Feeding Habits and Distribution of Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) in Lake St. Clair

Lake St. Clair is world renowned for its recreational muskellunge fishery.   While muskellunge are found in many lakes throughout the Great Lakes Basin, they are very prevalent in Lake St. Clair.  Muskellunge are not only socially and economically important but also serve valuable ecological roles.  They have been shown to directly influence fish assemblages in inland lakes and may be considered a keystone species.  The question then becomes, what allows Lake St. Clair to harbor such large numbers of ecological vital organisms? This project attempts to address this by determining dietary habits of muskellunge in Lake St. Clair, specifically examining generalist – vs. species specific predatory preferences in Lake St. Clair and by establishing what habitat they are residing in.  Studies initiated in 2014 measured food habits using gastric lavage.  Habitat selection was evaluated by modeling capture points of muskellunge against bathymetry, aquatic vegetation and other variables.   Preliminary results show a diet composition of Catostomidae, Sciaenidae, Ictaluridae and Centrarchidae.  We hypothesize that muskellunge select habitat near steep drop offs with dense aquatic vegetation.  These results will be used to aid fisheries managers and decision makers in establishing fishery regulations and conservation actions throughout the St. Clair system.