Factors influencing the abundance of three common nearshore fishes in south‐west Lake Michigan

• Published in: Fisheries management and ecology 2020-08, Vol.27 (4), p.303-313
• Main Authors: Stacy‐Duffy, William L., Thomas, Sara M., Wahl, David H., Czesny, Sergiusz J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abundance; alewife; Alosa pseudoharengus; Biotic factors; Fish; fish community; Fisheries; Fisheries management; Fishery management; Fishery production; Food chains; Food processing; Food webs; Foods; Freshwater fishes; Gillnets; habitat; Interspecific; Interspecific relationships; invasive species; Lakes; Marine fishes; Neogobius melanostomus; Perca flavescens; Processing fishery products; round goby; Species; Substrates; yellow perch
• ISSN: 0969-997X; 1365-2400
• DOI: 10.1111/fme.12413

Variation in the distribution and abundance of nearshore fishes is critical to understand food web processes and fishery management issues in Lake Michigan. This study characterised patterns in abundance of three common nearshore species, yellow perch Perca flavescens (Mitchell), round goby Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas) and alewife Alosa pseudoharengus (Wilson), in relation to spatio‐temporal, abiotic and biotic factors using gillnet sampling conducted across 5 years at multiple locations representing different substrates. Significant variations were observed in alewife and round goby catches between locations. A negative relationship between round goby and age‐0 yellow perch catch was observed, indicating potential competition between the two species. This study demonstrates that variability in nearshore fish communities can be driven by factors including substrate and interspecific interactions. Given the prominent role these species play in Lake Michigan's food web and thus their importance to fishery production, a thorough understanding of these factors is warranted.