrhybopsis storeriana, a predominately riverine species throughout its native range, exists within Lake Erie as the only known lake population. Its population declined in the 1950s and never fully recovered. Canada has listed Silver Chub in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River as endangered and has initiated a recovery plan that recognized the identification of spawning areas
Authors
Jorden R. McKenna, Anjanette Bowen, John R. Farver, James M. Long, Jeffrey G. Miner, Nathan D. Stott, Patrick M. Kočovský