in the Great Lakes. Catches from the same 

 gears included large numbers of Coregonus 

 (Prosopium) coulteri, a species not previously 

 reported east of the Pacific slope . 



The fishery-limnological surveys of 

 southern Lake Michigan in 1954 and northern 

 Lake iMichigan in 1955 had two major goals. 

 First was a precise comparison of chub stocks 

 (species composition, size, abundance, dis- 

 tribution, . . .) in 1930-32 and 1954-55; to assure 

 comparable records nets were fished that had 

 specifications identical to those of the experi- 

 mental gill nets used by the Fulmar in 1930-32. 

 The second goal was the collection of materials 

 and data on all aspects of the limnology- -cur- 

 rents, thermal structure, water chemistry, 

 plankton, bottom sediments and organisms, • • • . 

 By spending a full season on each of the two 

 sections of the lake both goals were met adequate- 



ly. 



TTie 1956 season also was spent in a 

 fishery-limnological study of a limited area-- 

 Saginaw Bay and adjacent waters of Lake Huron. 

 The principal objective here was to gain inform- 

 ation on the ecological conditions and on the 

 distribution and abundance of various species of 

 fish that might throw light on the causes of the 

 poor quality of fishing in the Bay. The program 

 included three 1-day synoptic surveys of the 

 limnology of Saginaw Bay, conducted in coopera- 

 tion with the Michigan Department of 

 Conservation . 



Lake Superior 



The Marquette field station was estab- 

 lished as the center for fishery research on 

 Lake Superior, but the immediate involvement 

 of the staff with the sea lamprey work and the 

 later (1953) transfer of sea lamprey control to 

 Marquette prevented the development of an or- 

 ganized research program. Although the prin- 

 cipal fishery research on Lake Superior has 

 been that conducted from the Cisco, the Mar- 

 quette staff has made valuable contributions 

 through such activities as: assistance in the tag- 

 ging and fin -clipping of lake trout; observations 

 on commercial landings of trout- -length, weight, 

 incidence of lamprey scars; collection of lake 

 trout scales and stomachs; annual collection of 

 scale samples from the spawning run of lake 



herring; ' • " . They have also manned the vessel 

 Siscowet to assist in planting lake trout finger- 

 lings and have done a small amount of experi- 

 mental fishing. 



Lake Michigan 



The more recent studies in Lake Michigan 

 were initiated in 1948 when the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service and the Wisconsin Conservation Depart- 

 ment entered into a formal agreement (still in 

 effect) for the cooperative study of the fish 

 stocks of southern Green Bay. For the next 2 

 years this activity was limited to a spring pro- 

 gram of tagging yellow perch and the spring and 

 fall collection of scale samples from the prin- 

 cipal species (yellow perch, lake herring, 

 whitefish, walleys). Activities were broadened 

 in 1950 with the establishment of a field station 

 at Sturgeon Bay under the direction of Joeris . 

 More satisfactory sampling schedules were set 

 up and observations were extended into the State 

 of Michigan end of Green Bay . 



Limitations of funds prevented the ad- 

 dition of biologists needed at Sturgeon Bay. As 

 a result the staff soon was making excellent 

 collections but lacked the time to carry out 

 proper studies of the materials. The station 

 was accordingly closed in 1953 and the activity 

 transferred to Ann Arbor. Field operations have 

 been continued at a level above that of 1948-49 

 but below that of 1950-53. 



Despite the slender support the Green 

 Bay studies received, important accomplishments 

 have been made: a comprehensive life -history 

 study has been completed on the lake herring 

 (doctoral dissertation by S. Smith, University 

 of Michigan); information obtained on yellow 

 perch led to changes of regulations that have 

 doubled production in Wisconsin waters of the 

 Bay; information on the consequences of the 

 phenomenal strength of the 1943 year class of 

 walleyes helped block the passage of unwise re- 

 strictions on the fisheries in the State of Michigan 

 waters; a long-term accumulation of materials on 

 various species is laying the groundwork for an 

 effective inquiry into factors of fluctuations. 



Prior to the Cisco surveys of 1954 and 

 1955, research on Lake Michigan proper was 

 limited to the collection of information (by 



11 



