Issue6 Page1

TheSouthernLakeMichiganManagementUnit(SLMMU)encompassesallofthelakesandstreamsthatmakeupthewatershedsthatdrainintothesouthernportionofLakeMichigan.Ourworkareaincludesallorportionsofthefollowingcounties:Allegan,Barry,Berrien,Branch,Calhoun,Cass,Clinton,Eaton,Gratiot,Hillsdale,Ingham,Ionia,Jackson,Kalamazoo,Kent,Livingston,Mecosta,Montcalm,Muskegon,Newaygo,Ottawa,SaintJoseph,Shiawassee,VanBuren,andWashtenaw.MostfisheriesstaffwithinthisunitworkoutofthePlainwellCustomerServiceCenterandincludeaUnitManager,twoFisheriesBiologists,aTechnicianSupervisor,twoTechnicians,andanAdministrativeAssistant.OurtwocreelclerksworktheportsofGrandHaven,Holland,PortSheldon,SouthHaven,andSt.Joseph.

What is the SLMMU?

F I S H E R I E S D I V I S I O N M I C H I G A N D E P A R T M E N T O F

N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E S

Southern Lake Michigan

Management Unit J U L Y 2 0 1 3

Staff:

Brian Gunderman Unit Manager

Scott Hanshue Fisheries Biologist

Matt Diana Fisheries Biologist

Ed Pearce Technician Supervisor

Matt Smith Fisheries Technician

Mike Wilson Fisheries Technician

Brian Armijo Fisheries Assistant

Joseph Maka Fisheries Assistant

Sarah Carlson Administrative Assistant

February2018

Issue6 Page2

Whenwesurveyalake,welookatthenumberof ishcaught,thecatchrate,andthesizeof ishinthecatchtoevaluatetheishcommunity.However,sizealonecanbemisleading.Forexample,athreeyearoldwalleyethatis15incheslongindicatesgoodgrowthrates,butasixyearoldwalleyethatis15incheshasexperiencedpoorgrowth.Sowedonotjustlookatthesizeof ishinthecatch,butwelookat“length-at-age.”Because isharecold-blooded,theygrowfasterinthesummerandslowerinthewinter.Becauseofthis,theylaydownringsintheirbonystructuresindicatingslowgrowthperiods-comparabletothegrowthringsonthecross-sectionofatreetrunk.Itwascommoninthepasttocollectasampleof ishscalestocountgrowthringstoage ish.Inmorerecentyears,cross-sectionsofspinesinthe inshavebeenshowntobeeasiertoreadandmore accurate,especiallyinolder ish.Itisstandardproceduretocollect scales and spines on a sub-sample of fi sh during a survey. Side cutters are used to snip the fi rst 3-4 spines from the dorsal or anal fin. The spines are allowed to air dry and then stored.

When ieldactivitiesslowdownduringthewintermonths,techniciansanalyzethescaleandspinesamplescollectedduringthe ieldseason.Arotarycuttingtoolisusedtosliceasmallcross-sectionatthebaseofthespine.Thecross-sectionisthenplacedunderadissectingmicroscopeandilluminated.Theringsarecountedtodeterminethe ishesage(seephotos).Theageisthenrecordedalongwiththelengthofthatindividual ish.Itistheneasytocomparethelength-at-ageagainstastatewideaveragetodeterminehowfasta ishisgrowing.

Fish Aging 101

The irstthreeorfourspinesfromthedorsalinareclippedatthebaseusingsidecutters.

Thecross‐sectionofawalleyespine–thelightcoloredringsarecreatedbyslowgrowthduringthewinterandcanbecountedtodeterminethe ishesage.Thissampleisfroma22.2inchfemalewalleyethatwasage 6. Samplefromanage 4femalewalleyethat

measured20.8inches.

Issue6 Page3

Kalamazoo River and Talmadge Creek Monitoring the Impacts and Recovery Following the Oil Spill

OnJuly26,2010,a30 inchdiameterpipelineownedbyEnbridge,Inc.ruptureddischargingapproximately843,000gallonsofheavycrudeoilintoawetlandthatdrainsintoTalmadgeCreeknearthecityofMarshall.Theoilfloweddown2.2milesofTalmadgeCreekbeforeenteringtheKalamazooRiverandmigrating35milesdownstreamtoMorrowPondwhereitwascontainedfromfurtherdownstreammovementbythedam.

