Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conducts Nighttime Walleye Recruitment Surveys

This fall, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be conducting nighttime walleye recruitment surveys from late September to mid-October. These surveys are crucial for fisheries managers to determine the status of young walleye in lakes and make informed management decisions. Using electrofishing boats, crews will survey shallow areas near the shoreline of lakes at night, capturing young-of-year walleye in the process. The information gathered from these surveys will help the DNR understand whether walleye that hatched in the spring are naturally reproducing or if they were stocked, as well as how many of those fish are present in an area.

Key Takeaways:

• The Michigan Department of Natural Resources conducts nighttime walleye recruitment surveys from late September to mid-October.
• The surveys are crucial for fisheries managers to determine the status of young walleye in lakes and make informed management decisions.
• Electrofishing boats are used to survey shallow areas near the shoreline of lakes at night, capturing young-of-year walleye.
• The DNR collects and keeps a sample of young-of-year walleye from stocked lakes to determine whether the fish are primarily reproducing naturally or if they were stocked.
• Some walleye that are stocked are marked with oxytetracycline, a chemical marker that can be observed within captured fish using a microscope with an ultraviolet light source.
• Collaborative surveys are being conducted with tribal agencies, and tribal natural resource departments are also conducting independent surveys.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service is collaborating on surveys and conducting independent surveys in the Hiawatha National Forest.
• The public is urged to use caution when fishing or on the water near electrofishing boats, and those wading will be asked to exit the water when a survey boat approaches.

Statistics:

• Typically, nighttime walleye recruitment surveys are conducted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources from late September to mid-October.
• The surveys cover over 100 lakes across the state of Michigan.
• The DNR uses electrofishing boats to capture young-of-year walleye in shallow areas near the shoreline of lakes during the surveys.
• The DNR has been conducting nighttime walleye recruitment surveys for over 20 years.

Sources:

• Michigan State Government
• Michigan.gov/Walleye
• US Department of Agriculture's Forest Service
• Michigan Department of Natural Resources