• Changing Huron

    I recently had a discussion with a few local anglers about salmon fishing in Owen Sound Bay. The theories and ideas among this small group of individuals had me pounding my head in disbelief. Excuses for the poor fishing ranged from cormorants to commercial netting. The fact is, to some extent they were all wrong.

    The food web within Lake Huron has undergone a drastic decline in recent years and the major reason for this can be directly attributed to invasive species. I recently attended a meeting between local and regional MNR representatives and a collection of sportsman who make up the local CFWIP clubs. Present at this meeting was MNR Management Biologist Arunas Liskauskas who represents the Upper Great Lakes Management Unit. During the meeting, Liskauskas gave an informative presentation on the Huron food-web and the impacts invasive species have had on the fisheries that we as local anglers have become accustomed to. I will try to summarize a few of the points in order to shed some light on the situation in Lake Huron/Georgian Bay.


    Jamie and Terry Fenton with a catch of jumbo yellow perch from a local port on Lake Huron last week.

    Historically, before the introductions of non-native fish species via stocking and ocean migration through canals and locks, the Lake Trout was the top predator in the offshore ecosystem of Lake Huron. The Lake Trout preyed on cisco species, which in turn fed on zooplankton populations. This is a perfect example of the food the chain prior to meddling of man. In the 1920’s and 1930’s Huron was invaded by rainbow smelt and alewives, prey fish which become important later on. By the 1950’s, the invasive sea lamprey and commercial fishing had nearly taken the Lake Trout to levels of extinction. With no top offshore predator in the mix, these smelt and alewife populations were left unchecked, producing a large influx of biomass into Huron.

    With the advent of sea lamprey control, the stage was set for the introduction of salmon from the west coast, first in Michigan and then followed by Ontario in the early 80’s. Salmon not only acted as a top predatory species for the unregulated growth of smelt and alewives, but they also created a world class fishery on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Huge numbers of Chinooks were being stocked by Michigan and Ontario CFWIP clubs to maintain this increasingly popular sport fishery.

    In the early 90’s Huron’s doors were open for another round of invasive species. Enter the zebra and quagga mussel, the spiny water flea, and the round goby. Zebra and quagga mussels are filter feeders, forming massive colonies and siphoning the key microscopic nutrients out of a water body. The effect that zebra and quagga mussels have had on Huron has been dramatic. Over a decade and a half, these mussels have effectively cleaned the water and plankton and zooplankton numbers have perished. These micro-organisms are the building blocks for prey fish populations. No food for zooplankton equals no food for prey fish such as alewife, which in turn leaves little for the massive numbers salmon to feed on.

    In 2003 and 2004, DNR and MNR lake samples indicated that the alewife population had crashed. In the following years local salmon fishermen noticed that the overall health of mature Chinooks was poor. Gone were the robust salmon of yesterday; the remaining Chinooks were long and skinny, showing signs of malnutrition. MNR and DNR response was to cut back stocked numbers of Chinooks to accommodate the wild recruitment of salmon which has been taking place on Huron for the past two decades. Still, alewives are nearly non-existent, and large, healthy salmon populations require alewives to thrive.

    The current outlook for Chinook populations on Huron and Georgian Bay are not that much better. Stocking numbers have been reduced on both sides of the border, as a good portion of the overall population of Chinooks has been proven to be wild fish born in local rivers. The food supplies for pelagic predators such as Chinooks are still limited. There is very little evidence that the alewife numbers will rebound. Salmon do not effectively feed on gobies, or warm water prey fish such as perch. The increasing number of local shiner populations does not fill the void when it comes to offshore species such as Chinooks either.

    So is this all doom and gloom? No, not entirely. Alewives have proven to be a major predator of perch and walleye young. Since the alewives crashed in 2003, walleye and perch numbers have risen across the lake. Natural reproduction of walleye in Michigan’s Saginaw Bay in recent years has been the highest ever recorded. This is good news for those who like to fish for these warmer water species and good news for commercial fisherman as well. This pattern can be seen locally as well, in the past couple of years more walleye and perch have found their way into angler catches along the Huron shoreline. Also, studies have shown that lake trout natural reproduction has begun to increase with the changing diet of adult lake trout. While not the prime target species of anglers, lake trout appear to handle a shift in the food chain better than Chinooks.

    Last week, I had the opportunity to see exactly what the change in Huron’s food-web has resulted in. Along with two friends, I had some of the best jumbo perch fishing I have ever experienced, and it took place on Lake Huron. Good catches of perch have been reported from the inner harbor of Owen Sound, to the upper shores of Huron along the Peninsula. I guess change isn’t always bad…..

    Other local outdoor notes

    This Saturday, April 14th the Peninsula Bruce Trail Club will be hosting a “Gear Up and Go” workshop. This workshop is a great tool for anyone interested in hiking and as an introduction to hiking the Bruce Trail locally. For more info contact Susan Allen at www.pbtc.ca.

    Spring wild turkey season starts April 25th and once again Watson’s Tackle and Lake Huron Rod & Gun will be hosting the 5th annual Great Gobbler Contest. This contest offers more than $8000 in prizes for hunters registering their harvested birds with a contest ticket of $10. This contest donates a great deal of money to the Grey-Bruce Eat and Learn program which benefits school age children in local communities.
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