| | The unseasonably warm winter that is affecting the Great Lakes region will have ramifications on Lake Erie’s ecosystem that are yet to be understood. Assumptions are made, but until the winter and spring seasons run their course no definite answers can be provided. What we can do is analyze the past and talk to researchers whose job it is to decipher irregular climate effects on Lake Erie’s ecosystem.
Much research has, and is taking place regarding the spawning rates of walleye. There are a multitude of factors that will play into the spawning success for any individual spring. Even after all these factors are analyzed there is still more to learn while deciphering exact requirements for the best possible hatch.
 “Usually the biggest hatches (walleye) come after the hardest winters. There is physiological proof that the female walleye produces higher quality eggs after a longer harder winter. That doesn’t mean you can’t get a good hatch after a mild winter, but it probably means that we won’t get one of the biggest hatches like the one in 2003 was,” said Travis Hartman, Fisheries Biologist for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
What are additional factors that will affect this spring’s walleye hatch?
“The spring weather pattern that follows a mild winter is one of the biggest factors in walleye spawning success,” said Hartman. ”If we don’t get enough rain and don’t have an enough tributary input in the spring, then it can mess with the timing of the plankton bloom, which ultimately effects survival of all the fry. What the walleye really need are single celled green algae. Daphnia are tiny plankton that eat green algae, and daphnia are what the larval walleye will really feed on.”
So, the walleye need spring precipitation to spur the lower ends of the food chain, therefore providing the necessary food for young walleye. This is not to say that heavy rain all spring is a good thing.
“So much is timing. We can have all the best factors, but if the specific timing of certain events is not right then it’s not going to matter,” said Hartman. “If the rain comes early then the eggs could be silted over.”
It’s been proven that the frequency and severity of major wind events is another major factor that affects the hatch.
“Ideally we would like to have a fairly calm spring while the eggs are incubating. In 2003 we had a fairly rough spring wind wise, but the direction of the wind matters.”
A strong North wind can blow freshly hatched walleye into the near shore reefs from Davis Bessie to the Maumee Bay. The near shore reefs act as a nursery protecting them while providing them with food, like daphnia. If the wind frequently blows strong from the South than it could potentially blow groups of larval walleye into open water, where they are much more vulnerable to predation.
Another variable that will play into the success of the walleye spawn is the warming rates of the water.
“Ideally you would like a slow gradual warming of the waters, instead of a –freeze, thaw, freeze- spring pattern.”
The timing of many different factors (such as temperatures, precipitation, and forage availability) influences whether or not a successful spawn will take place this year on Lake Erie. Fishermen and natural resource managers both eagerly await results that have yet to be determined. A warmer than average winter does not mean that we are going to have a below average spawn. Hopefully, necessary elements for providing a successful spawn will present themselves when the time is right. |
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