RECREATIONAL FISHERY IN LAKE SUPERIOR Don Schreiner, MNDNR Steve Schram, WIDNR Shawn Sitar, MIDNR Mike Petzold, OMNR

History of Recreational Fishing Native Americans – first anglers – subsistenceNative Americans – first anglers – subsistence Commercial fishing began - fur trade subsidizedCommercial fishing began - fur trade subsidized Commercial families started resorts began sport fishingCommercial families started resorts began sport fishing

History of Recreational Fishing Much of first angling experience was from shore/streamMuch of first angling experience was from shore/stream –Fly fishing –Elite class of anglers –Superior Fishing-Robert Barnwell Roosevelt-1865 First charter captains were commercial fishermanFirst charter captains were commercial fisherman

History Increased access roads New harbors/marinas WW II Sea Lamprey

History Sea lamprey control Sea lamprey control Introduced Pacific salmon Introduced Pacific salmon Larger/safer boats Larger/safer boats New electronics/technique New electronics/technique

Characteristics of Fishery Stream fishery in spring and fall –Targeted at introduced salmonids Lake fishery relatively near shore - summer –Bottom bouncing and jigging for lake trout –Planner boards for salmon Bays and estuaries - seasonal –Cool water species, splake, brown trout

Waters of Lake Superior Bays ft (0-80 meters) > 240 ft (> 80 meters)

Creel or Angler Surveys Pressure – angler hours Number of fish harvested or caught CPUE – catch per effort or no. of fish/angler hr

Status – Creel Surveys Wisconsin – 1972 – 2000 May 1 – Sept. 30 Minnesota – 1972 – 2000 Memorial W.E. – Sept. 30 Michigan – 1987 – 2000 Standard sites May 1 – Sept. 30 Ontario – Intermittent – selected sites - diaries

Pressure in U.S. Waters of Lake Superior

Percent Pressure Among States in Lake Superior *Michigan estimate is from

Salmonids Caught in U.S. Waters of Lake Superior

Salmonid Catch by Agency in U.S. Waters of Lake Superior

Trends in Catch of Major Salmonids in U.S. Waters of Lake Superior *

Distribution of Major Salmonids in Catch from U.S. Waters of Lake Superior

Distribution of Major Salmonids in Ontario Waters of Lake Superior

CPUE for All Salmonids in the U.S. Waters of Lake Superior

Pressure and CPUE for All Salmonids in the U.S. Waters of Lake Superior

CPUE for Salmonids in Lake Superior Recreational Fishery

CPUE for Major Salmonids in Lake Superior by Agency

Number of Charter Captains in U.S. Waters of Lake Superior

Comparison Between Overall Sport and Charter CPUE for U.S. Waters of Lake Superior

Comparison of Charter CPUE Among States

Estimates of Fishing Pressure in Days Among Upper Great Lakes ****From Bence and Smith (1999)

Comparison of Salmonid CPUE Among Upper Great Lakes for Salmonids

Comparison of Charter CPUE Among Upper Great Lakes

Mean Size of Major Salmonids Caught Among Upper Great Lakes **Estimates for L. Huron from , L. Michigan from , L. Superior from For each lake, data were from lake-wide creels

Mean Catch Composition Among Upper Great Lakes ****L.Huron Estimates from , L.Michigan Estimates from , L. Superior Estimates from

Summary – Upper Lakes Recreational Fishery Fishing pressure much lower on Lake Superior CPUE of sport and charter fishery for Lake Superior equal to or greater than in Lakes Michigan and Huron Catch composition dominated by lake trout in L. Superior, chinook salmon in L. Huron and rainbow trout in L. Michigan Average size of all fish smaller in L. Superior

Summary – Lake Superior Recreational Fishery Fishing pressure has decreased since late 1980s, while catch rate has increased Annual catch of all salmonids averaged approximately 70,000 fish from Average CPUE is 0.15 for all salmonids from Approximately 67% of catch composed of lake trout, 17% coho and 8% chinook salmon