SLMMUinitiatedannualmonitoringeffortsin2010through2017todocumenttheimpacttoandrecoveryoffishcommunitiesandriverhabitat.TalmadgeCreekwasmonitoredfrom2010through2017atanimpactedsite(15½MileRoad)andacontrolsiteupstreamoftheoilspillandcomparedtoasurveyconductedin2000.ThefishpopulationsinTalmadgeCreekwereheavilyimpactedwithonly120fishin1,000feetofstreamandonly3speciesfoundat15½MileRoadshortlyaftertheoilspillin2010.

Aftersevenyearsofmonitoring,thesitehasrecoveredwithover3,700fishina1,000feetstretchofstreamandasmanyas13speciesobservedinrecentyears.AdditionalsurveysconductednearI-69confirmedthatalthoughtheculvertsunderthehighwaydolimitfishpassageatnormalflows,fishhavebeenabletomovethroughtheculvertsundercertainflowconditionsandrecolonizeareasupstreamofthecrossing.

Issue6 Page4

Kalamazoo River and Talmadge Creek Monitoring the Impacts and Recovery Following the Oil Spill

-continued- Although no sport fishing occurs in Talmadge Creek, the Kalamazoo River supports a good Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike fishery. Three impacted sites (15 Mile Road, 11 Mile Road, and Custer Road) and one upstream control site (17 Mile Road) were surveyed in the Kalamazoo River from 2010 through 2015 and compared to surveys conducted prior to the oil spill. The effects of the oil spill were not as evident in the Kalamazoo River fish community.

Despite some species and site specific decreases in fish densities, species diversity, and habitat quality shortly after the oil spill occurred, there were no consistent or long term impacts observed. Fish habitat was impacted by cleanup efforts due to the removal of wood and disruption of sediments.

Remediation efforts included removing the Ceresco Dam in 2013 and conducting wood additions in 2016. These efforts greatly improved habitat and the ability of fish to migrate through this section of the Kalamazoo River. At the conclusion of monitoring in 2015, the fish communities at most sites had returned to conditions similar to those recorded prior to the oil spill. Smallmouth Bass numbers are still somewhat depressed, but are expected to improve as a result of the dam removal and woody habitat additions. The SLMMU will continue to monitor the 11 Mile Road site to identify future management needs and evaluate any long term effects of the oil spill and the removal of the Ceresco Dam.

Issue6 Page5

TheWestMichiganWalleyeClub(WMWC)ishighlightedherethisyearasapartnershipthatwerelyontohelpwithrearingwalleyeingerlings.TheWMWCisinvolvedinseveralprojectslocallywiththefocusofpromotingwalleye ishingaroundsouthwestMichigan.Theclubhasover300activemembersintheGrandRapidsareaandtheydogreatworkinthispartnershipwithustowardtheproductionofwalleye.

They have worked tirelessly at the Belmontrearingponds(N.E.ofGrandRapids)eachyearsince2009.Thispastyear20membersoftheclubcontributedatotalof370manhoursattheponds.Thevarioustasksthattheyassistuswitheachyearinclude:applyingfeedtothepondseachweek,cuttingbrushoffthedikes,creatingspawninghabitatfortheforageminnows,settingnets,andtransferringforagefromtheminnowpondtofeedthesmallwalleyes.Theyalsoassistinthewalleyeharvest at the end of the rearing cycle. These are not easy tasks and require a lot of physical exertion. Last summer and fall WMWC assisted DNR Fisheries in

producingapproximately 400poundsofforageminnowsandraising7,400largefall ingerlingwalleyeaveragingbetween5-6”each.These ishwillcreateandimprovefishing opportunities in local lakes. Theclubisalsoactiveinseveralcommunityactivities.TheWMWChasaboothattheSportsmenforYoutheventinMuskegoneachyear.TheyalsohelpattheChristmasinJulyeventatHelenDeVosChildren'sHospital and various other outings.

Thisclubisexcitedtohelpeachyearandweareprivilegedhavingthisvibrantclubofwalleyeanglersassistingus.Theyarealwayswillingtodiginandworkhard.Theyneverhaveaproblemgettingenoughclubmemberstohelponprojects.Theyalsocontributesigni icantmonieseach year which are used to purchase pond supplies.

TheWMWCholdsmonthlymeetingsonthefourthTuesdayofeachmonthatWestWalkerSportsman'sClubinWalkerjustoutsideStandale,Michi-gan.Ifyou’reinterestedintheclubyoucancheckouttheirwebsiteformoreinformationat:westmichiganwalleyeclub.org.

ThanksWMWCmembersforallyourhardwork!It is muchappreciated!

