Movement and growth indicators in resident and adfluvial coaster brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the Hurricane River, Lake Superior, Michigan, USA

Biological Consequences of the Coaster Brook Trout Restoration Stocking Program in Lake Superior Tributaries within Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

“…Previous assessments of Brook Trout in PRNL indicated that the movement timing and condition of stocked Brook Trout in the Mosquito River, Sevenmile Creek, and the Hurricane River were similar to those demonstrated by wild Brook Trout in the same streams (Stimmell 2006;Kusnierz et al 2009). Emigration of stocked Brook Trout to Lake Superior primarily occurred during the spring and fall, but no returns to the stream of release were documented.…”

“…Unclipped emigrants (i.e., wild adfluvial coaster Brook Trout) were more closely related to wild Brook Trout than to the Tobin Harbor strain, suggesting that the majority of the wild Brook Trout detected by use of telemetry were not stocked fish. Stimmell (2006) and Kusnierz et al (2009) documented some returns of Brook Trout that had migrated into Lake Superior from tributaries within PRNL, which confirms the migratory nature of the movements of wild fish, although dispersal may also occur.…”

Fish movement and migration studies in the Laurentian Great Lakes: Research trends and knowledge gaps

“…), lake trout Kelso and Gardner, 2000 Habitat use, reproductive biology, invasive species Lake Superior Radio telemetry Sea lamprey Kelso, 1976 Environmental relations and disturbance Lake Erie Acoustic telemetry Yellow perch, white sucker (Catostomus comersoni) Kelso, 1974 Environmental relations and disturbance Lake Ontario Acoustic telemetry Brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) Kelso and Kwain, 1984 Reproductive biology Lake Superior Acoustic telemetry Rainbow trout Kelso et al, 2001 Invasive species Carp River, Ontario; Lake Superior Radio telemetry Sea lamprey Kelso and Noltie, 1990 Invasive species, barriers and fish passage Carp River and Pancake River, Ontario Mark-recapture Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), coho salmon, Chinook salmon Kennedy et al, 2005 Reproductive biology St. Marys River, Michigan Gill net Pink Salmon Klingler et al, 2003 Reproductive biology Lake Superior tributaries Trap Rainbow trout, longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus), white sucker, rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) Kocik and Taylor, 1987 Diet and trophic niche Lake Huron Angling Pink salmon Kusnierz et al, 2009 Reproductive Newman et al, 1999 Habitat use Lake Superior Radio telemetry Brook trout Noltie, 1990 Reproductive biology, environmental relations and disturbance Carp River, Ontario; Lake Superior Mark-recapture Pink salmon Porto et al, 1999 Invasive species, barriers and fish passage Lake Ontario Mark-recapture Various (n = 42) Pratt et al, 2009 Barriers and fish passage Big Carp River, Ontario PIT tags Rainbow trout, white sucker, rock bass Pycha and King, 1967 Stocking Lake Superior Mark-recapture Lake trout Pycha et al, 1965 Stocking Lake Superior Mark-recapture Lake trout (continued on next page) 369 Rahrer, 1968 Reproductive biology Lake Superior Mark-recapture Lake trout Ray and Corkum, 2001 Invasive species, habitat use Lake Erie Mark-recapture Round goby Romberg et al, 1974 Environmental relations and disturbance Lake Huron, Lake Michigan Mark-recapture Brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, brook trout, chinook salmon coho salmon, common carp Rybicki and Keller, 1978 Reproductive biology Lake Michigan Mark-recapture Lake trout Savitz and Treat, 2007 Reproductive biology Lake Michigan Radio telemetry Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) Schmalz et al, 2002 Stocking Lake Michigan Mark-recapture Lake trout Schreer and Cooke, 2002 Environmental relations and ...…”

“…For example, understanding the migratory movements of fishes through proposed fishway locations is of importance to biologists and managers whose goal is to increase recruitment or rehabilitate stocks by improving connectivity (Workman et al, 2002;Bunt et al, 2000). Coaster Brook Trout migratory movements are an aspect of this species' ecology that is poorly understood, but PIT tagging efforts revealed peak activity occurring in October and again in late spring and early summer (Kusnierz et al, 2009). Migratory movements can also be used to improve fisheries regulations as demonstrated by Huckins and Baker (2008) where a combination of population estimates and movements of coaster Brook Trout indicated that current harvest rates were unsustainable.…”

Genetic relationships and gene flow between resident and migratory brook trout in the Salmon Trout River

“…The STR in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the only river verified to be supporting a remnant and viable spawning population of coaster brook trout along the south shore of Lake Superior . Brook trout have been observed leaving other Lake Superior tributaries but they have not been detected returning to the rivers to spawn, for example, the Gratiot River, Keweenaw County (Carlson, 2003), and the Hurricane River in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (Kusnierz et al, 2009). Coaster brook trout are widely believed to provide a vehicle for dispersal (and gene flow) among tributary brook trout populations (e.g., D'Amelio and and represent a potentially important source for recolonization of other rivers.…”