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Understanding the walleye population goal of 3-year study |
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The Advertiser-Tribune
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Understanding the reasons behind a decline in walleye populations is
the goal of a three-year study on the Sandusky River and Sandusky Bay. During the study — which began last spring and is to continue through
next year — biologists are tracking walleye movement during spring
spawning runs in the river and bay to help them understand why
populations have been declining over the past 30 years.
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“That’s essentially what we’re trying to find out,” said Jeff Tyson, fisheries biology supervisor with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. “The Sandusky River (spawning population) has declined over the last 30 years, and we don’t think they’re reaching their reproductive potential.”
Biologists implanted radio transmitters into 50 walleye during 2005-06 and are monitoring individual fish using a combination of remote data logging stations, as well as boat-based and aerial tracking.
“We initiated the study last year and tagged 50 walleye that we suspected were Sandusky River fish,” Tyson said, because of their proximity to the river last spring.
Of the 34 fish detected last spring, four made it upriver to spawning grounds. So far this year, one fish has been found in the river.
“We have pretty good evidence that walleye are a lot like salmon,” Tyson said, meaning they return to spawn in the same river where they began their own lives.
Besides the behavioral difference, he said the Division of Wildlife is researching ways of discriminating among, for example, a fish from the Sandusky River and a fish from the Maumee River.
“That’s a really useful piece of information for us from a management standpoint,” he said.
The study is designed to follow the movement patterns of walleye in the Sandusky River and Bay, locate additional locations within the river and bay and document the amount of repeat spawning — across years — that occurs for this population.
Tyson said some fish are spawning outside the river, which is not as desirable because the river provides better spawning habitats.
“We think that they are spawning in the bay,” he said. “We haven’t documented it yet.”
Eggs in the bay can be covered with sediment because there is less water flow that in the river.
This year, Tyson said his office is planning to expand the study by collecting eggs at locations where fish are spawning and then hatching them.
Transmitters implanted in walleye should last for about three years.
Fish can be distinguished by antennae protruding from their stomachs. Anglers who catch one are urged to contact the Division of Wildlife’s Sandusky Fisheries Research Unit at (419) 625-8062 and provide information on fish size, location and jaw tag number if present.
If possible, anglers are asked to release transmitter-bearing walleye.
Anglers also are encouraged to observe and ask questions if they see Division of Wildlife biologists working on this research in and around Sandusky Bay and River during the next several springs. There are three remote data logging stations — one below the spawning ground in Fremont, one at the mouth of the river and a third at Sandusky Bay bridge.
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