Katie Renschen - Ashland NFWCO, Hannah Edwards - Jordan NFH and Gary Czypinski - Ashland NFWCO work on picking nets and boxing for resetting.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ashland National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (NFWCO) in Wisconsin conducted lake whitefish assessments out of Grand Marais, Mich., July 24 –31, 2008.  Hannah Edwards, volunteer from Jordan River National Fish Hatchery and Ted Eggebraaten from Green Bay NFWCO assisted with the assessments.  These surveys are coordinated by the Technical Fisheries Committee (TFC) of the 2000 Consent Decree for 1836 Treaty waters of Lake Superior Cooperators. Participants in this effort include the Service, Bay Mills Indian Community, Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority, and Michigan DNR, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Grand Marais Coast Guard Auxiliary.  The areas surveyed by the Service include Grand Marais, Blind Sucker Creek and Deer Park.  The information obtained is used by agencies to manage the commercial and recreation harvest of lake whitefish, evaluate abundance and fish health, and to gain a broader understanding of the lake whitefish ecological role in Lake Superior. Biological data collected by species caught included length, weight, sex, sea lamprey marks, ageing material and stomach (diet) samples.

Gill nets were set along 6 randomly selected transects that run perpendicular to the shoreline.  Nets were set on the bottom in water depths set in two different depth strata ranging from less than 100 feet and greater than 100 feet.  Four 900’ gangs were strung together (3600’), with each gang containing 9 – 100’ panels that ranged in size from 2 “– 6” stretch (by the ½”) and 6’ deep.