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Lake Huron Fish Community Structure Based on Gill‐Net Catches Corrected for Selectivity and Encounter Probability
Author(s) -
Spangler George R.,
Collins John J.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8675(1992)012<0585:lhfcsb>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - fishery , perch , coregonus , bay , abundance (ecology) , smelt , fauna , alewife , netting , relative species abundance , environmental science , planktivore , ecology , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , oceanography , geology , phytoplankton , nutrient , political science , law
This paper describes the depth distributions and numeric abundance of fishes in the Canadian waters of Lake Huron based upon size‐corrected results of experimental netting from 1958 through 1968. Gill‐net catches were corrected for encounter probabilities based on the positive correlation between fish size and swimming speed and for retention probability offish of different sizes once they encounter the net. A 3‐parameter gamma function was used to fit net‐selectivity curves for 13 Great Lakes species. Comparison of raw with corrected catches for Georgian Bay showed that the former exaggerated the relative abundance of deep‐water coregonines Coregonus spp. in the deepest strata and overrepresented the abundance of yellow perch Perca flavescens and lake chub Couesius plumbeus in the shallowest waters. Corrections resulted in status changes for several species that are major segments of the fish community. Nearly two decades after the collapse of the top‐level native piscivores, Georgian Bay retained much of the character of the fish fauna prevailing before establishment of exotic species. Deep‐water coregonines dominated the community at depths below 50 m. The main basin and North Channel supported major populations of rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax and alewives Alosa pseudoharengus ; rainbow smelt abundance increased with depth. Deep‐water coregonines formed a substantial proportion of the fauna in all basins of the lake, Smaller benthic and littoral‐zone species were well represented in the shallower areas (less than 20 m deep) and were gradually dominated by rainbow smelt, alewives, and coregonines as depth increased. The three basins differed in fish species composition to a greater extent than would be predicted on the basis of their bathymetries. None of the larger species of piscivores characteristic of North American oligotrophic lakes were present in large numbers during the term of this study.