CHARLEVOIX FISHERIES RESEARCH STATIONthe least experienced diver. Spawning Reef Study: One of the...

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CHARLEVOIX FISHERIES RESEARCH STATION 2016 FIELD SEASON NEWSLETTER

Produced by Nathan Skop, Kris Snyder and Patrick O’Neill

The Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station (CFRS) staff and research vessels are employed to provide information, models, and advice to make possible science-based management of Michigan's fishery resources. CFRS is responsible for MDNR Fisheries Division research needs in the Lake Michigan basin. This annual newsletter is designed to summarize the field and lab activities completed during the past year by CFRS staff.

Feature Story: Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station: Epicenter for the Fisheries Division Dive Team.

Underwater observation and data collection methods are being used extensively and increasingly by fisheries professionals. As you may or may not know, Fisheries Division has implemented a scientific diving policy to govern all diving activities conducted by division personnel. The number of SCUBA divers on the team has varied

Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station 2016 Newsletter

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over the years and is currently at a low level. This is occurring at a time when more diving projects are being submitted than ever before. So, this feature story can serve as informational to most readers...and maybe pique the interest of some employees who are certified divers and want to join.

The dive team is made up of SCUBA-certified Fisheries Division employees that want to participate on diving projects division-wide, in addition to their normal duties. After receiving supervisor approval, each diver must fill out an application documenting diving qualifications and experiences. A Dive Control Board (DCB) reviews each application and determines whether divers are qualified to participate. It should be noted that divers with little experience (fewer dives) could still be considered. Dives are planned around the abilities of the least experienced diver.

Spawning Reef Study: One of the long-term dive projects has involved the study of egg deposition on shallow spawning reefs in Northern Lake Michigan using egg nets. Egg nets are a 1-foot diameter hoop with 2 feet of fine mesh net attached that are hand buried in rocky reefs. The nets are designed to catch eggs from fall-spawning fish such as lake trout and whitefish. The nets not only catch the eggs of these species – which can be an indicator of spawning success – but also egg predators that could impact the success because they feed on these eggs. Egg predators have been shown to be a

significant factor influencing the survival of fall-spawning fish in the Great Lakes. Unfortunately for the divers, spawning reef field work usually occurs in November and December when the boat ramps are covered in snow and the water temperatures are in the 30’s. But we need to be there when the fish are, so we bundle up and go!

You know it’s whitefish spawning season when your suit stands by itself in the cold!

Diver burying egg bags (Elk Rapids, MI)

Mussel relocation on the Grand River: The Fisheries Dive Team was asked to participate on a freshwater mussel relocation project on the Grand River that was required prior to the Lyons Dam removal. The dam was nearly 160 years


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old and no longer served any purpose. A pre-project survey found the greatest density of endangered Snuffbox mussels known anywhere in the country right below the dam (CMU, personal communication). The goal was to find and move as many clams as possible to a safe location before the dam removal was allowed to continue. Many freshwater mussels have recently been added to the endangered species list due to large population declines from habitat loss, dam construction, pollution, and mostly from the impact of invasive species. Mussel assessments often require the services of trained divers, and the dive team has already had two requests for help with mussel projects in the summer of 2017.

Dive team members on the banks of the Grand River

Repair Work at LSSU Aquatics Lab: Another recent project involved improving one of the turbine bays at the Clover Electric Hydropower plant on the St. Mary’s River. The turbine bay serves as a net pen to acclimate and increase survival of hatchery reared Atlantic salmon from the Platte River State Fish Hatchery. This project required significant coordination among staff from Marquette State Fish Hatchery, Northern

Lake Huron Management Unit, and divers from Charlevoix. On March 23rd dive team members Kris Snyder, Nathan Skop, and Pat O’Neill descended into 34-degree water to place a blocking net and temporarily patch a hole in the concrete – the powerhouse was built in the early 1900’s after all! Two trips later the later the holding facility is now secure, with new net-deploying rails and a hole-free enclosure.

Blocking net in place in March – ready for fish!

To repair the hole in the concrete, dive crew members attached threaded anchors into exposed wood pylons.

Heavy aluminum screen was placed over the hole and bolted to the wall using the threaded anchors.


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In the picture, Nathan Skop uses a hack saw to trim off excess tie rod.

The rearing area, which has good water quality and plenty of room, is now ready for next year’s Atlantic salmon.

