Aquatic Research Laboratory - Lake Superior State University

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Aquatic Research Laboratory
“Creating Partnerships in Water Resources”
650 W. Easterday Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 | 906-635-1949 | www.lssu.edu/arl
Mission Statement: “The LSSU Aquatic Research Laboratory
will combine education and research on aquatic biota and their
associated habitats within the Great Lakes Basin to serve the
academic, scientific, and public communities.”
ARL Staff:
Ashley Moerke, Ph.D.: Co-Director
Geoff Steinhart, Ph.D.: Co-Director
Jun Li, Ph.D.: Fish Disease Lab Manager
Roger Greil: ARL Manager
Honoring 25 Years of Atlantic Salmon at the ARL
In the mid-1970s, two friends had an idea for
a collaboration to promote tourism in the Upper
Peninsula, strengthen academics at Lake Superior
State University and reinforce community ties. Their
idea, which also included the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources, gave rise to the LSSU Aquatic
Research Laboratory in 1977.
With the dedication of Dr. Gale Gleason (LSSU)
and William Gregory (then president of Edison Sault
Electric), the ARL grew from a small facility into a
full-blown hatchery and research lab that marked its
25th anniversary of releasing Atlantic salmon into
the river. To celebrate, LSSU named the 2011 class
of yearling salmon after Gleason and Gregory. “Dr.
Gleason and Bill had a vision of strengthening a
university-community partnership that continues to
thrive,” said LSSU President Tony McLain. “The lab is
Bill Gregory and Dr. Gale Gleason release
their eponymous year-class of Atlantic salmon
into the St. Marys River. (Photo/T. Pink)
Aquatic Research Laboratory | Volume 6 Issue 1
by Staff
an important and vital part of the university and the
community that started with the generosity of Edison
Sault Electric Company and is continuing through
Cloverland Electric Cooperative. We hope for many
more years of working together for the community.”
Cloverland Electric Cooperative General Manager
Dan Dasho agreed, saying, “Cloverland is a proud
partner in this important project and looks forward to
continuing that partnership.”
In the mid-1980s, under the leadership of Dr.
David Behmer (LSSU), the ARL secured funding to
embark upon its Atlantic salmon rearing project.
Rearing Atlantic salmon has served as a studenttraining tool, with hundreds of LSSU students having
gained valuable experience and education.
Fishermen come from throughout North America
and beyond to fish the St. Marys River for Atlantic
salmon. In fact, LSSU’s Atlantic salmon have been
caught in all of the Great Lakes and have been
estimated to have an economic impact of more than
$1 million annually.
“The unique DNR-LSSU cooperative salmon program
has yielded large benefits to both of us,” said Gary
Whelan, DNR Fisheries Division Fish Production
Manager. “The DNR has benefited by ensuring the
continuation of a special fishing opportunity in the
St. Marys River... along with the hands-on training
of aspiring fisheries biologists, many of whom have
gone on to work for our department.... It has been an
amazing partnership that we are very proud of and
excited about its future potential.”
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ARL Highlights - For more information visit: www.lssu.edu/arl
“Fishing” for a Summer Experience?
Try a Hatchery Internship! By Blake Vandenberg (‘13)
What do most undergraduate students do after
spring semester ends? They go home to visit friends
and family and swap stories or maybe they go on
vacations to get away and recover. LSSU Fisheries
and Wildlife students however, often work with
agencies and universities to build their resumes. For
a student pursuing a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife
Management there are many options from working at
the Aquatic Research Laboratory to an agency job or
internship.
An internship program with Michigan’s
Department of Natural Resources state fish hatcheries
is now offered through the LSSU and the ARL.
This internship is a great chance for students to
experience the behind-the-scenes work at a hatchery.
LSSU alumnus and head Fisheries Biologist, Randy
Espinoza said “The internship offered at Thompson
State Fish Hatchery provides students with many
hands-on hatchery activities. These activities include
loading fish trucks, feeding, maintenance, stocking
fish, and assisting with walleye fry. Students also
work with DNR fishery professionals that share their
knowledge and answer a variety of questions.”
Dr. Ashley Moerke, Co-Director of the ARL agrees:
“the intern program is another great opportunity for
our fisheries students to get real-world experience
and network with professionals in the field. We are
excited about this mutually beneficial collaboration
with the MDNR”.
In 2010, Blake Vandenberg (‘13) and Ross Gay (‘11)
had the privilege of working with Mr. Espinoza to
learn about the different processes of a fish hatchery.
After working for a summer at Thompson State Fish
Hatchery, Blake and Ross were able to apply the
information they learned to future jobs, and they met
people that will be a great professional resource. The
inaugural year of the program was so successful that
it was expanded for the summer of 2011 to include
Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery and the Platte River
State Fish Hatchery in 2012. In total, seven LSSU
undergraduates have had the chance to work at DNR
hatcheries through the internship program.
Mr. Espinoza added “We have enjoyed having
the extra help and getting to look at potential future
hiring candidates. It is simply a good resume builder
and learning experience.”
Thank you!
