Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (February 5, 2021) – The science of Great Lakes fisheries will once again be presented by the Fish Tales Lecture Series. Fish Tales is an educational program of Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center and Nature Preserve in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Topics addressed in Fish Tales 2021 include the science of catching and releasing smallmouth bass, movement of brown trout and lake whitefish in Green Bay, movement of trout and salmon in Lake Michigan, and how efforts to control the invasive sea lamprey allow Great Lakes fisheries to thrive. All presentations will be provided online in partnership with the Door County Library.
To participate in each of the presentations, visit the Door County Library calendar at https://doorcountylibrary.org/event to connect via zoom or Facebook Live. All presentations are at 7pm (CST).
Dr. Steven Cooke, from Carleton University, Ottawa Canada, will kick off the series on Thursday, February 18, with his presentation on “The Science of Catching and Releasing Angler-Caught Bass.” Dr. Cooke is an avid bass fisherman and professor of applied fish ecology at Carleton University. He has completed numerous studies on the effects of catching and releasing bass and will present his findings on how to minimize fish stress when handling the bass you catch
On Thursday, March 4, Dr. Dan Isermann, from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, will present “Where Fish Wander in Green Bay: Tracking the Movements of Walleye and Whitefish.” Dr. Isermann will discuss the results of his research on movement of walleye and lake whitefish throughout Green Bay using the latest acoustic telemetry technology as part of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System.
Jessica Barber, fisheries supervisor from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marquette, MI, will present “Using Science to Control Sea Lamprey in Lake Michigan,” on Thursday, March 25. Ms. Barber will inform us how devastating sea lamprey predation can be on Lake Michigan gamefish and how science has improved the effectiveness of the Great Lakes sea lamprey control program that enables sport fisheries to thrive.
On Thursday, April 8, Chuck Bronte, fisheries biologist from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Green Bay, will discuss the “Great Lakes Mass Marking Program for Trout and Salmon – Better Fisheries through Better Science.” Mr. Bronte will review the results of the of the Mass Marking program that has tagged every Chinook salmon and lake trout stocked into Lake Michigan since 2010. Learn how the latest mass tagging technology has supported and improved the management of trout and salmon in Lake Michigan.