Recognition of Spawning Areas by Lake Trout: Deposition and Survival of Eggs on Small, Man-Made Rock Piles

January 1, 1995 - J. Ellen Marsden, David L. Perkins, Charles C. Krueger

Journal or Book Title: Journal of Great Lakes Research

Volume/Issue: 21(Supplement 1)

Page Number(s): 330-336

Year Published: 1995

Reproductive success of stocked lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in the Great Lakes has been negligible in all of the lakes except Superior. Among the factors which may affect reproduction, the quality of spawning habitat and selection of good haitat by hatchery-origin lake trout are important for the success of population restoration. Stocked lake trout may be unable to recognize small areas of appropriate spawning substrate. The purpose of this study was to identify characterstics of spawning substrate (e.g., depth, substrate size, reef contour) that are important for spawning site selection by lake trout, and to associate these characteristics with egg incubation success. Six rock piles, 4.5 m in diameter, were constructed 80 m from a natural spawning reef. Egg deposition and survival to hatching were measured on and adjacet to the rock piles and on the nearby natural cobble reef. Lake trout spawned on all of the rock piles in 1990 and 1991. Few eggs were collected immediately adjacent to the piles. Egg densities on the piles were two to four times lower than on the natural cobble reef that was much larger in area. These data indicate that spawning site selection by lake trout was influenced by substrate size and location. Egg survival was high in incubators buried in rock piles (38-61%) and natural cobble (27-59%), but low in incubators adjacent to the piles (3-10%) and on sandy substrates (9%). Thus, lake trout detected and spawned on small areas of clean cobble that supported egg incubation. Lake trout will use new areas of substrate even when larger natural areas are available within 100 m. This result indicates that lake trout spawning on harbor breakwalls and man-made rubble piles is due to their attraction to clean substrate rather than the absence of natural substrate nearby.

Type of Publication: Journal Article

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