1986 News Brief

• The commission granted the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) membership status on the Lake Superior Committee, understanding GLIFWC to be the authorized agent of tribes with treaty fishing rights.

Canadian Section:                       U.S. Section:

Patrick S. Chamut, Vice-Chair           William P. Horn, Chair
John C. Davis (nominee)                 W. Mason Lawrence
Arthur S. Holder                        James M. Ridenour
Henry A. Regier                         Claude Ver Duin

Sea Lamprey Management and Research

• The commission established a St. Marys River Task Force to provide a technical assessment of sea lamprey infestation in the St. Marys River.
• The commission approved funding for a sea lamprey barrier on Michigan's Pere Marquette River, pending development of a suitable design.
• The commission provided funds to modify the barrier on Michigan's East Branch, Au Gres River tributary.
• The development of a request for proposal for a study on identification of trace elements in lamprey statoliths was approved. The purpose of this study was to allow identification of streams of origin.
• American Biogenics Laboratories received a contract from the commission to conduct toxicity tests necessary for establishment of a tolerance for TFM in meat, fish, milk, and potable water.
• In cooperation with the University of Wisconsin, the commission funded USFWS Region 3's development of a prototype electrofisher for lampreys.
• The commission purchased a test batch of a new bottom formulation of TFM-clay-salt for field testing by Hammond Bay.

Fishery Management, Environment, and Research

• The commission funded the Lake Erie Committee in the development of a walleye database.
• The Habitat Advisory Board was directed to identify priorities from the resource point of view for Superfund, remedial action plans, and similar cleanup programs, and to develop a contaminant policy and action plan.
• Dr. Warren Flint (SUNY) received funds for a report on the state of the Lake Ontario ecosystem.
• Dr. Joe Koonce (Case Western Reserve) received funds to model Lake Ontario sea lamprey/lake trout interactions.
• Dr. Nancy Holm (Illinois State Geological Survey) received funds to develop an inventory of lake trout research.
• The commission provided Dr. Dan Talhelm (MSU) with funds to demonstrate usefulness of socioeconomic studies in Lake Michigan fisheries management.
• The commission approved for further development proposals for assessment of degraded lake trout spawning shoals, for assessment of predation on lake trout eggs and fry, for identification of lake trout stocks using genomic DNA markers, for mapping lake trout spawning shoals, and for study of attitudes and behavior of fishery clients.

Publications

• The Lake Trout Rehabilitation Model Program Documentation, by Walters, Jacobson, and Spangler. (SP 86-1)
• Pathology of Sea Lamprey Inflicted Wounds on Rainbow Trout, by Kinnunen and Johnson. (TR 48)
• Managing the Great Lakes as a Home, by Christie, Becker, Cowden, and Vallentyne.Committee Action, Resolutions, and Reports

Lake Committees

• The Council of Lake Committees urged each Lake Trout Technical Committee to document requirements for coded-wire-tags and for offshore stocking as specified in the plans and individual agencies' independent requirements for tagging and offshore stocking. The Lakes Superior and Huron technical committees were encouraged to incorporate performance indicators into their lake trout rehabilitation plans.
• The Lake Erie Committee agreed that it was important to develop objectives for Lake Erie fish community structure, which would fit under the SGLFMP goal statement. The committee approved and recommended that the commission fund the Walleye Task Group's development of a centralized database, as outlined in Gary Isbel's (Ohio DNR) proposal.
• The Lake Huron Committee invited the Lake Trout Technical Committee to begin addressing questions of forage and species interactions. The committee requested a meeting with the commission to scope information needs for determining the magnitude of the St. Marys River sea lamprey problems, identifying the nature of management and control actions that were warranted, and, if necessary, making a case for additional resources to conduct any management or control actions.
• The Lake Michigan Committee expressed concern about reduced growth rates of chinook salmon and declining alewife stocks. The concern was reflected in 10% cutbacks in salmon stocking by Michigan and Wisconsin and a hold-the-line position by Indiana.
• The Lake Ontario Committee agreed to draft a letter to agencies regarding the importance of funding for collection and analysis in the 1987 fish tumor survey. Clif Schneider (NYDEC) was asked to collaborate with Joe Koonce (Case Western Reserve) to develop models for Lake Ontario which would quantify lamprey populations and lamprey-induced mortality.
• The Lake Superior Committee established a Habitat Subcommittee to develop a Lake Superior habitat plan, to facilitate incorporation of fishery input into IJC remedial programs, and to ensure fishery agency participation in review of the 1978 Water Quality Agreement. The committee adopted the Lake Trout Technical Committee's lake trout rehabilitation plan and further recommended that "special rehabilitation study areas" be found for areas like the Huron Islands.

Board of Technical Experts

• Established lake trout research as a task area with U.S. and Canadian co-chairs charged with focusing research on perceived impediments to lake trout restoration in the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes Fish Disease Control Committee

• Reported that enteric redmouth disease (ERM) and epizootic epitheliocystis disease (later identified as EED) were recurring problems, and that maintaining the voluntary ban on imports from infectious hermatopoietic necrosis (IHNV) enzootic areas remained difficult. The committee decided to pursue a fish health database as a tool for use by both fish health and fish management biologists. The committee noted that EED had been associated with significant losses of lake troutin Michigan.

Habitat Advisory Board

• Reported improved coordination with agencies and Great Lakes organizations. The Habitat Planning and Management Task Force completed its guidelines for fish habitat planning and management in the Great Lakes. The board noted that record high waters were causing great public and governmental concern.

Communications

• The commission contracted with Meyer Resources for study of public perceptions of sea lamprey control in the Great Lakes.
• The commission sent a letter to IJC Commissioners on the need for fishery agency participation in addressing areas of concern in remedial action plans.

1986 Budget

                                                United States           Canada          Total
Total                                           $4,730,000              $2,194,874      $6,924,874