The following organizations recently made
donations in support of the ARL:
• Hammond Bay Area Anglers
• Metro West Steelheaders
Ross Gay (‘11) working at the Thompson State
Fish Hatchery as part of the LSSU-MDNR
hatchery intern program. (Photo/R. Espinoza)
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• Soo Sportsmen’s Club
And thank you to the many individual donors
who have contributed to the ARL!
To view the ARL FishCam visit: www.lssu.edu/arl/fishcam.php
Special Issue on St. Marys R.
LSSU faculty and staff hold the Journal of Great
Lakes Research special issue on the Ecology of
the St. Marys River. The 2011 issue was co-edited by Ashley Moerke and Marshall Werner and
features 10 papers on the river, eight of which are
authored by 10 LSSU faculty and staff and nine
students. At the 2012 IAGLR meeting, four of
the papers received awards for the “Top 25 Most
Cited Authors in 2011.” (Photo/J. Shibley)
Completed Senior Thesis Projects:
Amanda Chambers. Status, distribution, and environmental factors limiting brook trout in Cheney Creek, MI.
Josh Crane. Relationship between water-column nutrients and vegetation in restored Iowa wetlands.
Rob Cross. The role of barriers in protecting native fish communities from upstream invasions.
Chris Dean. Characteristics of wild and hatcherysteelhead returning to the Little Manistee Weir, MI.
Doug Galvas. Biomanipulation of yellow perch by introducing a predator in a north-temperate bog lake.
Steve Gambicki. Changes in sea lamprey size and fecundity in the Great Lakes.
Ross Gay. Effects of salmon spawning on aquatic macroinvertebrate drift.
Andrew Halonen. The influence of pond size on fish species richness within a system of small mitigation
ponds in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula.
Alexander Ingersoll. Spatial and temporal distribution of larval fishes in Black Lake, Cheboygan, MI.
Luke Kaiser. Location and magnitude of walleye egg deposition in Black Lake.
Jessica Kosiara. Disturbance of benthic algae by spawning Pacific salmon in Thompson Creek, MI.
Katie Marsh. Comparison of EMS and thiamine concentrations in fish species inhabiting the Great Lakes.
Brian Marshall. Effect of spawning salmon on the emergence of aquatic insects in a Michigan stream.
Heather Millard. Immunological response of Atlantic salmon to Aeromonas salmonicida infections.
Dan Operhall. Wild contribution of steelhead to the St. Marys River sport fishery.
Nathan Otter. Assessing management actions on the fish community of Piatt Lake, Michigan.
Dawn Petrowski. Effect of round goby on growth of young-of-the-year smallmouth bass in Lake Erie.
Nicole Powers. Effect of glyphosate on amphibian larval survival and mutations.
Ellis Raatz. Angler pressure and harvest practices on Soldier Lake, MI.
Jacob Riley. Does the physical environment of a stream favor certain life history attributes of fishes?
Mike Tower. Fate of stocked rainbow trout and brown trout in a small Michigan pond.
Andrew Truax. Biological and economic survey of aquatic invasive species in the St. Marys River, MI.
Kelly Turek. Accuracy and precision of three aging techniques in Atlantic salmon using known age fish.
Darren Vercnocke. Meristics as an indicator for genetic variability in Atlantic Salmon stocked by Lake
Superior State University’s Aquatic Research Laboratory.
René Williams. Pathogenic effects of colonized bacteria in sea lamprey scars in Atlantic salmon.
James Zellinger. Size-specific habitat use by brook and brown trout in a small Michigan stream.
Page 3
Greil Lands Big Award
While LSSU students who work in the Aquatic
Research Laboratory enjoy some time off during
the holidays, who watches over the Atlantic salmon
they’ve been caring for over the semester? The task
falls on Roger Greil, longtime LSSU ARL manager.
In fact, he watches over the only successful Atlantic
salmon stocking program in the upper Great Lakes.
Greil’s role in keeping the lab and salmon in good
shape was just part of what prompted the American
Fisheries Society’s Michigan Chapter to present
him with its coveted Grayling Award. The award
recognizes outstanding contributions to Michigan’s
fishery-related resources and profession, or to the
AFS Michigan chapter.
“It was a shock for me to get the award,” Greil
said. “I would have to say it was the biggest surprise
of my life. I still cannot get over it. I am very
appreciative, humbled, excited and proud, all at the
same time. It’s tough to imagine getting an award for
something that I love doing.”
Anyone who knows Greil understands how
conscientious he is about the lab and its students. He
is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He is
in charge of day-to-day oversight of 10-16 students
every year, assists many students in their research
and is co-author on 10 publications with LSSU
undergraduate co-authors. Overall, he has made
significant and indelible impacts in his more 30 years
as a fishery professional.
