Walleye Thriving Due to Absence of Alewives in Bay, Lake Huron, DNR Says
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Walleye normally mature to legal size at about age three
Anglers this winter have reported record catches of walleye on Lake Huron, Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River.
The big question is why are so many walleye just beneath "keeper" size.
Many of the catches of smaller walleye appear to be from the 2006 "class," that benefited from the Walleye Recovery Plan, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The larger (above 15 inches) catches are probably from the 2005 class that, according to DNR sources "appears to be even stronger than the previous two which suggests that the population and fishery will continue to grow."
Walleye normally mature to legal size at about age three, experts said.
The expansion of the population continues to be credited to the absence of adult alewives in the bay which are believed to prey upon newly hatched walleye," the DNR has stated.
The number of anglers seeking walleye has apparently grown exponentially this past winter as word spread of the thriving fishery in the Saginaw Bay and river.
Fishing pressure was reported flat or declining before this winter due to a lack of yellow perch to attract anglers, the DNR reported. However, this winter the situation changed drastically when word spread about the walleye bonanza.
Boat launch areas have consistently been jammed with cars, especially the Independence Bridge launch near the dock site for the future USS Edson museum ship display, and shanties popped up all along the river, even in downtown Bay City.
No walleye were stocked in Saginaw Bay during 2006 and 2007 since the bay's walleye population continued to show signs of further recovery and expansion, according to the DNR.
Reproductive success of walleye has greatly increased in the absence of alewives, DNR officials said, adding:
"Because of marking of stocked walleye with oxytetracycline (OTC), we know that the vast majority of these new strong year classes are wild or naturally reproduced walleye, not stocked.
"It was also anticipated that it is unlikely that extreme levels of reproductive success would be repeated year after year. Such a phenomenon is rare in walleye populations yet Saginaw Bay has already enjoyed three strong years of reproductive success in a row (2003 - 2005)."
The DNR stated that several strong year classes of walleye are now dominating the population and are beginning to contribute to the fishery. The 2005 year class now appears to be even stronger than the previous two which suggests that the population and fishery will continue to grow.
Growth rates of walleye have reached target levels, one of the indicators of expanding abundance in the Walleye Recovery Plan.
The food web in Lake Huron has undergone enormous change in recent years due to the colonization of various exotic species including zebra and quagga mussels. It is theorized that they have precipitated the decline in certain native invertebrates like diporeia that in turn support many of the open water bait fish. Alewives have declined the most.
The DNR has issued the following predictions:
"In the near term, the future looks bright for walleye and walleye fishing in Saginaw Bay.
"With more strong year classes yet to become fishable size, we can expect fishing to remain strong for the near term.
"The long term future will depend on to what degree natural reproduction remains strong, and that in turn will likely depend on future trends with alewives. It appears alewives will remain scarce for some time yet.
"Profound food web changes continue to play out in Lake Huron driven by the continued onslaught of exotic species. Other unknowns include the possible losses to VHS disease. It's not clear yet to what degree that will affect Saginaw Bay walleye."
To comment on management of the Saginaw Bay walleye fishery, contact: Tammy Newcomb, Lake Huron Basin Coordinator, P.O. Box 30446, Lansing, MI 48909,(517) 373-3375, DNR-LakeHuron@michigan.gov.
Informational contacts:
Jim Baker, Southern Lake Huron Unit Manager (989) 684-9141 x8070, Dave Fielder, Fisheries Research Biologist (989) 356-3232 x2572. ###
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