Lake Erie Central Basin Yellow Perch
Project Title
Movement and Habitat Use of Lake Erie Central Basin Yellow Perch
Project Code
CBYEP
Project Duration
May 2025 - December 2030
Project Description
Yellow Perch is an important recreational and commercial fishery in Lake Erie and the central basin is a large contributor of Yellow Perch biomass to these fisheries. In the last decade or so, the productivity of Yellow Perch populations in the central basin have been declining and the populations are in poor status. The reason for the decline in Yellow Perch productivity is still unknown, but one hypothesis is that the increasing extent and duration of hypoxia in the central basin is negatively affecting Yellow Perch through habitat displacement, which can force Yellow Perch into areas with less resources or increased predation pressure. We will investigate this hypothesis by implanting Yellow Perch from the central basin with acoustic transmitters to characterize their movement, habitat use, and survival when hypoxia is present and absent in the basin. Several vertical dissolved oxygen arrays will be deployed to monitor the depth of the hypoxic waters in the basin during the study. Information collected during this study will help resource management agencies understand how hypoxia may be impacting Yellow Perch populations in the central basin of Lake Erie.
Investigators
Funding