Publications
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Environmental DNA (eDNA): A tool for quantifying the abundant but elusive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is revolutionizing biodiversity monitoring, occupancy estimates, and real-time detections of invasive species. In the Great Lakes, the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), an invasive benthic fish from the Black Sea, has spread to encompass all five lakes and many tributaries, outcompeting or consuming native species; however, estimates of round goby abundance are confound
Authors
Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Charles C. Morris, Dawn Shively, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Joshua Dickey, Edward F. Roseman
Lake trout spawning and habitat assessment at Stony Island Reef
Lake trout stocking began in the 1970s as part of a binational effort to restore a self-sustaining population of lake trout in Lake Ontario. Despite 48 years of restoration stocking, lake trout in Lake Ontario have not reestablished a self-sustaining population. Spawning surveys done at Stony Island Reef (SIR) in eastern Lake Ontario in 1987 and 1989 documented lake trout egg deposition and swim-u
Authors
Stacy Furgal, Brian F. Lantry, Brian C. Weidel, John M. Farrell, Dimitry Gorsky, Zy Biesinger
Lake Sturgeon, Lake Whitefish, and Walleye egg deposition patterns with response to fish spawning substrate restoration in the St. Clair–Detroit River system
Egg deposition and use of restored spawning substrates by lithophilic fishes (e.g., Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens, Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis, and Walleye Sander vitreus) were assessed throughout the St. Clair–Detroit River system from 2005 to 2016. Bayesian models were used to quantify egg abundance and presence/absence relative to site-specific variables (e.g., depth, velocity, a
Authors
Jason L. Fischer, Jeremy J. Pritt, Edward F. Roseman, Carson G. Prichard, Jaquelyn M. Craig, Gregory W. Kennedy, Bruce A. Manny
Mislabeling of an invasive vine (Celastrus orbiculatus) as a native congener (C. scandens) in horticulture
The horticultural industry is an important source of invasive ornamental plant species, which is part of the motivation for an increased emphasis on using native alternatives. We were interested in the possibility that plants marketed in the midwestern United States as the native Celastrus scandens, or American bittersweet, were actually the difficult-to-distinguish invasive Celastrus orbiculatusÂ
Authors
David N. Zaya, Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Noel B. Pavlovic, Christopher S. Hetrea, Mary V. Ashley
Ecosystem classification and mapping of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Owing to the enormity and complexity of the Laurentian Great Lakes, an ecosystem classification is needed to better understand, protect, and manage this largest freshwater ecosystem in the world. Using a combination of statistical analyses, published knowledge, and expert opinion, we identified key driving variables and their ecologically relevant thresholds and delineated and mapped aquatic syste
Authors
C.M. Riseng, K. Wehrly, L. Wang, E. Rutherford, James E. McKenna, L. Johnson, L. Mason, C. Castiglione, T. Hollenhorst, Beth L. Sparks-Jackson, Scott P. Sowa
Feeding ecology and niche overlap of Lake Ontario offshore forage fish assessed with stable isotopes
The forage fish communities of the Laurentian Great Lakes continue to experience changes that have altered ecosystem structure, yet little is known about how they partition resources. Seasonal, spatial and body size variation in δ13C and δ15N was used to assess isotopic niche overlap and resource and habitat partitioning among the five common offshore Lake Ontario forage fish species (n = 2037) [A
Authors
James Mumby, Timothy Johson, Thomas Stewart, Edward Halfyard, Maureen Walsh, Brian C. Weidel, Jana Lantry, Aarron Fisk
Assessing diet compositions of Lake Ontario predators using fatty acid profiles of prey fishes
Fatty acid profiles are used in food web studies to assess trophic interactions between predator and prey. The present study provides the first comprehensive fatty acid dataset for important prey and predator species in Lake Ontario. Three major prey fish (alewife, rainbow smelt, and round goby) were collected at three sites along the southern shore of Lake Ontario during the spring and fall of 20
Authors
Austin Happell, Robert Pattridge, Jacques Rinchard, Maureen Walsh
Cooperative science to inform Lake Ontario management: Research from the 2013 Lake Ontario CSMI program
Since the mid-1970s, successful Lake Ontario management actions including nutrient load and pollution reductions, habitat restoration, and fish stocking have improved Lake Ontario. However, several new obstacles to maintenance and restoration have emerged. This special issue presents management-relevant research from multiple agency surveys in 2011 and 2012 and the 2013 Cooperative Science and Mon
Authors
James M. Watkins, Brian C. Weidel, Aaron T. Fisk, Lars G. Rudstam
Assessing the global distribution of river fisheries harvest: A systematic map protocol
BackgroundAlthough surface freshwater comprises <Â 0.01% of the total water volume of earth, freshwater inland capture fisheries and aquaculture represent 40% of the global reported finfish harvest. While the social, economic, and ecological importance of inland fish and fisheries is difficult to overstate, they are often undervalued and underappreciated. Accurate information about these highly dis
Authors
Chelsie Romulo, Zeenatul Basher, Abigail Lynch, Yu-Chun Kao, William W. Taylor
Effect of stocking and biotic and abiotic factors on Muskellunge recruitment in northern Wisconsin lakes
The Muskellunge Esox masquinongy is an important recreational fish species in North America. Some populations of Muskellunge are in decline, despite a reduction in harvest by anglers due largely to a growing catch-and-release ethic. Our objectives were to determine if Muskellunge recruitment was influenced by stocking, biotic factors, and abiotic factors in northern Wisconsin lakes. To address our
Authors
Todd S. Caspers, Michael J. Hansen, Steven W. Hewett
Evaluating factors driving population densities of mayfly nymphs in Western Lake Erie
Mayfly (Hexagenia spp.) nymphs have been widely used as indicators of water and substrate quality in lakes. Thermal stratification and the subsequent formation of benthic hypoxia may result in nymph mortality. Our goal was to identify potential associations between recent increases in temperature and eutrophication, which exacerbate hypoxic events in lakes, and mayfly populations in Lake Erie. Nym
Authors
Martin A. Stapanian, Patrick KoÄŤovskĂ˝, Betsy L. Bodamer Scarbro
Do observed levels of exploitation from consumption-oriented and trophy-oriented fisheries reduce relative stock densities of Muskellunge below target levels in northern Wisconsin?
Muskellunge anglers desire to catch large fish, and release rates by recreational anglers often approach 100% (Isermann et al. 2011). Muskellunge are also a culturally significant fish for Chippewa tribes and support a subsistence spearing fishery in Wisconsin’s Ceded Territory (Erickson 2007). Although Muskellunge populations within the state’s Ceded Territory are exposed to both angling and spea
Authors
Matthew D. Faust, Michael J. Hansen