Across the great lakes, muskellunge were extirpated from many areas, including green BAY, due to environmental degradation (e.g., siltation, wetland loss, pollution) that reduced or eliminated…

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $198,551.37 Project Grant to the University of Wisconsin System under the Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance program (CFDA 15.608) with an award date of January 1, 2024 and a completion date of December 31, 2025. The project aims to determine if successful natural reproduction of muskellunge is occurring in open-water locations in Green Bay, Wisconsin, including the Sturgeon Bay area. Key objectives are to 1) assess whether muskellunge spawning in the Sturgeon Bay area contributes to the overall population in southern Green Bay, 2) identify spawning habitat characteristics associated with successful hatching, and 3) track adult muskellunge movements using acoustic telemetry. The grant will support one graduate student and result in at least one peer-reviewed publication, as well as presentations to professional organizations and the general public to raise awareness about the project.

Across the great lakes, muskellunge were extirpated from many areas, including green BAY, due to environmental degradation (e.g., siltation, wetland loss, pollution) that reduced or eliminated successful natural reproduction. Specifically, fisheries restoration efforts focused on lower green BAY include the RE-establishment of a self-sustaining muskellunge population as a goal. Habitat restoration in the southern green BAY has specifically targeted muskellunge in locations such as the CAT island chain and the duck creek estuary. Stocking efforts have established a world-renowned fishery for muskellunge within green BAY, but there has been little evidence of successful natural reproduction and the population remains reliant on stocking to sustain the fishery. Spawning in southern green BAY that occurs outside of tributaries could represent a potential source of successful natural reproduction that has not been thoroughly assessed. Furthermore, limited evidence suggests that at least some muskellunge spawn in the sturgeon BAY area (e.g., little sturgeon BAY, sawyer harbor) but IT is unknown if these fish contribute to the population of muskellunge in southern green BAY. Determining if successful natural reproduction of muskellunge is occurring outside of green bays tributaries has important implications for meeting ecosystem recovery goals through stocking and habitat restoration. Limited evidence suggests stocked muskellunge return to stocking locations to spawn. Hence, stocking fish in locations where successful hatching occurs may enhance natural recruitment and help inform habitat restoration, but these locations must first be identified. Our research goals are to determine if successful natural reproduction is occurring at potential spawning locations in southern green BAY identified via remote tracking (telemetry) of adults, and sampling sites that were identified as potential spawning sites in previous research. Additionally, we seek to better understand the potential contribution of adult muskellunge spawning in the sturgeon BAY area to the population of fish in southern green BAY and to determine if successful natural reproduction is occurring within the sturgeon BAY area. Spawning habitat identified by previous research in lower green BAY will be sampled to determine if EGG deposition and larval muskellunge are present. In sturgeon BAY, adult muskellunge will be implanted with acoustic telemetry tags to track their movements throughout the course of the study utilizing the telemetry grid in green BAY. Spawning habitat and larval fish surveys will also be conducted in sturgeon BAY. Tobjectives: to determine if: 1) successful hatching is occurring at open-water locations in green BAY, including locations in the sturgeon BAY area 2) presence of eggs or larval muskellunge at a location is related to a suite of habitat characteristics including distance to shore, bottom slope, depth, dissolved oxygen, substrate type, and aquatic vegetation, and 3) muskellunge spawning in the sturgeon BAY area contribute to the overall population in southern green BAY.deliverables: 1) support one graduate student and produce at least one scientific publication in a peer reviewed journal 2) presentations at the wisconsin state chapter meeting of the american fisheries society highlighting the beginning of the proposal 3) presentations at local conservation organizations such as muskies, INC. To raise awareness with the general public about the project and 4) the graduate student is responsible for completing the proposal and completing their graduate thesis and thesis defense, including a public seminar.