Evidence of nearshore in-lake spawning Walleye in the central basin of Lake Erie
Walleye Sander vitreus are economically and ecologically vital to Lake Erie and have multiple spawning stocks that contribute to the lakewide population. These unique Walleye stocks typically spawn in discrete spawning aggregations in riverine and shallow, open-lake reef habitats during springtime i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Freshwater Ecology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02705060.2025.2539124 |
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| author | Carey T. Knight Ann Marie Gorman Graham F. Montague |
| author_facet | Carey T. Knight Ann Marie Gorman Graham F. Montague |
| author_sort | Carey T. Knight |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Walleye Sander vitreus are economically and ecologically vital to Lake Erie and have multiple spawning stocks that contribute to the lakewide population. These unique Walleye stocks typically spawn in discrete spawning aggregations in riverine and shallow, open-lake reef habitats during springtime in the western, eastern, and central basins. Yet, most spawning research has been conducted in the western and eastern basins. Therefore, the goal of our study was to document evidence of Walleye utilizing a central basin nearshore reef for reproduction. We used gill nets from 20 March to 15 May 2012, on Hardy Point Reef (HPR; near Fairport Harbor, Ohio) to collect spawning Walleye. Larval light traps and egg mats were deployed to capture fertilized eggs and newly hatched larvae. We captured 281 actively spawning Walleye using overnight-set gill nets from HPR. Five fertilized Walleye eggs and two larval Walleye were captured from HPR. Our study provided evidence that successful Walleye spawning occurred at HPR in the central basin of Lake Erie. Further research should identify potential additional Walleye spawning locations in the central basin and quantify these contributions to the Lake Erie population to help facilitate lake wide management and preservation of spawning stocks. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-01012d49796c4f7180eb8e294e2e1d87 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0270-5060 2156-6941 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Freshwater Ecology |
| spelling | doaj-art-01012d49796c4f7180eb8e294e2e1d872025-08-20T03:35:33ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Freshwater Ecology0270-50602156-69412025-12-0140110.1080/02705060.2025.2539124Evidence of nearshore in-lake spawning Walleye in the central basin of Lake ErieCarey T. Knight0Ann Marie Gorman1Graham F. Montague2Fairport Harbor Fisheries Research Station, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, Fairport Harbor, OH, USAFairport Harbor Fisheries Research Station, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, Fairport Harbor, OH, USAFairport Harbor Fisheries Research Station, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, Fairport Harbor, OH, USAWalleye Sander vitreus are economically and ecologically vital to Lake Erie and have multiple spawning stocks that contribute to the lakewide population. These unique Walleye stocks typically spawn in discrete spawning aggregations in riverine and shallow, open-lake reef habitats during springtime in the western, eastern, and central basins. Yet, most spawning research has been conducted in the western and eastern basins. Therefore, the goal of our study was to document evidence of Walleye utilizing a central basin nearshore reef for reproduction. We used gill nets from 20 March to 15 May 2012, on Hardy Point Reef (HPR; near Fairport Harbor, Ohio) to collect spawning Walleye. Larval light traps and egg mats were deployed to capture fertilized eggs and newly hatched larvae. We captured 281 actively spawning Walleye using overnight-set gill nets from HPR. Five fertilized Walleye eggs and two larval Walleye were captured from HPR. Our study provided evidence that successful Walleye spawning occurred at HPR in the central basin of Lake Erie. Further research should identify potential additional Walleye spawning locations in the central basin and quantify these contributions to the Lake Erie population to help facilitate lake wide management and preservation of spawning stocks.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02705060.2025.2539124Lake EriewalleyespawningstocksGreat Lakes |
| spellingShingle | Carey T. Knight Ann Marie Gorman Graham F. Montague Evidence of nearshore in-lake spawning Walleye in the central basin of Lake Erie Journal of Freshwater Ecology Lake Erie walleye spawning stocks Great Lakes |
| title | Evidence of nearshore in-lake spawning Walleye in the central basin of Lake Erie |
| title_full | Evidence of nearshore in-lake spawning Walleye in the central basin of Lake Erie |
| title_fullStr | Evidence of nearshore in-lake spawning Walleye in the central basin of Lake Erie |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence of nearshore in-lake spawning Walleye in the central basin of Lake Erie |
| title_short | Evidence of nearshore in-lake spawning Walleye in the central basin of Lake Erie |
| title_sort | evidence of nearshore in lake spawning walleye in the central basin of lake erie |
| topic | Lake Erie walleye spawning stocks Great Lakes |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02705060.2025.2539124 |
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