Fishery Biologists Adam Kowalski, Anjanette Bowen and Jerry McClain participated in a joint project with Michigan Department of Natural Resources to collect data on Thunder Bay smallmouth bass.

The survey was established to provide baseline information on Thunder Bay smallmouth bass  for use in evaluating cormorant control efforts by USDA-APHIS. This information was also needed as part of a larger program to better understand the status of  smallmouth bass stocks in Lake Huron,  a need identified by the Lake Huron Technical Committee.

Nighttime electrofishing was used to collect fish, June 13-14.  This effort coincided with Michigan DNR near shore small-mesh gillnetting that has been used for several years to monitor predator-prey dynamics in Thunder Bay. 

There were 33 smallmouth bass collected in seven hours of electrofishing. Two areas of the bay were sampled where smallmouth bass habitat was considered ideal. The shoal areas around Partridge Point and Sulphur Island on the south side of the bay were sampled the first night and produced 25 of the 33 smallmouth. The rocky shoreline and near shore reefs on the north side of the bay were sampled the second night and produced the another eight fish.

In addition to general biological data, tissue samples were taken from these fish and provided to the LaCrosse Fish Health Center to conduct bacterial and viral screening. The primary focus was screening for viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) in Lake Huron.

Fin tissue was also taken from the bass by Cal Borden, a graduate student from Ohio who is compiling genetic information on Great Lakes smallmouth bass stocks. Carp were collected the second night of sampling, at the request of MDNR, for annual contaminant monitioring conducted by Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.