Commercially caught lake whitefish are weighed, chilled and processed before distributing to local restaurants and consumers. Lake whitefish commercial fishing is very important to the local Lake Superior culture and economy.
Lake Superior Fisheries Outreach: Whitefish And Protected Areas
Members of the Lake Superior Fisheries Management Team conducted an analysis of lake whitefish population demographics across the no-take refuges, partially protected areas (aka restricted-use areas) and various unprotected areas in the Apostle Islands region. Read about this work in a recently published paper or watch a presentation DNR staff gave at a Great Lakes Fishery Commission meeting last year on the Lake Superior Fisheries Outreach webpage.
Within the two large no-take refuges in the Apostle Islands, no harvest is permitted by any fishing sector. Whereas, within the partially protected areas, commercial fishing gears are prohibited (or in a couple instances, severely limited), but recreational fishing is permitted. In Lake Superior, recreational harvest constitutes about 1-2% of the total lake whitefish harvest annually.
“The results of this study showed that lake whitefish recruitment, or the replenishment of new fish into the spawning population, was improved in both the refuges and partially protected areas,” said Dray Carl, DNR Senior Fisheries Biologist. “Importantly, we also saw indications of fishery spillover out of the protected areas, which is likely helping enhance and create stability in our local commercial fisheries operating outside those protected areas.”
The network of nearshore and offshore protected areas in the Apostle Islands region is critical for sustaining high levels of lake trout and lake whitefish production, and maintaining these protected areas remains a fundamental objective in the current Lake Superior Fisheries Management Plan.
In addition, the team recently published DNR Fisheries Management Report No. 164 Lake Superior Splake and Brown Trout Stocking Evaluation. The report summarizes the stocking and harvest statistics for Lake Superior splake and brown trout stocking programs and future recommendations for enhancing the Seeforellen brown trout fishery.
If you have any questions, contact Dray Carl, Senior Fisheries Biologist – Lake Superior (Dray.Carl@wisconsin.gov; 715-331-9036). |
