Prying into the Secret Lives of Great Lakes Fishes

By Coggin Heeringa, Crossroads Program, Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc.

At Crossroads’ next Fish Tales Lecture, we’ll learn how the latest acoustic telemetry technology enables fisheries professionals to pry into the secret life of fish. Dr. Chuck Krueger, founder and Director Emeritus of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS), from Michigan State University, will present “Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System: Prying into the Secret Lives of Fishes,” offered in-person at 7:00 pm Monday, January 31, at the Collins Learning Center at Crossroads (and via Zoom and Facebook Live thanks to a collaboration with the Door County Library).

Standard fish sampling methods, such as netting or electrofishing, are used only during the open water season and provide only a small glimpse of a fish’s life at the point in time it is caught. If an acoustic transmitter is surgically implanted in a fish, it will transmit its location 24/7 up to five years depending on the battery life of the transmitter. Imagine what you could learn about a fish if you could track its movement every hour, every day  for 365 days of the year for five years.

While First Nation People, commercial and sport fishers, and fisheries biologists have an uncanny ability, through tradition and experience, to find fish, and a wealth of knowledge about fish behavior, countless mysteries remain. What are the migration patterns? Where do fish find food? What temperatures and depth do they prefer? What triggers a spawn? Do fish really  leave Green Bay through Death’s Door rather than taking the short cut through the Ship Canal?

The Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS), established by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, is a bi-national network of researchers who collaboratively use acoustic telemetry to understand fish behavior in relation to Great Lakes ecology, and to provide information useful to fish managers in their decision making. The collaboration includes scientists and biologists from universities and from federal, provincial, state, and tribal agencies.

During last year’s Fish Tales Lecture Series, we learned how GLATOS was used to track walleye and lake whitefish in Green Bay. Dr. Dan Isermann from UW-Stevens Point, had given a talk, “Where Fish Wander in Green Bay.” As we learned from Dr. Isermann last year, acoustic telemetry is a revolutionary technology. Transmitters, surgically inserted into fish, broadcast pings (sound pulses) which are detected by underwater receivers with data-logging computers. That makes it sound rather simple. It is anything but – so don’t miss Dr. Krueger’s presentation on Monday, January 31, at 7:00 pm.

If you are unable to or uncomfortable about attending the in-person presentation, you can access the January 31 lecture on the Library event calendar. And if you missed any of our past lectures, know that they are recorded and available through the Library. (We are so grateful to Library staff for their help.)

When snow and temperature conditions allow, Ski-for-Free is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Please check the Crossroads website or Facebook page for current conditions and Ski-for-Free hours. 

Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center and Nature Preserve is located at 2041 Michigan. Crossroads is a 501(c)3 organization committed to offering education, conducting research, and providing outdoor experiences to inspire environmental stewardship in learners of all ages and from all backgrounds. We welcome your support! Become a member of Crossroads by mailing a contribution to P.O. Box 608, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, or donate online at crossroadsatbigcreek.org Masks are recommended inside building

Friday, January 28

10:00 am – 11:00 am Junior Nature Club

This activity is for pre-school children and their caregivers, but siblings and other interested people are welcome. This week the topic is tree branches, and there will be time for unstructured play. All activities are outside, so bundle up. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, January 29

 9:30 am – 3:30 pm Ski-for-Free (conditions allowing)

On winter weekends, Crossroads offers our Ski-for-Free program when and if there is enough snow. Friends of Crossroads and volunteers from Door County Silent Sports will help participants find the correct sizes of equipment. We have skis, boots, poles, snowshoes and kicksleds. When snow and temperature conditions allow, Ski- for- Free is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Watch our website for updates and current trail conditions.

2:00 – 3:00 pm Saturday Science

This program is intended for school-aged kids, but all are welcome. This week the topic is ice. Activities will take place outdoors, so bundle up. We will visit Big Creek and also conduct several investigations to learn about water in its frozen state. Meet on the porch of the Collins Learning Center. Free and open to the public.

Sunday, January 30

 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm Ski-for-Free (conditions allowing)

On winter weekends, Crossroads offers our Ski-for-Free program when and if there is enough snow. Friends of Crossroads and volunteers from Door County Silent Sports will help participants find the correct sizes of equipment. We have skis, boots, poles, snowshoes and kicksleds. When snow and temperature conditions allow, Ski- for- Free is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Watch our website for updates and current trail conditions.

Monday, January 31

7:00 pm FISH TALES LECTURE

Dr. Chuck Krueger, founder and Director Emeritus of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS), from Michigan State University, will present “Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System: Prying into the Secret Lives of Fishes,” offered in-person at 7:00 pm in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center. To participate via zoom, go to https://doorcountylibrary.org/event for January 31 to find the link.