July 2008 - Vol. 42

Inside this Issue:

• Surveys for Coaster Brook Trout
  
  
• Ruffe Continue to Expand Southward
  
  
• Mourning Dove Call-Counts
  
  
• New PIT Tag Technology
  
  
• Estuary Enhancement Project

Miles and Miles of Shoreline Surveyed for Coaster Brook Trout
A fishery survey was conducted on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation to determine the presence and relative abundance of coaster brook trout. This two night survey was conducted using an electrofishing boat starting from the mouth of the Pigeon River moving southward along the north shore. This nearshore survey was part of a Lake Superior restoration plan sponsored by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The information obtained will help Grand Portage and Service fishery managers gain a broader understanding of the abundance of coaster brook along the Minnesota north shore.

Invasive Ruffe Continue to Expand Southward in Green Bay of Lake Michigan
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported that a commercial fisherman captured a ruffe off Peshtigo Harbor, Wisconsin, in Green Bay of Lake Michigan on May 28th, 2008.  The capture was made at a depth of 12 meters, and it confirms a range expansion of 15 kilometers south from a previous capture site near Marinette Harbor, Wisconsin, in 2007.  Commercial fishing operators as well as sport anglers continue to be a valuable source of aquatic invasive species early detection.

Mourning Dove Call-Count Surveys
As part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s nationwide Mourning Dove Call-Count Survey, Ted Koehler from the Service’s Ashland Fishery Resources Office surveyed Wisconsin Route 60 in Ashland County.  The Mourning Dove Call-Count survey was designed specifically for the species and provides an annual index to population size.  The total number of doves heard on each route is used to determine trends in populations and provides the basis for determining an index to population size during the breeding season.  The resulting information on status and trends is used by wildlife administrators in setting annual hunting regulations.

The mourning dove is one of the most widely distributed and abundant migratory bird species in North America.  As part of their courtship behavior, mourning dove calling reaches a peak at sunrise and then diminishes gradually.  The survey is conducted along a twenty mile route, and all doves seen along the route as well as heard at stopping intervals were recorded.  The results were then entered into the national Mourning Dove Call-Count database. 

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 was also 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. 

Bay City Creek Estuary Enhancement Project
The Bay City Creek Estuary Enhancement Project was funded through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program – Great Lakes and consisted of a community-based restoration project for Bay City Creek in Ashland, Wisconsin, between US Highway 2 and its confluence with Lake Superior. A key element to successful ecological restoration is timing and opportunity and the need existed to assist the City of Ashland as they faced the challenges presented with implementing their Waterfront Development Plan and Comprehensive Plan in this area.  The City has successfully implemented a Lakefront Trail through the area and is actively seeking to add additional public open space in the area as well.