No Asian carp environmental DNA found after additional testing in Lower Fox River

MADISON, Wis. -- Additional tests for Asian carp environmental DNA in the Lower Fox River have come back negative, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials said.

Bob Wakeman, aquatic invasive species coordinator for DNR, said the additional tests were requested after one out of 200 sample collected in June and July from the Lower Fox River tested positive for silver carp. The latest round of testing - by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - included collecting 200 additional samples from the Lower Fox River on two days of sampling in the weeks following the initial results.

"We're pleased that the results came back negative and it's a good indication there are no live silver carp in the river," Wakeman said. "We're particularly grateful to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their work in carrying out the water sampling and analysis. Through continued monitoring and the preventive efforts of Wisconsin anglers, waterfowl hunters, recreational boaters and commercial partners, we hope to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan."

Asian carp pose significant ecological and economic threats to the Great Lakes region and its fishery because they eat voraciously and compete directly with valuable native fish for food. Asian carp species including bighead and silver carp were introduced into the southern United States in the 1970s.

The tests for eDNA are extremely sensitive and can detect genetic material shed in mucus or excrement from fish as well as from birds that have eaten the fish elsewhere. Contaminated bilge water also can carry traces of the fish and the latest negative results suggest the source of eDNA from the summer sampling originated from a temporary source.

While the genetic fingerprints are clear enough to identify specific invasive carp species, the eDNA testing program relies on multiple positive samples over time to indicate the likelihood of live fish. The single positive result among 1,950 samples from Wisconsin tributaries to Lake Michigan in June and July followed by the negative results returned this week recalls a similar situation in 2013. Then, a single positive sample from the Sturgeon Bay area was followed by all negative results.

In addition to the federal eDNA monitoring, DNR fisheries team members conduct a variety of netting, electroshocking and trawling operations in state waters. To date, these efforts have not captured any Asian carp in any waters of the Lower Fox River, Green Bay or Lake Michigan.

DNR encourages anglers and others to review Asian carp identification materials, to report any sightings of Asian carp and to make sure that bait buckets don't inadvertently contain the fish because young Asian carp resemble popular bait species. Photo identification tools and more information on Asian carp can be found on DNR's website, dnr.wi.gov, by searching "Asian carp."

Public invited to weigh in on Lake Superior fisheries management at Ashland meeting Dec. 1

Lake trout harvest outlook, fish population data among topics on agenda

ASHLAND, Wis. -- Anglers, commercial fishers, conservation stakeholders and interested citizens are encouraged to attend a public meeting hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Dec. 1 at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland to discuss Lake Superior fisheries management plans including the lake trout harvest outlook for 2015.

For the coming year, lake trout population assessments show lower numbers of fish will meet the minimum size range of 15 inches, although models indicate that relatively strong lake trout reproduction in 2008 and 2009 should result in higher fish numbers and harvest quotas beginning in 2016. Public input is being sought to identify local fisheries issues and discuss management objectives as well as opportunities and challenges. The meeting aims to ensure all aspects of the fishery are considered and increase awareness of the resource.

"We look forward to exploring management options with the public and we welcome diverse viewpoints from stakeholders," said Bill Cosh, DNR spokesman. "We appreciate the vital role lake trout play in the region's economy as well as Lake Superior's ecology and we will use the public comments and latest scientific findings in our continuing efforts to sustain and enhance the fishery."

For the 2015 season, DNR anticipates reduced limits that will affect commercial, recreational and tribal anglers. A temporary rule will be proposed to cover the season for commercial and recreational anglers while long-term sustainability is discussed among stakeholders.

The Dec. 1 public meeting in Ashland will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center (exit DNR), 29270 County Highway G, Ashland, WI 54806.

For more information about the Lake Superior fishery, visit dnr.wi.gov and search "fishing Lake Superior."

River Talk to Focus on Wisconsin Point

By Marie Zhuikov
The next monthly River Talk is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. at the Red Mug (916 Hammond Ave., Superior, Wis.). Bob Miller, a Lake Superior Ojibway tribal member, will present, “What’s the Point? Ojibway History and the Unique Value of Wisconsin Point.”

Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) have teamed up to offer this series of science café-type evening talks about the St. Louis River Estuary. These informal “River Talks” are held monthly through May. Grab a mug of coffee or maybe a glass of beer and join us! 

Check the Lake Superior NERR website for details about upcoming talks. If you miss a talk, visit the Wisconsin Sea Grant’s “Great Lakes Takes” blog for a summary of the discussion.

Minutes from 2014 Fall Meeting (October 18)

Attached are the minutes from our 2014 WCSFO Fall Meeting.

CLICK HERE to review them

WCSFO 2014 Fall Meeting

WCSFO’s “Fall Meeting” is scheduled for Saturday, October 18, 2014 at the Walleyes for Tomorrow home office. The Office is located at: 224 Auburn St. in Fond du Lac, WI. and scheduled to begin at 10:00 am.

Members (and nonmembers are welcome) to attend to voice their opinions and concerns.

Click here for the proposed agenda.

DNR to provide highlights of Lake Michigan comments at Fisheries Forum event

CLEVELAND, Wis. — Leaders from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries team will summarize high priority comments and seek additional feedback on the Lake Michigan Integrated Fisheries Management Plan at Wednesday’s (Sept. 17) meeting of the Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum.

