The Ashland FWCO maintains and implements a comprehensive set of activities to conserve and manage self-sustaining populations of native fish and other aquatic resources. These activities are linked to management and recovery plans that help achieve restoration and recovery goals, provide recreational benefits, and address Federal trust responsibilities. Sound science, effective partnerships, and careful planning and evaluation are integral to our conservation and management efforts. 

Objectives:

• Restore declining fish and other aquatic resource populations.  Focus on brook trout, lake sturgeon, shortjaw cisco and other aquatic species at risk according to the Service, States, Tribes, and NGOs.

• Maintain diverse, self-sustaining fish and other aquatic resource populations in collaboration with States, Tribes, and NGOs.

• Support, facilitate, and/or lead collaborative approaches to manage Interjurisdictional fisheries.

Assess Fish Community along Lakeshore Margins of the Apostle Islands
Frank Stone and Gary Czypinski (AFWCO) worked with USGS – Lake Superior Biological Station researchers to collect fish as part of a cooperative project examining the relationship between the inshore and nearshore aquatic communities around a portion of the Apostle Islands.  This portion of the project involved sampling fishery diversity along 8 shoreline areas (~ 16 km) to characterize night habitat use by fish species in the 0-3 m depth interval. Single-pass night-time electrofishing was used to collect the data.  Fish observed in the field were tallied as to species and relative abundance for each 0.50 km shoreline segment.  Vouchers of each fish species (by 0.50 km segments) were collected and placed on ice for later freezing.  These specimens will serve for positive identification and for a diet analysis to be conducted at a later time. Other aspects of the research effort involve: characterizing aquatic habitat of the inshore waters around the Apostle Islands; characterizing near and offshore habitat, 15 to 100+ m depth; and also sampling lower trophic level elements in near and offshore waters. 

 

St. Mary’s River Lake Sturgeon: Hearing Them Is Easy, but Catching Them Is Not
The abundance of Lake Sturgeon in the St. Mary’s River system, and the Great Lakes in general, is relatively unknown.  The Ashland FWCO along with Lake Superior State University’s (LSSU) Aquatic Research Laboratory have been assessing the St. Mary’s River population in an attempt to refine management plans to better conserve this species. During the week of July 7th, Katie Renschen (AFWCO) assisted Roger Greil from Lake Superior State University’s Aquatic Research Laboratory, and student employee Jessica Comben, in setting baited lines at various water depths and locations above the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.  During this week long period, no sturgeon were caught, and set lines were moved further west in hopes of finding fish.  As of the end of July, there was still no sturgeon caught.  Lines will continue to be set through the end of the summer. 

In previous years when sturgeon were caught, length, weight, and girth measurements were taken, along with fin samples for DNA and age analysis; sturgeon greater than 125 cm were also implanted with sonic transponder tags. During the trip, Katie also assisted in tracking sturgeon implanted with sonic transponder tags in the lower part of the St. Mary’s River.  Tracking was done by boat using a hydrophone and receiver.  Each sturgeon has a unique tag, and when a tag is heard, the location of the fish is recorded.  These locations are used to track the movements of the sturgeon over time.  All of the sturgeon that LSSU have tagged were found and locations recorded during the two day period when tracking was done. 

 

Salmon Trout River: Home of the Coaster Brook Trout
Migrations and biological characteristics of the coaster brook trout in Lake Superior tributaries are being studied and assessed by the Ashland FWCO, Michigan Technological University, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in an ongoing effort to rehabilitate the native coaster brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Lake Superior.  During the weeks of June 9th, and June 16th, Katie Renschen (AFWCO) assisted Dr. Casey Huckins, from Michigan Tech University, and Dr. Edward Baker, from the Michigan DNR in backpack electrofishing sections of the Salmon Trout River located in the Huron Mountains northwest of Marquette, MI.  The Salmon Trout River is the site of the last known remnant population of coaster brook trout on the south shores of Lake Superior.

The goal of this survey was to assess and collect data on the population of resident brook trout in the river.  Specifically, we were looking for brook trout greater than 200 mm.  In theory, these fish would be resident brook trout, and not coasters.  Coaster brook trout at this size are thought to have already moved out of the river and into Lake Superior.  By collecting data and genetic samples on resident brook trout, genetic analysis can be done between resident brook trout and coaster brook trout in hopes of finding genetic differences between the two. During the two weeks of sampling, over 5 river miles were covered.  However, the number of resident brook trout captured was minimal.  Not more than 5 fish greater than 200 mm were captured.  There were several “questionable” resident brook trout caught ranging from 160-180 mm, and genetic samples were taken on them as well.  Studies and assessments on the Salmon Trout are ongoing.  Recently, a weir and camera were also set in place on a section of the river to further monitor the movements of the coaster brook trout. 

