F-81-R-9, Study 230488 - 1

F-81-R-14, MichiganAmended: 2012-13

Study 230488Revised: 2007-08

New Study: 1996-97

Name of Study:Status of the Lake St. Clair fish community and sport fishery.

Current Amendment: This study is being amended in 2012-13 to terminate the aquatic plant survey component of Job 2 and to extend the study one additional year to facilitate completion of Job 7. Results from the aquatic plant survey will still be reported in the evaluation of the survey. Amendments to the procedure (section F) and schedule/budget (section G) are included below.

Previous Amendment(s):2011-12–This study is being amended in 2011-12 to reflect changes in staffing at the Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station. It also includes changes to scheduled field sampling necessitated by personnel limitations.

The following information is duplicated from the original study proposal, including amendments, with additions and/or modifications shown in italics.

F.Procedure:

Job 1.Survey design and coordination: Coordinate survey efforts with management unit staff and staff from other agencies. Collaborate with other agencies in survey design. Participate in Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s Lake St. Clair Committee.

Job 2.Conduct surveys and process samples:

a.SurveyAnchorBay with trap nets to measure abundance for adult game fish species during late April and May. Trap net gear and methods as described in Thomas and Haas (2005). Collect samples for age and growth analysis from muskellunge, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and walleye.

b.Document abundance of yellow perch, forage species, and juvenile game fish species with bottom trawls in June and September from the northwest portion of Lake St. Clair. Trawl gear and methods follow those described by Thomas and Haas (2004). Trawling will be conducted from the research vessel Channel Cat. All fish collected will be sorted to species, counted, and weighed. Age, length, and sex data will be recorded for 25 yellow perch/sex/inch group. Length frequency data (mm) will be collected for any remaining yellow perch by sex. Length frequency data (mm) will also be collected for at least 150 fish of each forage species. Length by inch group will be recorded for the remainder of the catch.

c.Survey abundance and geographical distribution of aquatic macrophytes in Lake St. Clair with grapnel sampling, sidescan sonar, and split-beam hydroacoustic technologies.

d.Survey angler fishing success for major sport species in Lake St. Clair and connecting waters with voluntary angler diary program. A pool of at least 50 volunteer cooperating anglers will be maintained. Each spring cooperating anglers will be provided with angler diaries in which to record their fishing activity for the coming open water fishing season. In October, the diaries will be recovered by the MDNR and catch, effort, and scale sample data recorded. Completed diaries will be returned to cooperators along with new diaries by the following spring. Cooperators will be encouraged to continue their participation in the diary program through certificates of appreciation, annual gratuities (such as program hats and crests or fishing lures), as well as individual fishing data summaries. New participants will be recruited as needed. The voluntary angler diary program is cooperatively supported by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the MDNR.

Job 3.Manage data and maintain databases: Collect tag recovery data from cooperating sport and commercial fishermen and provide individual responses with tagging information. Summarize and analyze tag recovery. Enter data from completed sport fishing diaries into Access database and share with Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Job 4.Analyze data: Analyze data to estimate age composition and growth rates for game fish species, and compute catch rates for important species in the sport fishery. Use GIS to produce aquatic plant and fish habitat maps for Lake St. Clair.

Job 5.Write annual performance report.

Job 6.Prepare other reports: Prepare annual status report for the Lake St. Clair Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Job 7.Evaluate survey for adequacy, necessity, reliability, and efficiency and submit analysis with survey renewal.

G.Schedule/Budget1:

Proposed work / 2007-08 / 2008-09 / 2009-10 / 2010-11 / 2011-12 / 2012-13
Job 1 / Survey design and coordination / 3,483 / 3,657 / 3,840 / 4,032 / 4,234 / 4,446
Job 2 / Conduct survey and process samples / 64,327 / 67,543 / 70,920 / 74,466 / 78,189 / 82,098
Job 3 / Manage data and maintain databases / 1,503 / 1,578 / 1,657 / 1,740 / 1,827 / 1,918
Job 4 / Analyze data / 7,869 / 8,262 / 8,675 / 9,109 / 9,564 / 10,042
Job 5 / Write annual performance report / 1,503 / 1,578 / 1,657 / 1,740 / 1,827 / 1,918
Job 6 / Prepare other reports / 1,503 / 1,578 / 1,657 / 1,740 / 1,827 / 1,918
Job 7 / Evaluate survey and renewal / NA / NA / NA / NA / 2,897 / 3,042
Associated travel and other expenses / 6,336 / 6,653 / 6,986 / 7,335 / 7,702 / 8,087
Totals / 86,524 / 90,849 / 95,392 / 100,162 / 108,067 / 113,470

1NA = not scheduled

I.Personnel:Michael V. Thomas, Fisheries Research Biologist, Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station; Staff of the Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station; Research Administrative personnel.