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Fisheries |
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Muskegon Lake Community Action Plan
Overview Muskegon Lake is 4150 acres in size and supports extensive fisheries. Associated systems include Bear Lake, a shallow lake connected by a channel to Muskegon Lake; a marsh system 10—15 square miles in size encompassing the river immediately above the lake; and Lake Michigan, connected to Muskegon Lake by a shipping channel. The association of the river, marsh, and Lake Michigan produces a large variety of sport fishing in Muskegon Lake. Important fisheries include resident black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, and flathead catfish. Walleye are the only species currently stocked. Largemouth bass are most abundant at the east end of the lake where smallmouth bass are more abundant near the west end. The west end receives cool water influxes from Lake Michigan which are favorable to smallmouth bass. The extensive marsh system supports a large northern pike population. The fisheries for bass and northern pike are excellent. Sometimes during fall and winter months, large numbers of yellow perch migrate from Lake Michigan to Muskegon Lake, and these fish support a large winter fishery. Yellow perch use Muskegon Lake for both feeding and reproduction. Spawning runs of Chinook salmon, steelhead and brown trout provide fall and spring fisheries. Both lake trout and lake whitefish move into the lake for feeding and spawning during fall. Lake sturgeon also use the lake for feeding and as a staging area prior to spawning movements into the Muskegon River. Brown trout from Lake Michigan use Muskegon Lake during spring and fall for feeding. What’s the problem? Although there are several reasons for populations declines throughout Lake Michigan the greatest impact on fisheries in Muskegon Lake has been due to the loss of shallow, littoral zone fish and wildlife habitat from dredging and development . Almost the entire littoral zone of the south shore of Muskegon Lake has been dredged or filled (see Aquatic Habitat chapter for more on this). In addition to shoreline filling and dredging, significant filling of wetlands has also occurred in the primary northern pike spawning areas located above the lake.
Other fishery concerns are related to the existing polluted sediments and the continued consumption advisories for certain species due to elevated levels of contaminants like mercury and PCBs (more on this in the Human Health chapter).
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Fishery
concerns include degraded populations of native white bass and the Great
Lakes Muskellunge. Both are important sport fish in the Muskegon Lake Area
of Concern. White bass are found in small numbers at the present time,
along with the non-indigenous white perch. White perch are competitors
with white bass and can cause declines in white bass populations. Another
concern is the introduction of zebra mussel and the round goby. Non-native
species continue to alter the food web structure for native species. This
impact needs to be addressed with local and regional strategies.
Otherwise, these ecological changes could lead to a collapse in the
Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan fishery as we know it. This would result
in a substantial economic and quality of life loss for the Muskegon Lake
community.