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Statue of Aquatic Nuisance Species in Lake Huron
•It is now estimated that there are as many as 140 species of non-indigenous aquatic species in the Great Lakes basin
•At least 80 of those are found in LH
•Represented by species of plants, fish, invertebrates, and algae
•Numerous pathways by which these species have entered, and continue to enter Lake Huron •Ballast water receives the most attention because of some of the recent high profile exotics that are believed to have entered via •The open connectedness of the GL system, connecting waterways – including canals, allows for passive entry (Sea Lamprey), as well as inter and intra-lake movement
•Boats
•Bait fish release: species= round goby inland Shiawassee R. nr Flint
Title
-Number of exotic species in Lake Huron, many of which receive a lot of attention
-Fish – sea lamprey we have already had presentation on
- ruffe and goby – most of this presentation will focus on
-Zebra/Quagga mussels – continue to expand and in new locations rapid increase in abundance in new locations (DeTour) - some of the possible ecological impacts discussed by Tom N. and Marc T.??
-B.C. – present but not much known of ecological impacts
Ruffe in Lake Huron
•Thunder Bay River discovery, 1995
•Population has been monitored annually since 1996
•Surveillance to monitor possible range expansion – remains confined to Thunder Bay •Possible benefits of Voluntary Ballast Management Program implemented by GL Carriers Assoc. in 1996 when first significant increase in population noted
Concerns:
Competition with native species for food or habitat
•Relative abundance has been increasing gradually as measured by fall bottom trawling in Thunder Bay •Sharp increase in 1999, feared exponential increase observed in Duluth Harbor
•However, CPE very low in 2000 – reasons (temps, breakwall construction??)
•Better than 90% YOY – no significant overwinter survival
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Eff= 119.5M 135.5M 179 M 119 M 131 M RUF 0.25/M 0.34/M 0.78/M 3.95/M 0.13/M #9 #6 #5 #3 #4
•As a component of the Thunder Bay fish community, as encountered in bottom trawling, not significant with the exception of 1999 •Again, mostly YOY and no major overwinter survival – so even though major YC in 1999 – did not translate into 1+ population increase – again 2000 may have not been representative – continued monitoring will determine
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Catch= 7758 1069 4274 2477 996 RUF <1% 4% 3% 19% 2% #9 #6 #5 #3 #4 1=STS 1=STS 1=TRP 1=ROG 1=ROG 2=WHS 2=TRP 2=ALE 2=STS 2=TRP 3=YEP 3=EMS 3=STS 3=STS
•Much different – may be a real “wildfire”, spreading rapidly, abundance sharply increasing everywhere •In essentially every bay sampled, reports from sport anglers coming in from numerous locations
Round goby in Lake Huron
U.S.
Presque Isle Harbor, Thunder Bay, Tawas Bay, Saginaw River, Harbor Beach, Port Sanilac, Lexington, Shiawassee River & Flint River
ONT
Sarnia, Goderich, Bayfiled, Grand Bend, Port Franks, Port Severn
Tubenose goby in Lake Huron
Not detected in Huron to our knowledge - in tributaries to St. Clair R and Lake Erie
Characteristics detering spread: 
1. Smaller size and vegetative habitat vs rocky
2. slow water species - can’t fight current in St. Clair R. to get upstream into Huron 3. Does not eat zm - possibly limiting distribution (unlike round which eats zm and has benefitted from spread of zm)
•Relative abundance as measured by CPE increasing rapidly in Thunder Bay where monitored closest
•That trend continued in 2000
Round Goby First discovered in Thunder Bay in Oct. 1997
First caught in Trawling efforts in Sept. 1998
1998 TEffort=179 M 1999 TEffort=119 M  2000 TEffort=131 M T. Catch=4274 T. Catch=2477 T. Catch=996 ROG 0.95/min #4 ROG 5.8/min #1 ROG 6.34/min #1 #1 TRP= 13.0/min #2 STS= 5.06/min #2 TRP= 0.75/min #2 ALE= 3.74/min #3 RUF= 3.95/min #3 STS= 0.22/min #3 STS=3.7/min #4 YEP=1.75/min #4 RUF=0.13/min
•Rapidly becoming most abundant species in TB fish community sampled with fall bottom trawling
•Represented 83% in 2000
Round Goby First discovered in Thunder Bay in Oct. 1997
First caught in Trawling efforts in Sept. 1998
1998 TCatch= 4274 1999 TCatch= 2477 2000 TCatch= 996 Effort=179 Min Effort=119 Min Effort=131 Min ROG 4%TC (171) #4 ROG 24%TC (690) #1 ROG 83%TC (831) #1 #1 TRP= 54.6% TC #2 STS= 24% TC #2 TRP= 10% TC #2 ALE= 15.6% TC #3 RUF= 19% TC #3 STS= 3% TC #3 STS=15.5% TC #4 YEP=8% TC #4 RUF=2% TC
•This phenomenon not restricted to TB
•#1 in abundance in 2000 in TB – first confirmed in fall of 1997 by sport caught fish
•#1 in abundance in 2000 in Tawas Bay – first confirmed in 1998
•#3 in abundance in 2000 at mouth of Saginaw R. (Essexville) – first confirmed in 1997 •This trend likely in all new sites and present major concerns for impacts to fish community
LaFarge Ship Channel Corp (first found in 1998)
2000 Catch: #1 =ROG (100%)
TOTAL CATCH=12; EFFORT=20.5 M BT
1999 ROG #1 = 77% OF TOTAL CATCH
National Gypsum (first found in 1998)
2000 Catch: #1 =ROG (86%); 2 =STS (8%); 3 =WHP (3%); 4 =ALE (3%)
TOTAL CATCH=100; EFFORT=30 M BT
1999 ROG #1 = 83% OF TOTAL CATCH
Saginaw River (first found in 1997)
2000 Catch: 1 =FRD (47%); 2 =CHC (36%); 3 =ROG (8%)
TOTAL CATCH=169; EFFORT=30.5 M BT
OTHER= GIS (10%), WHP (2%), STS (.5%), QUB (.5%)
1999 ROG #3 = 12% OF TOTAL CATCH
•What adds to the concerns is data provided by USGS fall forage trawling offshore in 1999
•Most abundant at 37 m and found in abundance all the way out to 73 m
•This presents concerns for lake trout and other LH species that spawn offshore •Overall more concerned with goby trends and potential impacts to fish communtiy
- aggressive behavior, proliferation
•
Catch at depth of round gobies at three sites in southern Lake Huron (data from all sites were pooled)
Spread in distribution to deepwater areas in southern areas of lake
-up to 70 m depth but most abund at 37m;  small <100mm
-offshore waters warm in 99 (9-10C), could be depth/temp phenomenon
97=1, 98=3, 99=480 - only at southern lake sites (temp trends offshr in N?)
•Lakewide
•Recent reports in DeTour area
•Rapid increase in abundance at new locations, plateau at older sites
•Not monitored regularly in Lake Huron
•Ecological impacts may yet to be determined – Tom N.
•Need for icnreased monitoring and ecological impacts
•B.C. present in Lake Huron
•Ecological impacts not well studied
•Management measures being taken
•Ballast control (GLCA self-imposed), other studies on ballast treatment options •Continued education of publics to help prevent the spread, especially inland spread •Obvious need for continued monitoring and research to better understand impacts and develop control methodologies •Regulation of sport boating community, bait fish harvest and use of exotics as bait
•Legislation to help control importation