Bruce Peninsula at Tobermory to the south west tip of Manitoulin Island array in support of the Huron Erie Walleye Spatial Ecology GLATOS study

GBYWL

June 2014 - October 2016

This project consists of an array of 19 receivers stretching between the northern most tip of the Bruce Peninsula at Tobermory in Ontario to the southern most tip of Manitoulin Island just north west of Fitzwilliams island in Ontario. This project is in support of the Huron Erie Walleye Spatial Ecology GLATOS study done by the USGS and others. This array is meant to discover if any Walleye spawned and tagged in Saginaw Bay of the main basin of Lake Huron in the U.S. move between the main basin into and out of Georgian Bay in Ontario. This array will also record any other tagged fish movements through the Bruce Archipelago into Georgian Bay such as Lake Sturgeon and Lake Trout and may provide insights into these species travel routes as well. The routes into the North Channel of Lake Huron (Detour channel and False Detour channel) have been included in the Huron Erie Walleye Spatial Ecology GLATOS study.

• Determine if and when Walleye spawned and tagged in Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron migrate between the main basin of Lake Huron into the Bruce Archipelago or into Georgian Bay through the Bruce Archipelago Determine if and when Lake Trout and/or Lake Sturg
• Determine if and when Lake Trout and/or Lake Sturgeon use the Bruce Archipelago or migrate through the Bruce Archipelago between the main basin of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay
• Determine if acoustic arrays are an effective method studying fish movements in areas of such complex bathymetry such as the Bruce Archpelago
• By noting the proportion of fish tagged that use or travel through the Bruce Archipelago we can get an estimation of the proportions of each population that might use this migration route.

• If it is determined that Walleye do migrate through the Bruce Archipelago into Georgian Bay then these considerations can be taken into account when determining both recreational and commercial fishing regulations in these parts of Lake Huron
• Further study can be embarked upon to find out what proportion of the population migrate through the archipelago and where these fish spend the majority of their time to ensure those places are appropriately protected (if needed) via policies/regulations etc
• Potential for habitat improvements to promote the use of these areas for fish that migrate to these areas

• Jason Ritchie (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry) - jason.ritchie@ontario.ca
• Todd Hayden (Great Lakes Fishery Commission)
• Lyoyd Mohr (Ontario Ministry Of Natural Resources And Forestry)

• United States Geological Survey
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
• Fathom Five National Marine Park
• Defence Research and Development Canada -Experimental Diving and Undersea Group