 

Isle Royale Brook Trout Sporting New PIT Tag Technology
There are a few brook trout residing in the Washington Harbor area of Isle Royale National Park that have moved into the newest technology for tracking of tagged fish.  The Ashland FWCO office has been surveying Washington Harbor and Washington Creek and inserting Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags into brook trout caught during the surveys.  A PIT tag station has also been installed on Washington Creek to monitor the movement of brook trout in Washington Creek. The brook trout in Washington Harbor were collected during electrofishing surveys of the Harbor in June of 2008.  During this period the crew also installed the PIT tag station consisting of a solar panel and batteries for power, two antennae that will record the tagged fish passing over the antennae, and a data recording station that logs the PIT tags as they pass. 

Washington Creek was also surveyed at this time with backpack electrofishing equipment. However, due to a heavy thunderstorm the night before and a rain event that dumped up to 5 inches of rain, the creek came up too high to survey completely.  Another crew went out again to Washington Creek in July and tagged 55 brook trout in the lower stretch of the creek.  Again, Mother Nature decided to dump several inches of rain on the island and the crew was unable to survey the upper stretch of Washington Creek.  This rain event did however send a few of the PIT tagged fish up the creek and they were logged on the recorder.  The interpretative staff at the Isle Royale Windigo Ranger Station are downloading the PIT tag station and emailing this information to the Ashland FWCO.  Plans are being made to make several more trips to Washington Creek and tag more brook trout in this system. 

 

Lake Whitefish Population Assessment Conducted in Grand Marais, Michigan Area
The US Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office in Ashland, Wisconsin conducted lake whitefish assessments out of Grand Marais, Michigan during the period of July 24 –31, 2008.  The Ashland FWCO received assistance from the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery with Hannah Edwards, a volunteer at the hatchery, and Ted Eggebraaten, Green Bay FWCO.  These surveys are coordinated by the Technical Fisheries Committee (TFC) of the 2000 Consent Decree for 1836 Treaty waters of Lake Superior.  Cooperators on this effort include, Bay Mills Indian Community, Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority, and Michigan DNR, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Grand Marais Coast Guard Auxiliary.  The areas surveyed by the Service include Grand Marais, Blind Sucker Creek and Deer Park.  Gill nets were set along 6 randomly selected transects that run perpendicular to the shoreline.  Nets were set on the bottom in water depths set in two different depth strata ranging from less than 100 feet and greater than 100 feet.  Four 900’ gangs were strung together (3600’), with each gang containing 9 – 100’ panels that ranged in size from 2 “– 6” stretch (by the ½”) and 6’ deep.  The information obtained is used by agencies to manage the commercial and recreational harvest of lake whitefish, evaluate abundance and fish health, and to gain a broader understanding of the lake whitefish ecological role in Lake Superior. Biological data collected by species caught included length, weight, sex, sea lamprey marks, ageing material and stomach (diet) samples.

 

Coaster Ecology Studied
Tracking the movement of brook trout in and out of Lake Superior tributaries is one of the keys to understanding the ecology of coaster brook trout and efforts to rehabilitate this depleted form of brook trout.  Important questions abound with respect to coaster rehabilitation.  Questions like, what time of year, what size or age, and what are the environmental conditions (water temperature, water level) when coasters or juvenile brook trout leave or enter streams, are coasters spawning in a particular stream, and what is the rate of survival of stocked brook trout and are they leaving the stream to access the lake environment? 

To gain a better understanding of these and other questions the Ashland Fishery Resources Office recently embarked on the use of half-duplex passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and remote tag detection stations to track fish.  The use of remote tag detection stations allows the Service to collect data on the direction of individual fish movement 24 hrs a day without having to be physically present.  Data is collected when a tagged fish passes by the instream antennae and is stored in the data logger for download at a later date.  Biologists periodically return to the site to upload data and return to the office to check on movement of fish at the site. The Ashland office benefitted greatly from our partners in this effort.  Our education began by helping Northern Michigan University researchers install a PIT tag station in the Hurricane River at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan.  Lisa O'Connor of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada traveled to Ashland and assisted with the setup of a station in Whittlesey Creek, Wisconsin.  Ms. O'Connor has set up stations throughout the Great Lakes to examine effectiveness of fish passage devices at sea lamprey barriers.  Trout Unlimited chapters have assisted with the acquisition of equipment and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources biologist Marilee Chase, who has established numerous stations to track coaster movement in the Nipigon River region, provided key technical assistance. Thus far the Service has set up or assisted with the establishment of five PIT tag detection stations.  One of the goals of this effort is to develop regional networks of stations that allow biologists to learn where fish go when they leave a particular stream system.