Partnership Spotlight: West Michigan Walleye Club

Issue6 Page6

Juno‐Christiana‐PainterLakes

Juno,Christiana,andPainterlakesarelocatedinCassCountynearthevillageofEdwardsburg.Theseintercon-nectedlakesandassociatedchannelshaveacombinedsurfaceareaofapproximately545acres.Ageneral ishcommunitysurveywascompletedontheselakesinspring2017.Atotalof2,327 ishrepresenting32specieswerecapturedduringthesurvey.Bluegillwasthemostcommonspeciesmakingup36%ofthecatch.Thebluegillrangedfromonetonineinchesinlength.Otherpan ishspecies(pumpkinseed,blackcrappie,andyellowperch)composedabout17%ofthecatch.Largemouthbass(upto18inches),northernpike(upto38inches),andspottedgarwerethedominantpredatorsinthelake.Overall,predatorsmadeup46%ofthesampleweight,whichisnearthetopofthetargetrangeof20-50%.UnderpermitsfromtheDNR,organizationspurchasedwalleyesfromprivatehatcheriesandstockedtheminJuno-Christiana-Painterlakesduring2004-2011.Threeadultwalleyes(length=21-23inches)werecapturedduringthe2017survey.

DowagiacCreek

DowagiacCreekisoneofthemostpopulartroutstreamsinsouthwestMichigan.TheDNRannuallystocksbrowntroutatfoursitesfromMarcellusHighwaydownstreamtoKelseyLakeRoad.Electro ishingsurveyswereconductedatthreeofthesestockingsitesinSeptember2017.Thestationlengthwas1,000feetateachsite.All ishspecieswerecollectedatMarcellusHighwayandKelseyLakeRoad.OnlybrowntroutwerecollectedatMcKenzieStreet.Thebrowntroutcatchvariedfrom68 ishatMarcellusHighwayto412 ishatKelseyLakeRoad.GrowthwasaveragerelativetootherMichigantroutpopulations,andthelargestbrowntroutcapturedduringthesurveywas20inches.

Browntroutarestockedasyearlings(1yearold ish),andthenumberofyoung-of-year(lessthanoneyearold) ishinasampleisanindicationoftheamountofnaturalreproductioninastream.Thepercentageofthecatchmadeupofyoung-of-year ishrangedfrom0%atMarcellusHighwayto23%atKelseyLakeRoad.Thus,thereissomenaturalreproductionoftroutinDowagiacCreek,butthepopulationdensitywoulddeclinesubstantiallyintheabsenceofstocking.

Sixteen ishspecieswerecapturedatMarcellusHighway.Blacknosedace,centralmudminnows,creekchubs,andjohnnydarterswereabundant.AtKelseyLakeRoad,eleven ishspecieswerecollected.Besidesbrowntrout,themostcommonspecieswerebluegill,mottledsculpin,andnorthernhogsucker.

Lake and Stream Surveys

Issue6 Page7

Duringthespring,summer,andfallof2017,theSLMMUstaffcompletedsurveyson18lakesand21streams(somestreamshadmultiplesamplinglocations).Thesesurveysincludedwalleyeandbrowntroutstockingevaluations,statusandtrendssurveys, ishcommunitysurveys,habitatimprovementevaluations,andnaturalresourcedamageassessments.Moststreamsurveysuseelectro ishinggearwhilelakesurveysuseacombinationofnettingandelectro ishinggeartosample ish.WaterbodiessurveyedintheSLMMUduring2017include:BearCreek(KentCounty)BigelowCreek(NewaygoCounty)BunkerLake(CassCounty)CarpenterLake(HillsdaleCounty)CrandallLake(EatonCounty)CurtisCreek(SaintJosephCounty)DonnellLake(CassCounty)DowagiacCreek(CassCounty-KelseyRd)DowagiacCreek(CassCounty-McKenzieRd)DowagiacCreek(CassCounty-MarcellusHwy)FishLake(StJosephCounty)FlatRiver(KentCounty)GrandRiver(KentCounty)GrandRiver(EatonCounty)GrandRiver(IoniaCounty)GreenLake(AlleganCounty)HemlockLake(HillsdaleCounty)HoneyCreek(KentCounty)Juno-Christiana-Painter Lakes(CassCounty)KalamazooRiver(AlleganCounty)LimeLakes(CassCounty)LongLake(HillsdaleCounty)MagicianLake(CassCounty)MonteithDrain(AlleganCounty)Muskegon Lake (Muskegon County)Muskegon River (Newaygo County)NorthSandLake(HillsdaleCounty)PawPawRiver-NorthBr.(Van Buren County)Sandstone Creek (Jackson County)SharpLake(JacksonCounty)SouthSandLake(HillsdaleCounty)SpringBrook(KentCounty)SunsetLake(KalamazooCounty)TalmadgeCreek(CalhounCounty-16MileRd)TalmadgeCreek(CalhounCounty-ZenzProperty)TalmadgeCreek(CalhounCounty-151/2MileRd)ThornappleLake(BarryCounty)WhiteLake(MuskegonCounty)25thStDitch(VanBurenCounty)

Lake and Stream Surveys - cont.

