Population Dynamics of Contemporary Yellow Perch and Walleye Stocks in MichiganWaters of Green Bay, Lake Michigan, 1988-96

摘要

Yellow perch Perca flavescens and walleye Stizostedion vitreum populationcharacteristics were summarized using annual creel surveys conducted during 1985-96, and field sampling and tagging studies conducted in Michigan waters of Green Bay during 1988-96. Recreational catches of yellow perch were highest in the late 1980s, declined in the early 1990s, and rebounded somewhat by about 1995. Angler catch rates were as high as 6.3 perch per hour in 1985 but fell to 0.03 fish per hour in 1994. The best walleye fishery in Michigan waters of Green Bay was in Little Bay de Noc, both in terms of annual harvests and catch rates. Walleye populations are building at other locations and the Menominee River fishery, in particular, has been strong since 1992. Field assessments caught over 27,000 fish representing 17 families and 53 species. Yellow perch was the most abundant fish in field catches, followed by trout-perch Percopsis omiscomaycus, spottail shiner Notropis hudsonius, johnny darter Etheostoma nigrum, and alewife Alosa pseudoharengus.