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Use of Bioenergetics Models to Predict the Effect of Increased Lake Trout Predation on Rainbow Smelt following Sea Lamprey Control
Author(s) -
Labar George W.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1993)122<0942:uobmtp>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - rainbow trout , petromyzon , lamprey , smelt , salvelinus , predation , trout , fishery , biology , bioenergetics , coregonus , ecology , environmental science , fish <actinopterygii> , mitochondrion , microbiology and biotechnology
Chemical control ofsea lamprey Petromyzon marinus in Lake Champlain is predicted to cause a 5% increase in annual survival of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush . I used bioenergetics models to predict that this 5% increase in lake trout survival would result in a 70% increase in lake trout biomass and a subsequent 70% increase in lake trout consumption of rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax . However, because rainbow smelt are so abundant, this would cause only a 3% increase in rainbow smelt mortality. With a concomitant decrease in rainbow smelt cannibalism caused by increased lake trout predation on older fish, natural fluctuations in the smelt stocks may mask any effect of increased lake trout predation on rainbow smelt abundance.