Project
Determining connectivity between the Boardman River, Grand Traverse Bay, and Lake Michigan proper in support of FishPass
Restoring connections between rivers, bays, and lakes by removing barriers is a common strategy used to improve fish populations, but increased connectivity can also allow invasive species, such as sea lamprey, to spread into new areas. As a result, managers need better information about the benefits and risks of reconnecting aquatic habitats. We hypothesize that when fish can move more freely among rivers, bays, and lakes, they transport energy and nutrients across habitats, helping to support healthier and more productive fish communities. To test this, we employed acoustic telemetry to examine tributary–bay–lake habitat coupling and river entry across five adfluvial fish species—lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, longnose sucker Catostomus catostomus, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, and white sucker Catostomus commersonii—within the Boardman/Ottaway River–Grand Traverse Bay–Lake Michigan ecosystem. Results of this study will improve understanding of how connected habitats function as linked ecosystems and how fish contribute to energy and nutrient transfer across the landscape. This information will help fisheries managers evaluate the potential effects of barrier removal and support the development of selective fish passage technologies that allow desirable native species to move upstream while limiting invasive species. The study will also provide important baseline data for future restoration efforts and inform management decisions related to native fish restoration, recreational and subsistence fisheries, and invasive species control in the Great Lakes region.