Identification and Evaluation of Lake Whitefish and Herring Spawning Grounds in the Saint Marys River Area

• Main Authors: Behmer, David J., Gleason, Gale R., Gorenflo, Thomas
• Other Authors: LAKE SUPERIOR STATE COLL SAULT STE MARIE MI DEPT OF BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1980
• Subjects: Biology; *FISHERIES; SEASONS; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT; WINTER; NAVIGATION; RIVERS; EGGS; WEST(DIRECTION); CHANNELS; FISHES; ISLANDS; SHORES; SUGARS; OFFSHORE; CUTTING; MICHIGAN; SITES; ROCK; Rock Cut; Shingle Bay; St. Marys River; Sugar Island; Burbot; Lota lota; lota
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA196077; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA196077

A potential environmental impact of winter navigation on the St. Marys River (Michigan) is reduction in hatching success of fish eggs that incubate during the winter months. Fall or winter spawners that occur in the St. Marys River include whitefishes (subfamily Coregoninae) and the burbot (Lota lota). The lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and ciscoes/lake herring (Coregonus artedii) are the most important species from a commercial or sport-fishing standpoint. The spawning season of coregonines in the St. Marys River along the west shore of Sugar Island and in the West Channel was monitored with graded-mesh gill nets. Of 216 coregonines collected, 208 were ciscoes and 8 lake white fish. Spent fish first appeared in the samples November 7 and essentially all fish collected November 28 had spawned. Pumping was used to collect coregonine eggs and locate spawning grounds. A cisco spawning ground was located at study site I, below the rock cut in the West Neebish Channel; a total of 29 cisco eggs were collected. Six eggs (four lake whitefish and two cisco) were collected at study site A, offshore of Sugar Island about 1.5 miles north of 9 - mile Point. An additional lake whitefish eggs was collected near Shingle Bay, Sugar Island. However extensive searching near Shingle Bay and south of Shingle Bay failed to produce additional eggs; therefore spawning in this area remains unconfirmed.