|
To emphasize the predatory
capability of hybrid striped bass,
Moy exclaimed, "These are not
cows, they're lions!"
Hybrid striped bass found in Lake Michigan
The Chicago District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found three hybrid
striped bass in lake Michigan's Indiana Harbor during their normal
monitoring of the Chicago District's harbors.
USACE Chicago District Fisheries biologist Dr. Phil Moy informed us, "We
were shocking Indiana Harbor during our routine monitoring program when we
found two hybrid striped bass floating on the surface. The third one was
rising to the top but got away." He also stated, "One was a female and the
other was a male, both in the 7-8 lb. range."
To emphasize the predatory
capability of hybrid striped bass, Moy exclaimed, "These are not cows,
they're lions!"
|
|
Moy, who co-chairs the Chicago Waterway Barrier project stated this was an
even better reason for getting that electronic barrier in place to prevent
undesirable fish from migrating into the Illinois River, and ultimately
into the Mississippi watershed.
No explanation was available as to how this predator game fish got into
Lake Michigan. All Lake Michigan state resource departments distanced
themselves from this species years ago, even before salmon were stocked,
because of its predatory characteristics and the inability to manage it by
the state DNRs.
These bass are not the run-of-the-mill white bass wee harvest during the
spring "striper" run. These are hybrids and are known to average 20-30
lbs. and will play havoc with what native fishery we have left in the
lake. Only time will tell what kind of hybrid striped bass population we
have on our doorstep.
 Judge allows Tribes to harvest Salmon in Bay
|
|
|
The discovery
could reveal which rivers are best suited to the fish and provide information about salmon destinations in the Great Lakes.
Observers have long marveled at the homing instinct that draws mature
salmon from the lakes back to the rivers and streams of their birth. But
measuring that return and explaining salmon habits have posed problems.
Researchers now believe they are on the brink of a new age in salmon
studies that could eventually bolster the sports fishing industry, improve
the salmon harvest and even tip off environmentalists of potential
problems before they become catastrophes.
By reading a chemical "signature" found on fish ear tissue, researchers
say they are able to pinpoint each salmon's home river. The discovery
could reveal which rivers are best suited to the fish and provide a huge
trove of information about salmon destinations in the Great Lakes.
"We've read about this and dreamed about this. Now, there's every
indication this method is going to work," said Dave Fielder, a Michigan
DNR research biologist based in Alpena.
|
|
Fielder referred to recent findings by a team of scientists from Dartmouth
College in Hanover, NH which studied bony tissue of young Atlantic salmon
in tributaries of the Connecticut River. Dartmouth scientists discovered
that traces of the element strontium from bedrock underlying salmon
streams are deposited in fish tissue. They believe strontium enters the
fish through their diet of algae and aquatic insects, and from stream
water flushing through gills.
"Basically, it's the idea that you are what you eat," said Page
Chamberlain, a Dartmouth geochemist who worked on the project.
Measurement of the strontium leads to a unique signature that researchers
say distinguishes salmon from different streams. The process may also hold
true for other elements such as nitrogen, and provide biologists with an
even more exact index of a fish's native waters.
Fishermen believe the information could have wide applications, possibly
leading to matters beyond the salmon themselves.
Scientist turn to DNR to help restore Pike
|
|
USFWS Press Releases
