Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Updated 2024-11-06 14:40:13

Lake Huron -> 10.0 Species Diversity -> Species Diversity

10.1.2. Select Species Combined Catch Rates

Nearshore US Waters - Cyprinidae (Shiners and Carp), Catastomidae (Suckers), Lotidae (Burbot), Lepisosteidae (Gar), and Cottidae (Sculpin) have remained relatively stable in nearshore US waters of Lake Huron. Though natural fluctuations in populations, sampling efficiency, and encountering shoals of fish during sampling can impact the catch per unit effort, there is no evidence any of these families experienced population crashes or large increases over the last reporting period (2013-2017) and the current reporting period (2018-2022). Fish in the dataset used for this indicator include: Cyprinidae - Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Dace, Blacknose Shiner, Bluntnose Minnow, Brassy Minnow, Common Carp, Common Shiner, Creek Chub, Emerald Shiner, Fathead Minnow, Golden Shiner, Goldfish, Hornyhead Chub, Longnose Dace, Mimic Shiner, Northern Redbelly Dace, Rosyface Shiner, Sand Shiner, Spotfin Shiner, and Spottail Shiner; Catastomidae - Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Redhorse, Golden Redhorse, Greater Redhorse, Longnose Sucker, Northern Hog Sucker, Quillback, River Redhorse, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, Smallmouth Buffalo, and White Sucker; Lotidae – Burbot; Lepisosteidae – Longnose Gar; and Cottidae - Mottled Sculpin and Slimy Sculpin.

Joint St. Marys River Waters - Cyprinidae (Shiners and Carp), Catastomidae (Suckers), Lotidae (Burbot), Lepisosteidae (Gar), and Cottidae (Sculpin) have remained relatively stable in the joint waters of the St. Marys River. Though natural fluctuations in populations, sampling efficiency, and encountering shoals of fish during sampling can impact the catch per unit effort, there is no evidence any of these families experienced population crashes or large increases over the last reporting period (2013-2017) and the current reporting period (2018-2022). Fish in the dataset used for this indicator include: Cyprinidae - Blackchin Shiner, Bluntnose Minnow, Creek Chub, Common Carp, Common Shiner, Emerald Shiner, Fathead Minnow, Golden Shiner, Lake Chub, Longnose Dace, Mimic Shiner, Northern Pearl Dace, Rosyface Shiner, Sand Shiner, Spotfin Shiner, and Spottail Shiner; Catastomidae - Longnose Sucker, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, and White Sucker; Lotidae – Burbot; Lepisosteidae – Longnose Gar; and Cottidae - Mottled Sculpin and Slimy Sculpin.

Canadian Waters - Cyprinidae (Shiners and Carp), Catastomidae (Suckers), Lotidae (Burbot), Lepisosteidae (Gar), and Cottidae (Sculpin) have remained relatively stable in the main basin, Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Ontario waters of Lake Huron. Fish in the dataset used for this indicator include: Cyprinidae - Blackchin Shiner, Bluntnose Minnow, Common Carp, Common Shiner, Emerald Shiner, Lake Chub, Mimic Shiner, Sand Shiner, and Spottail Shiner; Catastomidae - Longnose Sucker, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, Quilback Sucker and Common White Sucker; Lotidae – Burbot; Lepisosteidae – Longnose Gar; and Cottidae - Mottled Sculpin and Slimy Sculpin.

Figure 1. Combined catch per unit effort for Cyprinidae, Catastomidae, Lotidae, Lepisosteidae, and Cottidae in the nearshore US waters of Lake Huron. The increase in 2018 is due to a handful of sampling events that encountered large schools of shiners/minnows. It should also be noted that sampling in 2020 was limited to just a few sites due to the pandemic.

Figure 2. Combined catch per unit effort for Cyprinidae, Catastomidae, Lotidae, Lepisosteidae, and Cottidae in the joint waters of the St. Marys River. The increase in 2018 is due to a handful of sampling events that encountered large schools of shiners/minnows. It should also be noted that sampling in 2020 was limited to just a few sites due to the pandemic.

Figure 3. Combined catch per unit effort for Cyprinidae, Catastomidae, Lotidae, Lepisosteidae, and Cottidae in Ontario waters of Lake Huron.