Initial insights on the thermal ecology of lake whitefish in northwestern Lake Michigan |
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Affiliation: | 1. Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Fisheries Analysis Center, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 800 Reserve St., Stevens Point, WI 54481, USA;2. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University-Hammond Bay Biological Station, 11188 Ray Road, Millersburg, MI 49759, USA;3. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 110 South Neenah Ave., Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, USA;4. Tribal Coordination Unit, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, 96 Grant Street, Charlevoix, MI 49720, USA;5. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;6. U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Fisheries Analysis Center, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 800 Reserve St., Stevens Point, WI 54481, USA |
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Abstract: | Lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis are a native coldwater species supporting important recreational and commercial fisheries in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Climate-related changes in water temperature may have important implications for the future sustainability of these fisheries. However, projecting future habitat availability is difficult because limited information is available on lake whitefish thermal ecology in the region. In this study, archival temperature loggers were implanted into 400 lake whitefish from northwestern Lake Michigan, including Green Bay, during October–November 2017. Loggers recorded temperature for 11 months at 4-hr intervals. Thirteen recovered temperature loggers were used in analyses. In winter (1 December–31 March), temperatures occupied by lake whitefish ranged from 0 to 8.0 °C, while in spring (1 April–31 May) temperatures ranged from 0 to 20.0 °C. In summer (1 June–15 September) and fall (16 September–7 November), lake whitefish occupied temperatures of 4–21.5 and 4–21.0 °C, respectively. Average temperatures in summer (10.8 °C) were within the previously proposed optimal temperature range (10–14 °C) and broad thermal niche (7–17 °C); however, 58% of observations were outside the optimal temperature range and 11% of observations were outside the broad thermal niche. Our results suggest that lake whitefish from northwestern Lake Michigan inhabit temperatures both above and below previously reported expected temperature ranges. This study provides initial insights on lake whitefish thermal ecology in Lake Michigan and can be used as a baseline for future work aimed at determining how lake whitefish habitat availability may change in the future. |
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Keywords: | Lake whitefish Telemetry Thermal ecology Thermal habitat |
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