US EPA

6449324 

Journal Article 

Abundance and Population Trends of Sandusky Bay Fishes 

Hartley, SMH 

1975 

Twenty-three species of fish in 13 families were collected at 32 sampling sites on Sandusky Bay in Lake Erie from November 1972 to November 1974 as part of an environmental assessment conducted in connection with a proposed nuclear power plant on the bay. Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) dominate the population (40% and 22%). Other significant species are: white bass (Morone chrysops) 8.4%, carp (Cyprinus carpio) 7.4%, goldfish (Carassius auratus) 7.4%, white crappie (Pomoxis annularis) 6.2%, brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) 6.0%, freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) 4.2%, channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) 1.2%, and walleye (Stizostedion v. vitreum) 1.0%. Rough and nongame fish make up 63.0% of the species collected, game fish 35.8%, and forage fish 1.2%. The smallest mesh size of the gear used to collect fish was one-half inch. This tended to eliminate the forage base from the samples. The bluntnose minnow, spotfin shiner, spottail shiner, and emerald shiner are presumed present and abundant. In total fish population, August was the peak month for 1973 and 1974, followed by April-May 1974. Several species were analyzed for stomach content. Diptera, and fish, Oligochaetes and Deatoms are the major food items of most species. Environmental stress in the last 150 years has caused the decline of many species, including white bass (once the most abundant species), walleye, northern pike, and muskellunge. Currently abundant species have either stable or increasing populations. (See also W78-01518) (Lynch-Wisconsin) 

; Fish; Lake Erie; River basins; Freshwater fish; Bays; Environmental effects; Fish populations; Ohio; Seasonal; Aquatic populations; Data collections; Food chains/