Assessing Fish Distribution in Pelagic Habitat of Minnesota Lakes

As fisheries management focuses increasingly on habitat-related issues, it is becoming apparent that traditional methods of assessing fish distribution may not be sufficient, particularly when evaluating pelagic species within inland lakes.  Acoustic tags outfitted with temperature and pressure sensors continually relay information on where tagged fish reside within pelagic habitat.  These location data can be paired with habitat data (temperature, oxygen, and light) to model species movement patterns throughout the year.  Four species of fish were tagged with acoustic tags and monitored over a 12 month period.  Movement patterns and habitat use of each species were modeled using lake habitat measurements, local weather conditions, solunar trends, and the locations of other species (competitors/predators and or prey) within the system.  The resulting models provide both a perspective on standardized sampling techniques in pelagic lake habitat and a tool to evaluate the implications of changing lake habitat conditions on cold and cool-water species.