Issue6 Page8

Planned Lake and Stream Surveys for 2018 Throughoutthespringandearlysummer,ourunitconducts ishcommunitysurveysonlakes.Earlyspringworkoftenincludespopulationassessmentsofnorthernpike,walleye,ormuskellungeduringthespawningseasonsforthesespecies.GenerallakesurveysarecompletedinMay-earlyJunewhenwatertemperaturesarebetween55and75degreesFahrenheit.OurstreamsurveysprimarilyareconductedduringJuly-earlySeptember.Avarietyofgeartypesareusedonlakesincludingnetsandnight-timeelectro ishinggear,whereasday-timeelectro ishingisthemaingearusedonriversandstreams.Weplantocompletesurveysonthefollowingwatersin2018:

LongLake(KalamazooCounty)GrandRiver(Kent,Ionia,EatonCounties)MurrayLake(KentCounty)CampauLake(KentCounty)Maple/AckleyLakes (VanBurenCounty)WilliamsLake(BarryCounty)LongLake(HillsdaleCounty)HallLake(BarryCounty)VandercookLake(JacksonCounty)SpringCreektributary(St.JosephCounty)BrandywineCreek(BerrienCounty)SingerLake(BerrienCounty)BearCreek(KentCounty)SpringBrook (KentCounty)FlatRiver(KentCountyBearCreek(St.JosephCounty)RabbitRiver(AlleganCounty)Tobin-SnyderDrain(JacksonCounty)ColdwaterRiver(IoniaCounty)MannCreek(AlleganCounty)BigelowCreek(NewaygoCounty)WhiteLake(MuskegonCounty)MuskegonLake(MuskegonCounty)MonaLake(MuskegonCounty)

Link stoourmostrecentStatusoftheFisheryReports-

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/SFR2017-243_605899_7.pdf

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/SFR2017-236_603695_7.pdf

Issue6 Page9

Eachspring,stafffromtheSLMMUcoordinatesthewalleyeeggtakeontheMuskegonRiver.EggsfromtheMuskegonRiverarehatchedatWolfLakeStateFishHatcheryinMattawanandPlatteRiverStateFishHatcheryinHonor.Newlyhatchedwalleyefryareshippedtorearingpondsordirectlystockedintolakesandriversthroughoutthestate.In2017,theKalamazooRiverreceived4,060,000fryinCalhounandAllegancounties.FrywerealsotransferredtoMuskegon,Gun Lake, Holland, Wolf Lake, and Jackson rearing ponds.Mostofthewalleyefromthesepondswerecollectedasspring ingerlings(approximately1.1-1.5inches)inlateMay-earlyJuneandstockedinpublicwaters.In2017,993,991spring ingerlingwalleyewereraisedinSLMMUfromourDNRandcooperativerearingponds.About80,000spring ingerlingsweretransferredfromtheJacksonRearingPond(whichisdrainedduringthesummer)totheBelmontRearingPond.InOctober,anadditional15,779 ishwerecollectedfromtheBelmont,WolfLake,andHollandpondsasfall ingerlings(about4.7-8.4inches)andstockedintwelvelakesinsouthwestMichigan.WolfLakeStateFishHatcheryalsoprovided5,066fallingerlingsthatwerestockedinto3lakeswithinourunit.Belowarethewatersthatwerestockedwithspringandfall ingerlingwalleyewithintheSLMMUin2017.

*Additionalspring ingerlingsfromSLMMUpondswerestockedinCentralLakeMichiganManagementUnitwatersincludingtheMuskegonRiver(184,812),LakeCharlevoix(139,476)andWhiteLake(129,838).

ForotherspeciesstockedinSLMMU,visithttp://michigandnr.com/ ishstock

SpringFingerling:GrandRiver(Jackson) 33,762GunLake(Barry) 76,357GalienRiver(Berrien) 10,613LakeMacatawa(Ottawa) 72,536LakeoftheWoods(VanBuren) 15,895DuckLake(Calhoun) 58,765StJosephRiver(Berrien) 110,000ThornappleLake(Barry) 22,995CedarLake(VanBuren) 12,008MagicianLake(Cass) 25,841MattesonLake(Branch) 15,841

FallFingerling:BillsLake(Newaygo) 874CrystalLake(Montcalm) 3,067LakeMacatawa(Ottawa) 279LincolnLake(Kent) 1,804WoodardLake(Ionia) 291OsterhoutLake(Allegan) 736PawPawLake(Berrien) 840ThornappleLake(Barry) 1,640DuckLake(Calhoun) 2,500ClearLake(StJoseph) 926FishLake(Cass) 1,497DiamondLake(Cass) 3,345PalmerLake(StJoseph) 1,980SessionsLake(Ionia) 626SandLake(StJoseph) 440

Walleye Stocking 2017 Over 1 Million Fish Raised and Stocked!!!!