The event, free and open to the public, runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lakeshore Technical College, 1290 North Avenue, Cleveland, Wis. The meeting will be in the Cleveland Training Room.

The Lake Michigan Integrated Fisheries Management Plan will guide fisheries management of the lake for the next 10 years. While much has been accomplished through the previous 10 year plan, major ecological changes including the arrival and proliferation of aquatic invasive species such as the quagga mussel have made the lake less productive.

Input from anglers and other stakeholders is critical in developing the plan and the public comment period has been extended. Brad Eggold, Lake Michigan fisheries supervisor, said the Fisheries Forum meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the high priority comments already received and solicit additional feedback.

“The Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum’s connection with the Sea Grant Institute provides an opportunity for participants to share their wealth of knowledge about the lake,” Eggold said. “We anticipate the Fisheries Forum members will offer some innovative insights into the opportunities and challenges ahead.”

The Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum provides members with the latest in research, management news and trends affecting the lake. The forum is facilitated by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute and operates independently from DNR. Representatives from major sport fishing clubs on Lake Michigan and Green Bay, commercial fishers, the Conservation Congress and the University of Wisconsin System are formal members of the forum. Meetings are open to the public.

Comments on the Lake Michigan Integrated Fisheries Management Plan can be sent by email to DNRLakeMichiganPlan@wisconsin.gov or by mail to: Wisconsin DNR, Attn: David Boyarski, 110 S. Neenah Ave., Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235. Details of the plan can be found on the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov by searching for keywords "Lake Michigan plan."

Ice, Ice, Baby

Using WRI funding, Steve Loheide looks to chart the occurrence of a unique stream dynamic across Wisconsin.

September 10, 2014
By Aaron R. Conklin

It was just supposed to be a routine groundwater monitoring exercise on a little stream in Barneveld, Wisconsin. Instead, it opened up an unexpected research project on an unrecognized hydrologic process.

A couple of years ago, Steven Loheide, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering with the University of Wisconsin-Madison,  and his then-undergraduate student Matthew Weber went out to a stream in Barneveld to collect some general data on its flow.  

They noticed something unusual almost immediately—the stream stage was unusually low compared to the remaining ice that was attached to the stream banks at a height more than double the current water level.

“It made us wonder—what’s going on?” Loheide asked.

Several weeks of observation and data collection gave them the beginnings of an answer. The stream’s dynamics were being heavily influenced by frequent ice formation and ice melt. It turned out that the formation cycle was occurring one out of every four days between December and February, and it was causing the stream depth to increase more than 100 percent as the ice cover slowed down the in-stream water velocity.

‘We weren’t out there to study this,” said Loheide. “This is a process unrecognized in the literature. It’s a big gap. We don’t know the full importance, but we know it’s definitely affecting in-stream hydraulics and potentially inducing hyporheic exchange.”

Loheide is referring to the hypoheic zone, a mixed zone in a stream bed where surface and groundwater mix, creating critical chemical exchanges that have an impact on both the stream itself and the surrounding aquifer by filtering out contaminants and providing habitat for benthic organisms.

According to Weber, who’s now a student in California, it’s possible these exchanges could be significantly altered by the frequent fluctuations in stream stage, and those changes could impact everything from sediment transport to benthic insect populations in spring.

“Because it’s happening in winter, we wouldn’t expect this to have a big impact on nutrient cycling,” said Weber. “But if it’s happening frequently—as it seems to be –the stage fluctuations will have an impact on streambed morphology and potentially affect benthic organisms like overwintering fish eggs and macroinvertebrates in the stream itself.”

The dynamic could also be creating positive impacts.  One possibility is that increased winter ice regimes could be backing water up into the landscape, creating a reservoir and making more water available for ecosystems long after the ice is gone.

On larger rivers, this type of ice-formation process creates troublesome ice dams and ice jams that can wreak havoc on docks and shoreline structures. In a small stream like the one in Barneveld, the effect isn’t nearly as easy to see.

“The question we’re pursuing is, how does it affect surface-groundwater connections?” Loheide asked.  “We [scientists] haven’t looked at how ice level affects that.”

Having discovered the phenomenon in a single small stream, Loheide and a new graduate student will use funding from the UW Water Resources Institute to see if it occurs—and if so, how often and how it varies--in other geographic areas around the state.

“The new project looks at the bigger picture,” said Weber. “What are the other conditions that allow for this to occur?”

More specifically, beginning in fall, the new student will pore over raw historical data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey using stage and ice regime changes to identify long-term trends. The second stage of the study, which won’t begin until next winter, will involve measuring the ice regimes at five different sites in Wisconsin, looking specifically at the quantity of water exchanged between the stream and the adjacent aquifer. Finally, Loheide and his student will take what they’ve gathered back into the lab and model it.   Given that the stream dynamics are tied to the length and severity of winters, which in turn is tied to the discussion on climate change, Loheide’s work takes on an added significance.

“The exciting part of this project is that it’s so new, Loheide said. “This is not like working out the third decimal point of a discovery that’s already been documented. This is an entirely new process.”