QFC Research Presented at the 2012 Meeting of the Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society
Master’s student Carson Prichard attended the annual Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) held February 8-9, 2012 in Marinette, WI. This year’s meeting was a collaborative effort between both the Michigan and Wisconsin chapters of AFS, and was heavily attended by members of academia and agencies from both states. Carson gave an oral presentation titled “Accounting for Changing Patterns in Size-specific Wounding of Lake Trout by Sea Lamprey in the Upper Great Lakes.” He explained how current lake trout assessments may be improved with better estimates of annual sea lamprey mortality and demonstrated how his research can contribute by better accounting for differences in the size-selectivity of sea lamprey across managements units and over time.
Review of Lake Michigan Red Flags Analysis (RFA)
Rick Clark has completed a critical review of the Lake Michigan Red Flags Analysis (RFA). He presented his results to the Lake Michigan Technical Committee (LMTC) in Chesterton, IN on January 24, 2012 and to the MIDNR Lake Michigan Basin Team at the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery on February 1, 2012. Rick concluded that the basic concept behind RFA was very good, but that the existing procedure had serious problems that should be fixed. He identified specific problems and recommended ways to fix them. As an illustration, he developed a prototype analysis which incorporates his recommendations. In the event that all or some of his recommendations are adopted, the prototype could serve as a framework for converting the old RFA into a better management tool. Rick is preparing a written report which will document the procedures of the existing RFA and present the results of the critical review. The report will be completed in time for the Lake Michigan Committee (LMC) to consider the recommendations at their March 2012 meeting in Windsor, ON.
