Lloyd C. MohrUpper Great Lakes Management Unit

Owen Sound, ONand

Mark P. EbenerChippewa Ottawa Resource Authority

Sault Ste. Marie, MI

The Fisheries of Lake Huron

The Fisheries of Lake Huron

Commercial Fishery - Historical

French Explorer Raudot wrote in 1710

"The fish that they fish for there are the trout, sturgeon, and

the whitefish. This last (whitefish) ..., must be

the best fish in the world, since all those who have eaten it

say that they never grow tired of it."

Commercial Fishery - Historical

Koelz (1929)

Berst and Spangler (1973)

Peters (1981)

Brown et al. (1999)

Commercial Fishery - Current

A. Management Direction

• 1960’s Michigan’s fishery policy shift

• 1980’s Assertion of First Nation’s / Native American’s Treaty Rights - COTFMA (1979)

• 1984 Modernization of Ontario’s commercial Industry

Commercial Fishery - Current

Commercial Fishing Fleet

1979 1999

OCF Licences 123 72+

Ont. Fishers 96 58+

COTFMA Fishers 54 (1982) 42

MI State Fishers 35 19

Commercial Fishery - Current

• Fleet Fishing Power

•Tracking ability

• Communication ability

• Size of vessels

• Processing capabilities

B. Technology Changes

Commercial Fishery - Distribution

Coregonids

Percids

Salmonids

Other (catfish, carp…)

Commercial Fishery - Harvest

Commercial Harvest of All Species in Lake Huron

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990Year

Har

vest

(kg

x10

3 )

CANADAU.S.

2.39 million kg 5.98 million kg12.72 million kg

Commercial Fishery - Harvest

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990Year

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f T

ota

l H

arv

est

Suckers

Carp

L. Herring

Catfish

N. Pike

Y. Perch

Walleye

Bloater

L. Trout

L. Whitefish

Commercial Fishery - Effort

Large Mesh Gill Nets

Lake Whitefish

Walleye

Chinook Salmon

Lake Trout

Carp (XLGE) 0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997

Year

Eff

ort

(km

x10

00)

U.S. Waters

Canadian Waters

Commercial Fishery - Effort

0

4

8

12

16

20

1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999Year

Eff

ort

(km

x100

0)

U.S. Waters

Canadian WatersBloater Chub /Yellow Perch

Lake Herring

Round Whitefish

Small Mesh Gill Nets

Commercial Fishery - Effort

Lake Whitefish

Walleye

Yellow Perch

Round Whitefish

Trap Nets

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999Year

Tra

pn

et

Lif

ts

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

Tra

pn

et

Lif

ts

COTFMACanadian WatersMichigan

Commercial Fishery - Effort

Channel Catfish

Hook Sets

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Year

Nu

mb

er

of

Ho

ok

s (

x1

06 )

Commercial Fishery - Effort

C. Gear Changes• Net Material (Northern Michigan waters)

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1973-1977 1978-1983 1984-1990 1991-1998

% o

f L

arg

e M

es

h G

N E

ffo

rtNylon Monofilament

Commercial Fishery - Effort

C. Gear Changes• Height of Nets (Northern Michigan waters)

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1973-1977 1978-1983 1984-1990 1991-1998% o

f L

arg

e M

esh

GN

Eff

ort 75

50

36

28

Commercial Fishery - Effort

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1973-1977 1978-1983 1984-1990 1991-1998

% o

f L

arg

e M

es

h G

N E

ffo

rt

0.28 0.23 0.2 0.17 0.15

C. Gear Changes• Twine Size (Northern Michigan waters)

Commercial Fishery - Effort

C. Gear Changes• Mesh Size (Canadian Waters)

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Year

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f E

ffo

rt (

Lg

Me

sh

)

