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Watershed Conservation Plan - Destination Erie

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Figure 6.3. Spawning atlas records of fish spawning activity in the study area, showing streams<br />

reporting spawning activity.<br />

been changed by invasive zebra mussels and round gobies since 1982 (Roger Kenyon, personal<br />

communication December 2, 2006), and a reassessment of lake fishes' spawning grounds is needed.<br />

Considering the high likelihood of future changes in cold water fisheries and nearshore conditions<br />

associated with in-progress climate change in the Lake <strong>Erie</strong> basin (see discussion in other sections of this<br />

chapter), the suggested reassessment of spawning grounds should perhaps be coupled with the<br />

comprehensive anticipatory planning efforts to adapt resource management to climate change.<br />

Fisheries managers classify fish into three different categories based upon species' temperature<br />

preferences. Cold water fishes (CWF) such as trout require the highest quality waters for their favored<br />

habitats, while warm water fishes (WWF) such as largemouth bass and bluegill can tolerate lower water<br />

quality conditions. Figure 6.4 indicates the water quality designations of the study area's streams (see<br />

Chapter 5). Currently, most of the smaller streams are designated as capable of supporting cold water<br />

fishes, except for the main stem reaches of the largest streams and some degraded smaller streams, which<br />

are designated as habitat for warm water fishes.<br />

Recently published reports on the status of the fisheries of the Pennsylvania portion of Lake <strong>Erie</strong><br />

(Lake <strong>Erie</strong> Research Unit 2006) and its tributaries (Murray and Shields 2004) provide an in-depth view of<br />

the economic importance of the study area's streams for fishing-related industry and tourism. Commercial<br />

harvests of walleye, yellow perch, drum, burbot, white perch, white bass, and lake whitefish have been<br />

much lower over the past 5–6 years (below annual allowable quotas) than the time period between<br />

1990–1995. The decline in commercial catch is attributed to 1996 changes in regulations for commercial<br />

fishing (allowable fishing gear restricted to trap nets) and the fact that there is only one licensed<br />

commercial fisherman currently operating in Pennsylvania's Lake <strong>Erie</strong> waters (Lake <strong>Erie</strong> Research Unit<br />

2006).<br />

Lake <strong>Erie</strong> supports a healthy sport fishery, and the most recent data collected by the Pennsylvania<br />

Fish & Boat Commission indicates that the top four fish species taken from the lake by anglers are yellow<br />

perch, walleye, steelhead trout, and smallmouth bass. Fifteen other species are also routinely caught by<br />

sport fishermen (Lake <strong>Erie</strong> Research Unit 2006). Most of the steelhead fishing takes place in the lake's<br />

tributaries (Murray and Shields 2004), and this cold water fishery is supported "exclusively" by a<br />

tributary stocking program, summarized in a report by the Lake <strong>Erie</strong> Research Unit (2006).<br />

108

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