Diver Training: This fall, part of the dive team cooperated with the Nature Conservancy to become certified according to the American Academy of Underwater Sciences Standards for Scientific Diving. This program is the ultimate in scientific diving and is the national standard that all dive teams strive to achieve. This program provides training in all scientific diving procedures and also involves advanced diver rescue training (resulting in a recue diver endorsement). The instruction included more than 12 complex open-water dives, classroom time on physics and physiology of diving, dive planning, proper equipment, environmental considerations, and diver emergency principals (including CPR, first aid and oxygen administration, field neurological exams, and creating accident management plans). The scientific diving portion guided us in underwater navigation, transect and grid layout, search pattern and recovery techniques, photography, lifting heavy objects, low visibility diving, data collection methods, and experimental design. These courses were taught by Zach Caldwell, the diving safety officer for the Nature Conservancy. He traveled all the way from Hawaii to teach us; needless to say he didn’t love the temperature of Lake Michigan in October.

Hopefully next time we will go to him!

Dive team members taking part in Scientific Dive training

The Future: What is the future for the Fisheries Division Dive Team? With the continued requirement to document fish population trends and the ever expanding need to document exotic species and how they impact our native environments, the need for Fisheries Division to have a dive team is essential.

LARGE VESSEL ACTIVITIES

S/V Steelhead

Lake-wide Assessment Plan (LWAP): Each spring the CFRS vessel S/V Steelhead conducts a survey of the Lake Michigan fish community. The main goal is to determine relative abundance of lake trout, Lake Whitefish, burbot, and yellow perch. Fish are collected from 8 locations


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using 6-foot high, graded mesh (1.5” to 6”) bottom gill nets set in depths from 30 to 150 feet. As part of a continued gear comparison study, half of the 8,000 feet per lift is nylon and the other half is monofilament. The goal in two years is to convert all gill nets to monofilament.

Pat O’Neill works the net box during the setting of a gill net

The Lake Trout data collected from this survey is used in complex models that allow biologists and managers to carefully monitor changes in populations throughout the lake. These models are also used to set harvest limits for state recreational fishers and tribal commercial fishers as well as evaluate regulations and stocking strategies. In 2016, the S/V Steelhead departed from Charlevoix on April 12th en route to southern Lake Michigan to begin the LWAP survey. From the time the first net was set on April 18th until the last net was lifted on June 17th, a total of 137,000 feet

of gill net was lifted. A total of 1,115 lake trout were collected; out of that sample, 775 fish were coded-wire tagged. Lake whitefish catch totaled 587; the majority of those fish came from St. Joseph. The yellow perch catch was down significantly; a total of 321 perch were collected; 75% of the perch came out of nets set at Grand Haven.

Nathan Skop with a healthy Lake Michigan lake trout

Acoustic Survey: The acoustic survey was conducted between August 8th and September 9th at ten predetermined transects from northern Lake Michigan to St. Joseph. The goal of the survey is to estimate prey fish distribution, abundance, and biomass. The results from the survey showed an 80% increase in young-of-the-year alewife biomass over 2015; however, alewife biomass is still only 45% of the long-term average. We observed a strong Bloater Chub year class, with chub biomass two times the long-term average and the fifth highest biomass on record. Young rainbow smelt biomass is still well below the long-term average, but increased for the second consecutive


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year. Adult rainbow smelt biomass increased for the first time since 2006. Overall biomass – including alewife, bloater chubs, and smelt – increased 35% over 2015, but was still 45% below the long-term biomass average. These increases are encouraging, but the 2017 acoustic survey will show whether they translate to adult forage fish biomass.

2016 mid-water trawl resulting in a good haul of adult alewife

Large vessel bottom trawling: In mid-September the S/V Steelhead conducted the annual bottom trawl survey, primarily to assess yellow perch populations. The primary yellow perch ports are South Haven, Grand Haven, and Pentwater. During the 2016 trawl survey, zero perch were collected. There are a number of reasons no perch were collected, but the one factor that stood out was the abundance of warm water in the collection zones. However, an abundance of young-of-the-year Bloater Chubs resulted in a catch of 62,017 chubs over the course of the survey. This was the largest catch of bloater chubs ever observed on the S/V Steelhead.

Jerry Ranville and Kris Snyder are amazed by the catch of young bloater.

S/V Steelhead Dry Dock: In 2016 the Steelhead went into dry dock in June/July for its five year haul-out and inspection. During this time critical parts of the vessel are inspected, repaired (if needed), upgraded, and painted.

