Matt Faust
My research project is looking at how varying levels of harvest mortality affects muskellunge population size structure within Wisconsin's ceded territory.Using the cleithrum, I will back-calculate muskellunge growth historiesto determine their growth potential in northern Wisconsin and construct an age-structured simulation model that willpredict how muskellunge population size structure responds to various levels of harvest mortality.
AJ Repp
I am working on population dynamics of walleye and black bass in northern Wisconsin lakes. Specifically, I am attempting to show competition between walleye and both largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Kyle Mosel
I am evaluatingcreel and length limits forpanfish in Wisconsin.My objectives were to: 1) determine if species-specific reductions in daily creel limits could effectively reduce harvest (i.e., reductions ≥ 25%) in crappie and yellow perch fisheries occurring within the state of Wisconsin; 2) determine if reductions in daily creel limits or the implementation of minimum length limits might improve yield and size structure in crappie and yellow perch populations within the state.If youdon't approve of the picture,just let me knowand I will send you a different one.
Jason Breeggemann
Abstract: Yellow perch support economically important sport and commercial fisheries across much of their range, and especially in the Great Lakes. In Green Bay, the yellow perch population rose steadily through the 1970s and 1980s, peaked at a population biomass of nearly 9 million pounds in 1987, and steadily declined to only 500-600 thousand pounds in 2003. Despite the dramatic population decline, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) continues to manage both commercial and recreational harvest of yellow perch in Green Bay. In order to assure sustainable harvest, the WDNR annually evaluates yellow perch age and growth using sectioned anal spines and mean lengths at age of capture. Biologists are interested in whether back-calculated lengths at age derived from anal spine sections might offer additional insight regarding the effects of abiotic and biotic factors (e.g. water temperature and age-0 yellow perch abundance) on yellow perch growth in Green Bay. However, no previous study has utilized anal spines for estimating back-calculated lengths at age for yellow perch. Our objectives are to: (1) determine if age estimates and associated precision vary among scales, sagittal otoliths, and anal fin spines for Green Bay yellow perch; (2) determine if back-calculated lengths at age vary among scales, otoliths, and anal fin spines for yellow perch and (3) determine if mean lengths at age estimated from length at capture and back-calculation are similar when using anal spine sections to estimate yellow perch age.