GLFT Grant Library

Lake whitefish declines in the four lower Great Lakes (GL) have alarmed GL fishery managers,

commercial/tribal fisherman, and the public alike. This research seeks to clarify the role that infectious fish

diseases play in decreasing the survival of young lake whitefish and determine routes by which such

infections spread from parents to offspring. If funded, study results will help identify viable management

solutions and guide future research to improve the health of GL lake whitefish.

The Pigeon River is a cold water stream located in Ottawa County, Michigan. This river has a history of fluctuating water quality due to sedimentation, nutrient loading, and hydrologic instability due to drainage conditions. This project seeks to conduct an inventory of the condition of all road stream crossings, and a stream habitat assessment at key locations within the watershed. This work will help identify areas of concern and facilitate planning for future restoration efforts.

The Conservation Resource Alliance is expanding it's holistic approach to watershed management by completing a road/stream crossing inventory on the Lincoln River Watershed. CRA is also working with project partners at the Mason-Lake Conservation District to stabilize the single largest stream-bank erosion site in the entire Pere Marquette Watershed the Chinnery Log/slide, while simultaneously restoring complete connectivity to Blood Creek an intact headwaters and wetland complex valued for its pristine aquatic habitat.

The Nature Conservancy requests GLFT funding for fee acquisition of 1,384 acres on the North Point Peninsula near Alpena, including over four miles of Lake Huron coastline. In providing a unique opportunity to preserve and protect a rare mixture of ecological, economic, recreational and educational values in one project, this acquisition achieves the GLFT priorities of preserving essential habitat, particularly important fish habitats, with a possible opportunity to increase their availability to the public.

Reconnecting the North Branch of the Platte River is a comprehensive effort to replace outdated crossings at the prioritized sites of #PLT-P3, P5, P10 on the largest, high quality tributary to the Platte mainstem. Partners have completed site surveys and are well underway with design, proposing to build a timber bridge, bottomless arch and recessed culvert to ensure natural channel conditions and provide passage for all aquatic species at all life stages and stream flows.

This project will improve natural stream function and in-stream habitat on a 5,400-foot section of Kids Creek with the overall goal of removing it from the State of Michigan's Impaired Waters List. Project will install woody debris and riffle-pool enhancements, connect the stream to its floodplain, replace a culvert restricting hydrologic flow, and narrow the stream channel using natural, bioengineering techniques, all of which will benefit desirable macroinvertebrate species as well as Brook Trout populations.

Lake whitefish in Lake Michigan have experienced substantial fluctuations in recruitment and abundance over the last decade and much of this variation appears to be asynchronous across stocks. Genetics represents a powerful tool for stock identification that could facilitate investigation of recruitment dynamics and stock-specific harvest. However, currently available genetic markers are not powerful enough to accurately delineate stocks. Our goal is to use genomic techniques to improve resolution of stock structure in lake whitefish.

We postulate that juvenile lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) learn stream-specific odors that may guide homing in spawning adults. By defining how and when olfactory imprinting occurs, we expect to inform existing and future restoration strategies that promote recruitment and genetic diversity for populations of lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes.

Pelagic prey abundances in lakes Michigan and Huron are declining. Models used to quantify predator-prey balance and inform predator stocking decisions use diet data that are outdated or limited in spatiotemporal scope. We propose to conduct a comprehensive diet and stable isotope study on lakes Huron and Michigan to update and expand the application and scope of diet data. Results from this study will inform fisheries management decisions and stocking policies in both lakes.