Fisheries staff and volunteers from WMWC fin clip fall ingerlingstakenfromBelmontPond.These inclipsidentifythe ishasbeingfromaparticularstockingyear.

Issue6 Page10

TheMichiganWildlifeAction PlanoutlinestheconservationactionstheMDNRandourpartnerswillbeworkingonduring2015-2025.Theplanidenti iesthreatstofocalspeciesthatareidenti iedasthreatenedorendangeredandtheirkeyhabitats.Theplanwasdevelopedwithconservationpartnersthroughoutthestateandispresentedasaseriesof“mini-plans”thathighlightthosekeyhabitats.IntheSouthernLakeMichiganManagementUnitweimplementtheplanthroughreviewofenvironmentalpermits,targetedsurveys,speciesrecovery,andhabitatimprovementprojects.Recent,ongoing,andplannedconservationactionsinclude:targetedsurveystoevaluatethestatusofstate-threatenedciscoinSLMMUinlandlakes,completionofthelakesturgeonspawningrif leandoperationofthelakesturgeonstreamsiderearingfacilityontheKalamazooRiverandremovaloftheLyonsDamontheGrandRiver.In2018,wewillbepartneringwithCentralMichiganUniversitytocompleteacomprehensivesurveyofthefreshwatermusselsintheKalamazooRiverWatershedandcontinuetargetedsurveysforciscoinvariouslakesintheManagementUnit.Clickonthepictureabovetovisitthewebpageandlearnmoreaboutthefullplan(www.michigan.gov/wildlifeactionplan)orclickononeofthepicturesbelowtogodirectlytothatmini-plan.

Wildlife Action Plan

Issue6 Page11

Interested in Learning More about Fisheries Division?

Readour2018-2022StrategicPlan-http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/2018-2022-FisheriesDivision-StrategicPlan-FINAL-WEB_613209_7.pdf

• Fish ID -

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364_18958---,00.html

• Master Angler & State Record Fish -http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364_52261_10948---,00.html

Subscribetoemailupdatesonavarietyof topics -

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDNR/subscriber/new?topic_id=MIDNR_114

Where Do We Stock Fish? TheSLMMUworkscloselywithourhatcheriestostock ishinthenear-shorewatersofLakeMichiganandinlandlakesandstreams.To indoutwherewestock ish,andthehistoryof ishstockingbackto1979,visithttp://www.michigandnr.com/ ishstock/touseouronlineFishStockingDatabase.

Visitourwebpagewww.michigan.gov/ ishing

 Where Else Can I Fish Around Here? FamilyFriendlyFishingWatersAreyoulookingforagreatplacetogo ishingthatiseasytoaccess,hasahighlikelihoodofcatching ish,hasvariousamenities,andisallaroundfamily friendly?ThentheFamilyFriendlyFishingWatersprojectcanhelp!

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364_52261-299046--,00.html

DoyouknowofFamilyFriendlysitesthatarenotalreadyidenti ied?Ifso,weneedyourhelp!Thereisasurveyattheabovewebsitetonominatenewsites.Thanks!

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364_52261---,00.html

WhereCanIFish?

Checkoutouronlineapps!

FishStocking

BuyALicense

Helpful Links -

Rules &Regs Ice Fishing & Ice Safety

Aquatic InvasiveSpecies

SeasonCalendar

Weekly FishingReport

For more Michigan fishing information check out -

Issue6 Page12

Toobtaininformationonlakeorstreamsurveysfromthisyearoryearspriorortoaskanyquestions,pleasefeelfreetocontactus.Usethemapbelowtoselectthemostappropriatecontact.

PlainwellOperationsServiceCenter269‐685‐6851

SarahCarlson,AdministrativeAssistant269‐685‐6853

carlsons4@michigan.gov

ScottHanshue269‐204‐7043

hanshues1@michigan.gov

Vacant‐BrianGundermanCovering

269‐204‐7009gundermanb@michigan.gov

Matt Diana 269‐204‐7008

dianam@michigan.gov

MDNR Fisheries Division Southern Lake Michigan

Management Unit