During the month of March, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) held their annual Lake Committee Meeting in Ypsilanti, MI. 

The Lake Committee meetings bring together state, tribal, provincial, and federal researchers and managers who have a vested interest in the Great Lakes. 

The week-long meeting began on March 23 and started with a Joint Common Session followed by break out sessions of the individual lakes for the remainder of the week.

Fishery biologist Scott Koproski attended and presented at the Lake Huron Committee Session, which began on March 26.  Koproski presented data from Alpena NFWCO’s lake trout spawning surveys conducted at two offshore reefs in Lake Huron: Yankee Reef and Six Fathom Bank Refuge. 

Alpena NFWCO has attempted to conduct annual spawning surveys at these two mid-lake reefs since 1993.  However, both reefs have not been sampled each year due to gale force winds and high seas that are characteristic of Lake Huron during late October and early November when sampling occurs.

Recently, survey data has revealed an increase in catch rates of wild lake trout utilizing these two reef complexes for reproduction.  Catch per effort (CPE) of wild lake trout has been slowly rising since 2002 at both Six Fathom Bank and Yankee Reef. 

The most recent surveys of each reef resulted in the highest CPE of wild lake trout since the surveys inception, nearly doubling previous highs.  CPE of wild lake trout caught at Six Fathom Bank in 2007 was 38.3 fish/1000’ and Yankee Reef in 2008 was 27.5 fish/1000’.  

Alpena NFWCO will continue to conduct spawning surveys at these two offshore reefs and the staff is hopeful that the promising upward trends in wild fish CPE will continue.  The increase in wild fish CPE encourages staff and further justifies the Services efforts to rehabilitate and restore lake trout in Lake Huron.