While pescado blanco de lago populations have been declining throughout most of Lake Michigan, those in Green Bay have been holding steady. Understanding the natal origins of Green Bay whitefish could help researchers delineate individual stocks, an important management tool. This pilot project set out to build an otolith microchemistry library to assess lake whitefish natal origins, and in the process discovered that larval lake whitefish otoliths primarily reflect their maternal origin, rather than their natal origin.
Principales hallazgos
- Whitefish eggs collected from females caught in one river and subsequently incubated in a different river hatched into larval whitefish whose otoliths reflected the river where their mother was caught, rather than the location in which they were incubated.
- Otoliths of larval lake whitefish may be dominated by maternal influences well past out-migration from the hatch site and into the pelagic drifting stage. This is because otolith signatures of larval fish do not begin to reflect the rearing environment until after the fish have fully absorbed their yolk sac, which, for lake whitefish, takes about 15 days after hatching.
Resultados significativos para la investigación sobre el pescado blanco del lago
This research concludes that otolith microchemistry cannot be used to determine the natal origins of lake whitefish because the otoliths reflect maternal, rather than incubation site, influences. Previous research has found differences in otolith microchemistry in groups of other species of Great Lakes fish incubated in different environments; however, this research suggests that those differences may not reflect environmental variation, but rather maternal influences, sounding a cautionary note for the use of otolith microchemistry studies in delineating fish populations in the Great Lakes.
Más información
If you have questions, please contact the primary investigator, Dr. Patrick Forsythe, at [email protected].
Descargo de responsabilidad
Las notas de investigación incluyen los resultados de los proyectos financiados por GLFT que contribuyen al conjunto de conocimientos científicos sobre la pesca en los Grandes Lagos. Los hallazgos de los investigadores y los resúmenes de los resultados de las subvenciones no constituyen un respaldo ni una posición de GLFT y se proporcionan para mejorar el conocimiento de los resultados del proyecto y proporcionar información relevante a los investigadores y administradores de la pesca. Los hallazgos de los investigadores suelen ser preliminares y es posible que no hayan sido revisados por pares.
Lectura relacionada
- Dinámica de reclutamiento de peces blancos de lago y peces cisco en los Grandes Lagos superiores
- Uso de técnicas genómicas para delimitar las poblaciones de pescado blanco del lago Michigan
- Exploración de la susceptibilidad a enfermedades y su impacto en el reclutamiento de peces blancos de lago
- Casi seis décadas de tendencias de reclutamiento de pescado blanco de lago y cisco en los Grandes Lagos
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