Fish Assemblage Shifts and Population Dynamics of Smallmouth Bass in the Beaver Archipelago, Northern Lake Michigan: A Comparison between Historical and Recent Time Periods amidst Ecosystem Changes

Abstract

The ecological and economic importance of Great Lakes nearshore areas and the paucity of information on nearshore Lake Michigan fish assemblages prompted us to document changes that occurred from a historical time period (1969–1972, 1975, 1977, and 1984) to a recent period (2005–2008) in a nearshore northern Lake Michigan (Beaver Archipelago) fish assemblage, with an emphasis on smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu. From historical to recent periods, the Beaver Archipelago fish assemblage shifted from predominantly brown bullheads Ameiurus nebulosus to predominantly smallmouth bass. Relative abundance of brown bullheads and white suckers Catostomus commersonii declined from historical to recent time periods, as did overall species richness. The relative abundance, recruitment variability, and mortality rates of smallmouth bass have not significantly changed since the historical time period, whereas both condition (ages 5–7) and growth (ages 2–7) of this species have significantly increased. Our results suggest that the smallmouth bass population in the Beaver Archipelago area has not been negatively affected by recent ecological changes (i.e., declining primary productivity, increasing benthic invertebrate densities, increasing numbers of double‐crested cormorants Phalacrocorax auritus, and increasing introductions of nonnative species). The smallmouth bass is currently the dominant nearshore species and remains a critical component of the nearshore fish assemblage in northern Lake Michigan.

Invasive species sustain double-crested cormorants in southern Lake Michigan

“…At Oneida Lake, just east of Lake Ontario, cormorants were the likely cause of a major decline in the yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and walleye (Sander vitreus) sport fisheries (Rudstam et al, 2004). However, they have not negatively affected the smallmouth bass fishery at the Beaver Archipelago in northern Lake Michigan (Kaemingk et al, 2012) where they primarily consume invasive alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) (Seefelt and Gillingham, 2008). Additionally, abundant invasive species may help buffer against predation on economically important fish (Coleman et al, 2012;Johnson et al, 2010).…”

Walleye Foraging Ecology in an Interconnected Chain of Lakes Influenced by Nonnative Species

“…These differing results highlight the variability in native species' responses to nonnative species. In the Laurentian Great Lakes, studies have historically focused on the influence of individual nonnative species, but recently the focus has broadened to include evaluation of native piscivores' foraging ecology in the presence of trophic shifts and multiple nonnative species (Campbell et al 2009;Kaemingk et al 2012;Pothoven and Madenjian 2013;He et al 2015). The appropriateness of downscaling results from the Laurentian Great Lakes to inland lakes is unknown, thus highlighting the need to determine how the trophic ecology of native predators will respond to the presence of multiple nonnative species in small inland lakes.…”

Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) on the Move in the Beaver Archipelago, Northern Lake Michigan

“…Widespread nest failure due to control in 2010 prompted cormorants to colonize other islands and disperse prematurely in 2010. Food web changes also have the potential to affect densities of Double-crested Cormorants (Ridgway 2010); changing fish communities in the Beaver Archipelago (Kaemingk et al 2012) and in Lake Michigan (Bunnell 2012) likely played a role in the decrease in abundance of cormorants. Round gobies could function as a low-density food source, which may further decrease cormorant productivity over time (Van Guilder and Seefelt 2013).…”

“…Despite past reliance on alewives, stomach and regurgitate analyses indicate that newly invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) currently make up a significant proportion of the diet of Great Lakes cormorants (Johnson et al 2010). Round gobies appeared in the archipelago in 2006 (Kaemingk et al 2012), and in 2009-2010 round gobies made up 63-82% of identifiable fish species counted in regurgitate and stomach samples from cormorants in the area (Tucker 2011). In the Great Lakes region, the increase in cormorant numbers is seen as an explanation for a reduction in fish populations of sport and commercial interest (Lantry et al 2002;Rudstam et al 2004;Fielder 2008; but see Diana 2010). Control activities (culling adult cormorants and oiling eggs), which can displace adults to new locations or increase abundance on non-targeted colonies (Mott et al 1998;Glahn et al 2000;Duerr et al 2007;Dorr et al 2010), were implemented in the Beaver Archipelago in 2007.…”