Walleye culture, stocking and management represents one of the most intensive and expensive aspects of fisheries management for many midwestern water bodies

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $173,140 Multistate Conservation Grant to the American Fisheries Society (AFS) to continue investigations initiated in the Iowa Walleye Challenge, a successful fishing tournament pilot that collected critical data on walleye populations through angler-reported catch data. This project aims to build on this approach by expanding the initiative to include additional Midwest state partners (Illinois, Manitoba, Nebraska, and Wisconsin) to improve the ability of fisheries biologists in these jurisdictions to monitor and manage walleye fisheries. The project will leverage angler participation and mobile app technology to gather length-frequency and catch rate data that can supplement traditional, resource-intensive survey methods. Funding will support the implementation and analysis of this citizen science data collection effort across the Midwest region.

Monitoring of these efforts is a critical part of these management programs in order for biologists to assess the status of their management strategies. However, these methods are resource intensive, which means only a small number of priority water bodies can be surveyed each year, leaving most walleye fisheries unmonitored. In iowa, around 100 aquatic systems are annually stocked with or provide walleye fisheries, yet less than 10 of those systems can be regularly monitored to assess the outcomes of the investment of hatchery resources. Regionally, wisconsin monitors walleye lakes on a 14-year rotating basis, and michigan on a 10-year rotating basis. These gaps in standardized sampling illustrate a significant need regarding data acquisition and population monitoring and this project is intended to create and expand a new standard strategy for research, survey, data collection and analysis. Anglers can play an important role in addressing this management challenge, and the state of iowa in 2022 and 2023 piloted a state-wide fishing tournament using a mobile APP to address this knowledge GAP in their management plan. Unlike conventional fishing tournaments, this event incentivized anglers to report all fish caught (including when no fish were caught) in order to collect critical length-frequency and angler catch rate data needed to support the states walleye management plan. Angler-derived data from this event was compared with conventional survey and creel methods to determine the feasibility of this approach, and initial results were promising. Utilizing these new methodologies allows for quick identification of areas that may need greater investigation of populations via traditional means, which would likely otherwise go undetected. The purpose of this project is to continue the investigations initiated in the iowa event (iowa walleye challenge), build on this success by adding regional partners (illinois, manitoba, nebraska and wisconsin), and extend the benefits to states across the midwest in order to improve the ability of fisheries biologist in these jurisdictions to manage their walleye fisheries. The high cost of traditional creel surveys and standardized sampling eliminate those techniques as viable alternatives to this disseminated, user-supported data collection effort. Without external support, continued growth and broader utilization of these techniques will not be possible. The initial project in iowa has already resulted in use of this concept to collect information on the prevalence and geographic extent of blotchy bass syndrome throughout the united states and canada. If funded, this project will yield insights regarding walleye populations, the applicability of tournament results to inform fisheries management actions for any target species, and angler engagement citizen science strategies and opportunities. Nearly every state and province represented in the midwest association of fish and wildlife agencies is supportive of the continuation of this work, and are eager to learn more about this endeavor as a potential new tool in their fisheries management toolbox.