Spatial and temporal distribution of walleye species in Lake Erie

Understanding the patterns of its spatial and temporal distribution has important implications for agencies’ ability to manage the associated recreational and commercial walleye fisheries. We integrated gill net records collected over last 20 years by the Lake Erie Partnership Index Fishing Project to determine how well walleye distribution could be predicted from concurrently collected measurements of depth, dissolved oxygen concentration, Secchi depth, temperature and substrate type. Significant amounts of variation in site-specific walleye density were associated with temperature and Secchi depth.