Glatos: Spatial Ecology of Walleye in Lake Huron

The Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron supports a popular and economically important recreational walleye fishery. In the Great Lakes, walleye are thought to undertake extensive within- and between-lake movements. Historically, these movements have not received much research attention, owing to the difficulties in tracking fish at large spatial scales. The advent of new biotelemetry technologies and the implementation of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observing System has allowed us to begin understanding the extent and frequency of walleye movements throughout Saginaw Bay and greater Lake Huron. We implanted acoustic transmitters in 200 spawning condition walleye (50:50 males:females) collected by electrofishing in the Tittabawassee River (tributary to Saginaw Bay) during March 28- April 4, 2011. Initial inspection of acoustic recapture data suggest that walleye move widely throughout U.S. waters of both northern and southern Lake Huron. Although the majority of fish moved out of the Tittabawassee River and Saginaw Bay after spawning, some walleye may not leave Saginaw Bay. Given these results, managers may need to consider managing walleye harvest in Lake Huron through a source-sink population management strategy. Additionally, we discuss the challenges of monitoring fish movement using acoustic telemetry in high noise environments such as shipping channels.