5.5

5.25

5.19

5

4.88

4.75

4.63

4.5

Commercial Fishery - Synopsis

• Significant changes in Commercial Fishing Effort

• Commercial Fleet Dynamic - Participants changing

• Fishing Power increasing

• Significant changes in Commercial Fishing Harvest

• Lake whitefish dominant commercial species

• Lake Trout Incidental concern

• Warmwater species harvest decreasing

Recreational Fishery

Historically - nearshore fishery, Lodge or cottage based

Walleye, yellow perch, bass and pike fisheries in Georgian Bay

Yellow perch, lake herring fisheries in Saginaw Bay, northern Lake Huron (MI)

Offshore fisheries not significant

Recreational Fishery - Historical

Recreational Fishery - Current

Technology advancesBoats, electronics, gear

Changes in Fish Community/ExoticsSea Lamprey, alewife, smelt

Recreational Fishery - Current

Habitat ManipulationSpawning, Passage Rehab

Technology advancesLarger, safer boats, electronic gear

Changes in Fish Community/ExoticsSea Lamprey, alewife, smelt

Salmonid Stocking Strategy

• Walleye, N. Pike, L. Herring, Yellow Perch, Smallmouth Bass

• Most stocks depressed

• Managed locally, stocking tool

• Vulnerable to over exploitation, environmental change, habitat loss, exotic invasions

Recreational Fishery - Nearshore

• Chinook salmon, Lake trout, Coho salmon, Brown trout, Rainbow trout

• Heavily dependent upon stocking

• Managed globally, Predator - Prey dynamics

• Lake trout targeting concerns

Recreational Fishery - Offshore

Recreational Fishery - River

• Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Walleye, Catfish

• Habitat/Passage Main Issues

• Stocking used to manage

• Susceptible to environmental changes, habitat loss

• Yellow Perch, Lake Whitefish, Lake Trout

• Dependent upon climate

• Highly variable

• Potential for high exploitation rates

Recreational Fishery - Winter

Main Basin

Recreational Fishery - Harvest

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

Year

Ha

rve

st

(# f

ish

x 1

00

0)

Cdn

US

Main Basin

Recreational Fishery - Yield

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

Year

Yie

ld (

kgx1

000)

SmallmouthBassChannel Catfish

Yellow Perch

Walleye

Coho Salmon

Pink Salmon

Brown Trout

Lake Trout

Rainbow Trout

Chinook Salmon

Main Basin

Recreational Fishery - Effort

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

Year

Eff

ort

(an

gle

r-h

rs x

100

0)

Cdn

US

Recreational Fishery

Georgian Bay

Recreational Fishery - Harvest/Effort

South Western Georgian Bay

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999

Year

Ha

rve

st

(# f

ish

x 1

00

0)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Eff

ort

(rd

-hr

x 1

00

0)

Catch

Effort

Recreational Fishery

Georgian Bay

44.6 % effort 2000 1979

1992SW G. Bay S. Sound126,000 120,130 rd-hrs

63,000 22,700 fish

North Channel

Recreational Fishery

NearshoreWalleye, Yellow PerchNorthern PikeBass

OffshoreChinook SalmonRainbow TroutLake TroutWalleye

North Channel

Recreational Fishery

1996 - Bay of Islands 19,635 rd-hr 2,990 fish harvested

1998 - North Shore Index 16,840 rd-hr 4,772 fish harvested

1999 - North Shore Index 18,397 rd-hr 8,357 fish harvested

St. Mary’s River

Recreational Fishery

1999 - Joint Creel 556,399 ang-hr

141,544 fish harvested

Key Species Yellow Perch Lake Herring Lake Whitefish walleye chinook salmon northern pike

Recreational Fishery - Overview

Lake Huron

Estimated Effort4.23 million ang-hrs

Estimated Harvest 1.73 million fish

Estimated Yield1.4 million kgs

Pacific salmonids, percids

Lake Huron Fisheries

Current Yield = 5.98 x106 (CH) + 1.4 x106 (RF) kg

Extremely Diverse

Evolved over past 20 years, over past 5 years, Future?

Key Issues- Rehabilitation of Lake Trout- Stocking - Nearshore/River rehabilitation efforts- Changing fish/aquatic community - Exotics- Data needs

The Fisheries of Lake Huron