Entrainment of Larval Fish by the Douglas Point Generating Station, Lake Huron, in Relation to Seasonal Succession and Distribution

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Authors: Kelso, John R. M., Leslie, John K.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1979
• Subjects: General Medicine; Cottus cognatus; Slimy sculpin
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f79-005; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f79-005

Larval fish were sampled by net in Lake Huron and the Douglas Point generating station throughout spring, summer, and early fall 1975. Dominance shifted from fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) to rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) then to ale-wife (Alosa pseudoharengus) from late April to late September. Entrainment of the major species paralleled dominance and abundance observed in the lake, but yellow perch (Perca flavescens), brook stickleback (Eucalia inconstans), and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) caught in the lake — each ranging from 5 to 25% of the total catch — were not entrained. Conversely, white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) was entrained but not captured in the lake. Size of individuals entrained, upper limit approx. 40 mm, paralleled size of individuals in the lake. Vertical distribution, and thus proximity to the submerged intake, greatly influenced entrainment rate. Key words: larval fish, entrainment, power plant, distribution, abundance.