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analysis does not remove all blame from alewives for a dramatic
decline in the lake's perch population.
Tests on stomach contents of alewives netted in the lake off Illinois found very few perch larvae but plenty of shiners and other forage fish,
said Steve Robillard, an assistant research scientist with the Illinois
Natural History Survey.
Alewives taken from the Wisconsin shoreline will also be analyzed. But
biologists doubt they will find many perch larvae in the stomachs because
there are so few in the lake.
The analysis does not remove all blame from alewives for a dramatic
decline in the lake's perch population. But it does indicate alewives are
not entirely at fault for most perch larvae failing to survive their first
few months of life in the lake's southern basin.
Researchers attending yellow perch discussions at the 59th Midwest Fish
and Wildlife Conference agreed that several concurrent problems are
preventing perch from rebounding to greater numbers.
The Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council has many articles on the Lake Michigan Perch decline, for newsletter reprints, please contact Dan at 630-941-1351, or by e-mail hdqtrs@great-lakes.org we recommend you visit our Weekly Fishing News Index |
 Fred Binkowski, a senior research scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Great Lakes Studies, said the population remains low because of dwindling food supplies; weakened larvae that starve or fall prey to numerous predators; seasonal extremes in water temperatures that cause more stress for unhealthy fish; and low numbers of females capable of spawning. Researchers believe concentrations of microscopic zooplankton have declined in the lake. The zebra mussel is to blame for this part of the problem, Binkowski and others said. Zebra mussels eat algae and other plants that used to feed zooplankton. There are fewer zooplankton to feed perch.  Western New York may see a
new Warmwater Fish Hatchery
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mudpuppy, is
important in the environment and has a role in the food chain.
Michigan DNR is reminding anglers that any mudpuppies caught while ice fishing must be released back into the water. They are
not a menace to game fish, and are protected under the laws that protect
salamanders. Their diet consists of crayfish, snails, insect larvae,
worms, and some fish eggs. There is no evidence that mudpuppies damage
fish populations.
Mudpuppies are often caught on Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River.
"Sometimes anglers throw them on the ice to die, in the mistaken belief
that they are worthless or even dangerous," said Gary Towns, DNR District
Fisheries Biologist.
Visit this site to learn more about Mudpuppies
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 "But every species, including the mudpuppy, is important in the environment and has a role in the food chain. This is not a throw-away species." Although mudpuppies live in the water, they are actually large salamanders, not fish. Their color varies, and ranges from a brown to a grayish-brown with scattered dark spots or blotches. They have flattened heads, slimy skin, and four legs with four toes on each foot, and bushy, reddish gills behind their heads. Mudpuppies are native to North American lakes and streams, but their populations have been declining severely in recent decades.
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