Winter 2016 GVMagazine - (Page 30)
SU STA I N AB I L I T Y
Research may
influence regulations
of yellow perch in
Michigan waters by Nate Hoekstra
Researchers at Grand Valley's
Annis Water Resources Institute in
Muskegon are conducting research
that may have implications on the
management of yellow perch in
Michigan waters.
Yellow perch is one of the most
popular fish that anglers seek when
fishing in Michigan. With a yearround season and a reputation as
good to eat, combined with natural
schooling behavior that lets skilled
anglers catch them seemingly at
will, sustainable management of
the fishery's stocks is important to
maintain healthy population levels.
Anglers can take up to 50 yellow
perch a day, but the catch limit
decreases to 35 in Lake Michigan
waters south of the 45th parallel,
which crosses north of Traverse
City. Carl Ruetz, professor of water
resources, said the population in the
southern half of Lake Michigan has
declined dramatically compared to
historic levels.
"What we're looking at is the
spawning population of yellow
perch," Ruetz said. "We're specifically
interested in finding out how
different the spawning stocks of fish
are from Lake Michigan compared
with drowned river mouth lakes." A
drowned river mouth lake is a
protected habitat that connects a
river to a large lake; in West Michigan
these include Muskegon Lake, White
Lake and Lake Macatawa.
Ruetz's research will examine if
yellow perch migrate between Lake
Michigan and drowned river mouth
lakes to better understand the natural
history of the fish, which might
impact management of the yellow
perch by state agencies, like the
Michigan Department of
Natural Resources.
Ruetz and graduate student Greg
Chorak, who will base his thesis on
30
Winter '16
At top, Andrya Whitten, Greg Chorak and
Travis Ellens electrofish for yellow perch
samples in Muskegon Lake. At left, a yellow
perch is measured before a sample is taken
and the fish is returned to the lake.
photos by Amanda Pitts
the research, are taking samples of
the fish at three different times of the
year to do genetic testing to see if
there are different spawning groups
in Lake Michigan than there are in
the drowned river mouth lakes. The
researchers hope to determine if yellow
perch populations differ genetically
across sampling sites that include four
locations in Lake Michigan and nine
adjacent drowned river mouth lakes, as
well as if yellow perch migrate between
the bodies of water.
"It will tell us where the spawning
populations are," Ruetz said. "If
you're trying to manage yellow perch
and you know Lake Michigan fish
are also spawning with drowned
river mouth lake perch, there are
implications for management. It's
important to understand the stock
structure and knowing where the
fish are coming from."
Ruetz and his students sample
the perch from a specially equipped
electrofishing boat. They dangle
electrodes into the water that supply a
small current to the surrounding area,
stunning nearby fish, allowing them to
be collected with dip nets. Once the
yellow perch are separated from the
other fish, a tissue sample is taken from
the fish's anal fin, and genetic markers
can tell the researchers if fish from one
sampling site are more genetically similar
than fish from other sampling sites - like
comparing fish from a drowned river
mouth lake to Lake Michigan.
If fish differ genetically between
locations, researchers will know that
yellow perch are more likely to spawn
with nearby fish than those from other
places. This data will also be used to
estimate the frequency of movement
between Lake Michigan and drowned
river mouth lakes by taking advantage
of seasonal sampling and knowledge that
yellow perch only spawn in the spring.
If the research team finds that fish are
moving back and forth more often than
previously thought, state regulators
may want to consider changing harvest
limits in inland waters, specifically
drowned river mouth lakes, to be more
consistent with the lower catch limits
in Lake Michigan.
The research is currently ongoing, and
is expected to be completed by summer
of 2017. The project involves researchers
from Grand Valley along with help
from researchers at Indiana University
Pennsylvania, Montana State University,
Purdue University, and the Michigan DNR.
The project is funded by a grant from the
Great Lakes Fishery Trust.
"The overall scientific goal is to better
understand the natural history of yellow
perch," Ruetz said. "Such an important
fish to the recreational fishery here in
Michigan has to be carefully studied to be
appropriately and sustainably managed."
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winter 2016 GVMagazine
Campus News
Focal Point
Athletics
Donor Impact
A Team of Their Own
Meijer Campus
Empowered. Educated. Engineers.
Breathing Life into Historic Sites
Sustainability
Research
Q&A Snell and Stanton
Alumni News
Off the Path
Winter 2016 GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSpring2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineWinter2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineFall2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSummer2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSpring2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Spring2016GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Winter2016GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/2015FallGVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Summer2015GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMSpring2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMwinter2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/Grandvalley/GVMFall2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/Grandvalley/grandvalleymagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/spring2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/winter2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/fall_2013
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