December 2003

Missouri Chapter - American Fisheries Society    Est. 1965

Esocid Technical  Committee

By Steve Pallo

The Esocid Technical Committee summer meeting was hosted by the Wisconsin DNR at the Kemp Research Station, University of Wisc.  A full day of presentations were given, and a field research lake/station was visited.

Paul Cunningham, WIDNR, discussed regulations for shoreline erosion control, with special emphasis on state lakes where the shoreline is in private ownership.  Fisheries habitat and solving the erosion problem was foremost in the solution to the problem.  Rip‑rap and bulkheads are essentially forbidden.

Ed Braun, INDNR, discussed vegetation treatment permits in similiar situations to above and our situation on the Fox Chain of Lakes.  Land owners are allowed to treat 625 sq. ft of their dock area out to 6' deep without any permits.  Larger areas require permits and boat access lanes are highly encouraged.

Kevin Richards, MODOC, gave a general overview of Missouri’s muskie program.  They stock 9 lakes, similar to our stocking program.  3-4 of their lakes are considered highly successful.

Tim Simonson, WIDNR, discussed potential for volunteers to help with their Sensitive Area Designation, and shoreline habitat for lakeshore property owners.

Joel Klammer, NE Game and Parks, discussed the importance ice fishing for northern pike in shallow, very weedy lakes (in summer) of the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge.

David Orabutt, Colo. St. U., discussed how northern pike were introduced many years ago into high elevation lakes in Colo. to control unwanted sucker populations.  Management philosophy has now changed, with emphasis in stocking trout to develop a coldwater fishery.  However, the program turned into a pike feeding program with the pike growing to almost 30 pounds.  No trout could be found after years of stocking 9-10" trout.

Rod Pierce, MNDNR, tried to locate pike spawning areas, using oviduct implanted radiotags.   Larger fish successfully shed the tags during spawning, smaller pike did  not.  Rod also shared his use of light traps to successfully collect larval pike in hatchery raceways, rearing ponds and in the wild.  Yes the light traps were very successful.

Anna Newbery and Greg Sass, grad students, U of Wi., presented some of their research on the value of woody debris in lakes and it value as fisheries habitat.  In one experimental lake, about 80% of all the woody shoreline habitat was removed (to simulate what is happening in No. Wisc. Lakes by homeowners and in aging reservoirs) this took most of their football team 8 weeks.  Thereafter, the largemouth bass feasted on the yellow perch and sunfishes, perch populations crashed, bass now feed on their young, Wr’s have dropped in bass.  No public assess is allowed however,  they may overfish the bass and see if the perch can come back.  Again simulating what is happening in many of their lakes. 

At the business meeting, Chair Dan Iserman, former SIU graduate, recently from South Dakota St. U., now with the Ohio DNR on Lake Erie, discussed the upcoming International Muskie Symposium (September 17‑19, 2004, in Indianapolis), sponsored by Muskies, Inc., and the INDNR.  Muskies Inc., local Chapters and the Interenational have shown a sincere interest in sponsoring state fisheries biologists who manage muskie populations,  to attend this meeting.  First call for papers for the Symposium will be coming shortly.