June 2009 - Vol. 46

Inside this Issue:

• 2007 Ruffe Surveillance Report Online
  
  
• Bad River Watershed Restoration
  
  
• Spring Walleye Surveys
  
  
• Dynamics of Solar Power for PIT Tags

2007 Ruffe Surveillance Report Online
Activities that monitor the range of the invasive fish, Eurasian ruffe, detected minor expansion in 2007, nearly equivalent to migratory rates estimated for ruffe by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).  These monitoring activities were described in the report, Surveillance For Ruffe In The Great Lakes, 2007, the 16th annual ruffe surveillance report completed by the Ashland FWCO.  The ruffe (pronounced rough) is an invasive fish that was likely introduced into western Lake Superior by ship’s ballast water during the mid 1980’s.  In 2007, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported that a commercial fisherman captured a ruffe in southern Green Bay of Lake Michigan, a range expansion of 88 kilometers (55 miles) south from the Bays de Noc of northern Green Bay, the previous range of ruffe in Lake Michigan; the ruffe range in Lake Michigan consists of Green Bay.  In eastern Lake Superior, ruffe likely migrated into Whitefish Bay in 2006, two decades after they were first detected in western Lake Superior.  The ruffe range in Lake Superior spans the entire south shore, and the north shore from Duluth, Minnesota, to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.  No ruffe have been reported captured from Lake Huron since 2003.  Ruffe remain undetected in the Lower Great Lakes, and in all inland lakes and streams within the Great Lakes Basin. 

The 2007 report can be found on the Ashland FWCO website at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ashland

Bad River Watershed Restoration 2008 Billy Creek Culvert Replacements
Through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program the Ashland FWCO partnered with the Town of Ashland, Ashland County Land and Water Conservation Department, Bad River Watershed Association and the Ashland County Highway Department to restore fish passage at two road crossings on Billy Creek in northern Wisconsin.  The culverts are located on township roads and were fish passage barriers to brook trout and other aquatic life.  One culvert was replaced, but the other was relatively new and could be reused.  Both culverts were installed at the proper elevations and will now pass brook trout and other aquatic species.  This action will enhance the Billy Creek watershed’s fishery for miles both above and below the old barriers.

Spring Walleye Surveys
The Ashland FWCO assisted the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission with five adult walleye population surveys in northern Wisconsin and Michigan.  Walleye population estimates are used to set safe harvest levels, on which tribal harvest quotas are based.  This year's assessment activity was assigned to Frank Stone.  During the twelve night sampling effort, Frank and his crew collecting over 4,000 walleye.  The sampling effort is conducted at night because this is when spawning activity and opportunities to collect adult size fish are maximized.

Dynamics of Solar Power for Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags
Fishery biologist Glenn Miller recently attended a second training session on Introductions to Solar Systems. The Ashland FWCO is currently using solar power to run several PIT tag detection stations located on Lake Superior shorelines.  All of the PIT tag detection sites are remote locations with no power available except for solar and wind.  By using these alternative energy sources, it is hoped that the PIT tag stations will be able to run year round gathering data on tagged brook trout and other salmonid species.