LAKE MICHIGAN COMMITTEE

Weber’s Inn
Ann Arbor, MI
22, 23 March 2000

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Salmonid Stocking Protocol Changes: Additional Waters for Indiana Waters

LMC Chair Tom Trudeau (ILDNR) will write a response for LMC review to INDNR which referred an angler request for lake trout to be stocked nearshore in Indiana waters. While such stocking would be contrary to the lake trout rehabilitation plan, there may occasionally be surplus fall fingerlings resulting from a previous decision to rear tp yearling size wherever possible.

2. Salmonid Stocking Protocol Changes: Brown Trout Substitution for Steelhead, MI

Not discussed. [Michigan proposed to replace the Eagle Lake strain of rainbow trout being stocked at their Holland (Macatawa River) site with brown trout. They currently are stocking 10,000 rainbow trout for the purpose of establishing a near shore fishery. They wish to replace the rainbows with brown trout due to poor rainbow trout returns. They would substitute 5,000 brown trout, per Rick Clark's CONNECT model, where one brown trout equals two rainbow trout.]

3. Salmonid Stocking Protocol Changes: Excess Coho, WI

The LMC discussed the question of accommodating hatchery coho production that accidentally exceeds stocking ceiling, but did not revise the LMC’s Salmonid Stocking Protocol.

4. Environmental Effects of Sea Lamprey Barrier Control

The LMC will seek agency input on the current draft of the GLFC’s Policy and Guidelines for Placement of Barriers. 

5. New Charges to the Yellow Perch Task Group

Purpose

The Yellow Perch Task Group is nearing completion on their original charges. Based upon their initial work they have submitted recommendations to further enhance our understanding of the Lake Michigan yellow perch population. Based upon these recommendations the Lake Michigan Committee has developed additional charges to:
1) expand our knowledge of the Lake Michigan yellow perch population,
2) develop management tools for effective management of the Lake Michigan yellow perch population.


Task Group Charges

i. Develop a Lakewide Assessment Plan for yellow perch and associated fish species by formalizing the procedures utilized to achieve compatibility of information and to standardized sampling methodology for yellow perch. This assessment plan is to be appended to the plans previously developed for lake trout, burbot, and chinook salmon by the Lake Michigan Technical Committee. Scheduled completion: Draft to LMTC-Lakewide Assessment Task Group by the winter 2001 LMTC meeting.
ii. Formally summarize, in a GLFC report, a fisheries article, or through other means, the work previously conducted by the Yellow Perch Task Group that addressed the original hypotheses set forward for yellow perch recruitment failure.  Scheduled completion: Draft completed by the winter 2001 LMTC meeting.
iii. Identify any additional work necessary to address the original hypotheses for yellow perch recruitment failure. Scheduled completion: Draft completed by the summer 2000 LMTC meeting. 
iv. Develop and implement a lakewide population model that describes the yellow perch population in Lake Michigan providing estimates of total abundance, age and size structure, and geographical distribution.

Scheduled completion:
January-March 2000: Definition of questions/management criteria, specification of model criteria, examination of available models, choice of “best” model.
April-September 2000: Review of data availability, definition of data needs, initial compilation of data sets.
October-December 2000: Additional data compilation, begin model development and analyses.
January 2001: Progress report to LMTC at winter meeting.

6. Status of USFWS Fish Stocking Vessel “Togue”

The LSC referred to the April meeting of the CLC, discussion of the desirability of stocking lake trout offshore and the imminent need to replace the USFWS stocking vessel Togue . Perhaps the CLC might consider a lakewide report on the status of fish research and management vessels, with recommendations for replacement to meet basin needs. A replacement for the Togue, for example, might be designed for evaluating stocking in off-months.

7. Discussion on “Fishability Index”, GLWQA State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference

Paul Horvatin (EPA) requested feedback on a proposed ‘fishability index’ for the GLWQA State of the lake Report that would add to the contaminant considerations of the IJC. A 1-day workshop was proposed for June. Randy Eshenroder (GLFC) recommended that a philosophical construct be developed.

8. Lake Michigan LaMP

Judy Beck (EPA) reported that Lake Michigan LaMP aquatic indicators (based on the SOLEC document) were being circulated for discussion. A monitoring framework has yet to be developed.

9. Great Lakes Fish Health Committee

The LMC referred to the CLC its request for better communication between the Lake Committees and the Great Lakes Fish Health Committee. There was concern that GLFHC presentations were not always requested nor delivered at Lake Committee meetings, that more cooperation was needed on wild fish health investigations, and that more documentation was needed of agency deliberations re application of the Fish Disease Model Program. With regard to the latter, the LMC requests that the GLFHC document and share agency deliberations on application of the Fish Disease Model Program, perhaps in short case histories or summaries. (For example, the LMC did not know the outcome of the Indiana IPN deliberations of the previous year.) Minutes of the GLFHC could be circulated to CLC members, or posted on GLFHC’s web page. The LMC desired to hear from the GLFHC at the Upper Lakes’ Common Session (GLFHC was not invited this year to speak).