Steelhead crew painting from the water line up

For more information regarding the work performed aboard the S/V Steelhead or any


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other MDNR research vessel, please click on the buttons below. CODED WIRE TAG PROGRAM The objectives of the statewide fish marking program are to coded-wire tag and adipose fin clip experimental lots of fish at state fish hatcheries; to design, develop, and manage databases for research studies that use coded-wire tags and other identifying marks; and to coordinate activities conducted in Michigan related to the Great Lakes-wide Mass Marking initiative (a USFWS program to assist states in marking of hatchery-produced trout and salmon for Great Lakes stocking). In 2016, approximately 1,105,000 Chinook Salmon, 66,000 Rainbow Trout, 160,000 Atlantic Salmon, and 590 Lake Sturgeon were marked with a coded-wire tag (CWT) and adipose fin clip. The total number of fish marked in 2016 was similar to the number marked in 2015. In addition, a total of 7,165 CWT fish collected in 2015 were processed at the Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station. Lake trout (N=3,662) were the species with the highest number of CWTs recovered and processed, followed by Chinook salmon (3,115) and Rainbow Trout (348). Overall, most tag collections

were from sport fisheries (80%) and index (netting) samples (13%). The total number of fish processed in 2015 was similar to the number processed in 2014, and above the average for the period 1990–2014. DNR staff asks for your continued support in the collection of trout and salmon head samples from tagged fish. CWT head drop sites and data results are available at the MDNR internet site For example, additional information concerning returns of tagged fish to specific Great Lakes ports can be found at http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364_52259_10949_11238_11359171648--,00.html. Additional general information concerning the Fisheries Division fish marking program can be found at http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_52259_48361--,00.html. Readers may also click on the button below for more information. CHARTER BOAT SURVEY The objective of the state-wide Charter Boat Program is to obtain a continuous annual record of charter boat fishing effort, harvest, and harvest rate of the major sport fish in the Michigan waters of the Great Lakes. Charter businesses operated an average of 630 fishing boats in 2016; the charter captains reported a similar number of fishing trips as in 2015. While number of

Click Here for 2016 Vessel

Program Newsletter

Click Here for Vessel

Program Fact Sheet

Coded Wire Tag Program


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charters did not decrease, the number of charters per lake did change. Charters on Lake Michigan decreased approximately 1,000 trips in comparison to 2015, Lake Huron and the St. Clair System each increased by approximately 400 trips, and Lake Superior was comparable to 2015. The number of hours fished tended to go up however, suggesting charters trips were slightly longer in 2016 than in 2015.

Lake trout was the most prevalent fish harvested (55,600) making up 31% of the total fish harvest. Walleye and yellow perch harvest increased in 2016, making up 21% (37,000 fish) and 23% (40,400 fish) of the total harvest respectively. In contrast, Chinook salmon harvest continued to decline (22,400 fish).

Detailed charter fishing results from previous years and information on what you need to do to register as a charter captain is available at the following site:

SMALL VESSEL ACTIVITIES

R/V Pimephales larval sampling

Larval (Neuston) Sampling: To characterize hatching and early survival of whitefish and herring, larval fish sampling was conducted in East Grand Traverse Bay near Elk Rapids. However, with staff being committed elsewhere, only a condensed sampling effort was possible in 2016. Small Boat Bottom Trawl: The bottom trawl survey is used to collect important near shore fish community information, with a primary focus on yellow perch recruitment. CFRS crews were able to sample at three ports (Charlevoix, South Haven and Grand Haven) in late summer 2016; unfortunately, Pentwater was not able to be sampled due to the lack of available staff. Young-of-year yellow perch catch was way down, probably due to warmer-than-average water temperatures in nearshore areas. Overall, Lake Michigan survey crews saw a decline in both adult and young-of-the-year yellow perch catch in 2016.

987

2,154

11,791

1,819616

2016 Excursions by

Lake - Total 17,367

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Charter Boat Survey Program


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Elk Lake Lake Trout Study: Last year’s ramped-up tagging effort is beginning to produce results. It was determined the preferred Lake Trout temperature was cooler for Elk Lake trout as compared to Lake Michigan trout. The preferred depth was not different, implying they could overlap the same depth ranges. If these fish were in the same system, however we would anticipate the Elk Lake fish would prefer a deeper/cooler location. This may be due to the available forage and/or oxygen levels. Introduction of Elk Lake-strain trout into northern Lake Michigan could have potential benefits to commercial fisheries, recreational anglers, and native species restoration, and we plan to continue to investigate this unique population of trout. Fall Spawning Studies: So you say you’d like to study fall native fish spawning? You better bundle up, because fall spawning can slide right into winter at a moment’s notice. Besides documenting which fish are using the Northern Lake Michigan reefs and how successful they are, we’ve also been able to study the effectiveness of a revitalized reef and evaluate new experimental gear for sampling these important spawning areas.

