Oral Presentations - Session 2D: UC 332
Post-Surgery Survival in Lake Erie Walleye
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Lisa Eby
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Ecosystem and Conservation Science
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Lake Erie is the most productive and economically important fishery in the Great Lakes. In Lake Erie, Walleye (Sander vitreus) are one of the most sought after fish species. Because of their economic importance, fisheries biologists are studying their mortality, spatial ecology, and spawning migration movements. To estimate mortality in large aquatic ecosystems, we often tag individual fish and follow their fate. The capture, handling, and tagging procedure can result in stress and mortality that need to be determined for accurate estimates of annual natural mortality. The purpose of my project was to use acoustic telemetry to determine the post-tagging mortality of 100 Walleye in the Sandusky River stock and examine whether mortality rate was associated with sex, size, or date released. Walleye were collected in the Sandusky River over the course of three days: the 2nd, 10th, and 16th of April 2014. Once captured, individuals were implanted with transmitters and released. There were a total of six receivers used to detect tagged individuals moving downstream from the spawning area. The number and pattern of detections from each individual was used to determine mortality. Twenty-two Walleye (15 males and 7 females) out of 95 non-harvested Walleye (46 males and 49 females) died within the river or bay during the observation period, which ran from the release date to early June. There was no statistical difference in mortality between individuals based on length, sex, or release date. Now that the post-tagging mortality has been determined, the surviving Walleye will be used to determine natural mortality when they return next season to spawn.
Category
Life Sciences
Post-Surgery Survival in Lake Erie Walleye
UC 332
Lake Erie is the most productive and economically important fishery in the Great Lakes. In Lake Erie, Walleye (Sander vitreus) are one of the most sought after fish species. Because of their economic importance, fisheries biologists are studying their mortality, spatial ecology, and spawning migration movements. To estimate mortality in large aquatic ecosystems, we often tag individual fish and follow their fate. The capture, handling, and tagging procedure can result in stress and mortality that need to be determined for accurate estimates of annual natural mortality. The purpose of my project was to use acoustic telemetry to determine the post-tagging mortality of 100 Walleye in the Sandusky River stock and examine whether mortality rate was associated with sex, size, or date released. Walleye were collected in the Sandusky River over the course of three days: the 2nd, 10th, and 16th of April 2014. Once captured, individuals were implanted with transmitters and released. There were a total of six receivers used to detect tagged individuals moving downstream from the spawning area. The number and pattern of detections from each individual was used to determine mortality. Twenty-two Walleye (15 males and 7 females) out of 95 non-harvested Walleye (46 males and 49 females) died within the river or bay during the observation period, which ran from the release date to early June. There was no statistical difference in mortality between individuals based on length, sex, or release date. Now that the post-tagging mortality has been determined, the surviving Walleye will be used to determine natural mortality when they return next season to spawn.