Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Establish a Lake Trout population consistent with a functional cold-water ecosystem that maintains a fishery in the eastern and central basins.

Adult lake trout abundance increased during 2016-2020. The target abundance was only reached in two of five years and no evidence of wild reproduction was apparent.

Support the preservation of existing Lake Sturgeon spawning stock and rehabilitation of spawning stocks in historic spawning locations.

The two remaining lake sturgeon populations in the Lake Erie basin are stable and self-sustaining. Efforts to restore additional populations through stocking and habitat restoration are underway.

Any efforts to rehabilitate currently extirpated species should be carefully and collaboratively considered prior to implementation.

The LEC acknowledges that other species of interest, such as Sauger and Cisco, may present rehabilitation opportunities, but environmental conditions and fish community status ultimately dictate the feasibility for each species (LEC 2017b, 2018). Any efforts to rehabilitate currently extirpated species should be carefully and collaboratively considered prior to implementation.

Several research initiatives are underway to inform potential restoration efforts for cisco and sauger, both of which are considered extirpated in Lake Erie.