Swimming anyone?

OTHER ACTIVITES Weir Harvest: Every year CFRS staff assist in the harvest, bio-sampling, and evaluation of salmonid returns to weirs in Michigan’s waters of the Great Lakes. The objective is to collect information that can be used to successfully manage the salmonid sport fishery. Overall, the weirs located in Michigan had an increase in Chinook salmon harvest from 2015. However that’s not saying much since 2015 saw some of the worst returns of salmon to Michigan weirs. Lake Michigan returns increased by three times in 2016, bringing the total harvest to 3,800. Chinook salmon harvest at the Swan River (the only Lake Huron weir) increased by a third, to 2,400 fish. It should be noted that there was a significant late season increase in growth for “jack” salmon – this was observed in most weir collections in 2016. The increase in growth of these young salmon could be due to improved foraging conditions in Lake Michigan in fall 2016 – that’s a positive if you like salmon fishing!


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Beaver Island Smallmouth Bass Study: Since 2006, CFRS staff have assisted the Central Lake Michigan Management unit and CMU in conducting a smallmouth bass population and movement study in the waters around the Beaver Island Archipelago, Waugoshance Point, and Grand Traverse Bay. Some interesting recent results show that smallmouth bass living in the northeast portion of Lake Michigan continue to flourish, despite the ever-changing ecosystem and expanding population of exotic gobies and rusty crayfish. Assessment catches of Smallmouth Bass at Beaver Island Archipelago sites remain similar to 1970’s levels before the establishment of large populations of Double Crested Cormorants in this area. Average population size of adult Smallmouth Bass at the Garden Harbor index site has fluctuated between 700 and 300 fish, and has exceeded the target goal of 600 adult Smallmouth Bass in most recent years. Sampling at Waugoshance Point and in Grand Traverse Bay show good populations of Smallmouth Bass present in these areas as well. Lake Whitefish Seine Survey: Each June staff from the Tribal Coordination Unit (TCU) and CFRS visit areas adjacent to Lake Whitefish spawning locations seeking to capture age-0 juvenile fish to confirm that reproduction was successful in the present year. This is a low-cost survey since it doesn’t require a vessel to complete, only a 150-foot seine net that is deployed from shore. In 2016, a low number of Lake Whitefish were captured

at each location (Sleeping Bear Bay, Platte Bay, Leland, Elk Rapids, and Charlevoix), suggesting reproduction was successful, but not a lot of juveniles were produced. Efforts by the TCU and CFRS staff are part of a larger partnership as more than 10 agencies participate in this survey, visiting sites throughout the Upper Great Lakes. Over time, we hope to build a dataset that will allow us to predict how many Lake Whitefish will be available for the commercial fishery in the future based on catches of age-0 juveniles. Walloon Lake Walleye Survey: In the spring of 2016 staff from the TCU and CFRS collaborated with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in conducting a mark-recapture survey of walleye in Walloon Lake. Survey crews utilized trap nets and electrofishing gear to mark 709 walleyes, which resulted in a population estimate of 5,020 adult walleyes (1.1 per acre).


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CHARLEVOIX FRS STAFF:

Dave Caroffino, Tribal Unit Biologist

David Clapp, Research Station Manager

Randy Claramunt, Research Biologist

John Clevenger, Fisheries Technician

Patrick Hanchin, Tribal Unit Manager

Marty Holtgren, Tribal Unit Biologist

Jory Jonas, Research Biologist

Kendra Kozlauskos, Fisheries Assistant

Patrick O’Neill, Fisheries Technician

Rebecca Parker, State Worker

Jerry Ranville, Boat Captain

Nathan Skop, Assistant Boat Captain

Kris Snyder, Fisheries Technician

Jeff Stevens, Trades Helper

Cathy Sullivan, Station Administration

Donna Wesander, Fisheries Technician Specialist

[Vacant], Fisheries Assistant (Vessel)

Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station 96 Grant Street Charlevoix, MI 49720 231-547-2914 (PHONE) 231-547-6031 (FAX) [email protected] (EMAIL)

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