Roger Greil receives Award from Mark Tonello
of the Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. (Photo/G. Steinhart)
Page 4
Sault High Saultnamis display their medals
from the Great Lakes Bowl (Photo/A. Moerke)
LSSU and Sault High Engage
Students in Aquatic Sciences
Beginning in 2010, LSSU faculty partnered with
Sault High English and Government teacher, Paul
Pioszak, to introduce young students to freshwater
and marine science through the National Ocean
Sciences Bowl (NOSB) competition. Piozak and
Ashley Moerke, ARL co-director, co-coached Sault
High NOSB teams in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 to two
4th place finishes. Students prepared for the annual
Michigan competition, the Great Lakes Bowl, held at
the University of Michigan, by visiting the Aquatic
Research Lab and participating in discussions with
Pioszak and Moerke, as well as other LSSU faculty
including Dr. Derek Wright and Dr. Paul Kelso.
Recently the team celebrated their wins by sailing
on the Inland Seas tall ship in Lake Michigan, where
they strengthened their scientific knowledge and
passion for the Great Lakes.
In addition, last summer Moerke and Pioszak
were part of the Shipboard and Shoreline Science
Workshop on the US Environmental Protection
Agency’s RV Lake Guardian that provided teachers
with new ideas to engage their students. Pioszak was
one of 15 educators chosen to collect data alongside
EPA and university scientists, and Moerke was one of
three scientists on board leading the effort. Through
first-hand data collection and routinely studying
ocean and lake sciences, LSSU and Sault Hight are
giving young students the opportunity to enhance
their connection to the water that is essential to their
community and the world at large.
Building Research Skills and Professional Networks:
Collaborative Research Between LSSU and University of Notre
by Jessica Kosiara (‘11) and Ross Gay (‘11)
Dame Ecologists
Thanks to a grant from The Great Lakes Fishery Trust, a collaborative project involving University of Notre
Dame (G. Lamberti, D. Chaloner, D. Janetski) and Lake Superior State University (A. Moerke) researchers was
established to investigate the effects of introduced Pacific salmon on Great Lakes tributaries. This study was
designed to assess several impacts of Pacific salmon including competition for food and space with native
fishes, transfer of pollutants and heavy metals, nutrient enrichment by live salmon and their carcasses, and
substrate disturbance from spawning activities.
The project has provided training for over 15 LSSU undergraduates, four of whom have conducted their
senior thesis projects on questions related to the larger project goals. This past year, two undergraduate
students, Jessica Kosiara and Ross Gay completed their senior thesis projects looking specifically at the
disturbance of the streambed by spawning salmon.
Ross investigated the effects of spawning salmon on aquatic insect drift (organisms found in the water
column). He collected drift samples before, during, and after spawning runs to determine if spawning activity
disturbed aquatic insects on the bottom and resulted in higher numbers in the drift. Preliminary analyses
indicate that spawning salmon do not alter aquatic insect drift during the time period he studied. Ross
presented his research at the Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting.
Jessica’s study focused on the disturbance of benthic algae, a primary stream food resource, by spawning
Pacific salmon. She conducted her study by setting up mesh cages that excluded salmon from spawning
in sections of the stream. Her findings indicate that salmon spawning activity, including physical abrasion
and burying algae by moving sediments, lowers benthic algal levels. Jessica received the “Best Student
Poster” award at the Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and gave an oral presentation at the
Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in Minneapolis. She also present her findings at the North American
Benthological Society meeting in Rhode Island.
Ross Gay (right) and Brian Marshall (‘12) collect aquatic insects using drift nets. (Photo/A.
Moerke)
Jessica Kosiara constructs a cage to exclude
spawning salmon from a small section of a
stream. (Photo/A. Moerke)
Page 5
News and Notes:
• The LSSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club was again named the Best Student Subunit by the American Fisheries Society (AFS) in 2010. In addition, they were named Most Active Student Subunit
of the North Central Division of AFS in 2011 (for the 5th year in a row!).
• Ashley Moerke received the 2012 Distinguished Teaching Award from LSSU.
• Geoff Steinhart completed his term as President of the Michigan Chapter of AFS.
• Kristin Arend, Nancy Kirkpatrick, Ashley Moerke, and Geoff Steinhart received two years of
funding for a collaborative project with Biologist Paul Ripple (Bay Mills Indian Community) to
study the role of tributary inputs to production of lake whitefish in Whitefish Bay.
• Roger Greil, with Dave Caroffino (‘04), Greg Fischer (‘94), and Ted Treska (USFWS) received
funding to test the feasibility of holding whitefish for studying sea lamprey-whitefish interactions
• Geoff Steinhart was appointed to the Michigan Aquatic Invasive Species Council in 2012. The
council is charged with providing recommendations on a variety of issues from ballast water
permiting to organisms in trade to best management practices for aquatic invasive species.
• Ashley Moerke, Geoff Steinhart, and Greg Zimmeran received funding from NOAA to develop a
monitoring plan for the restoration of the Little Rapids in the St. Marys River.
• The ARL participated in the Michigan Sea Grant-supported “Reel In and Recycle” program by
mounting four recycling bins to collect monofilament fishing line at popular fishing locations
along the St. Marys River. The program encourages fishermen to deposit their fishing line in the
bins so it can be collected and recycled to create artificial fish habitat structures.
Alumni Update:
Michael Gallinat (‘85)
Michael went on to receive a Master’s Degree
from Ball State University and now serves
as the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife hatchery monitoring and evaluation
specialist for the Lower Snake River
Compensation Plan spring Chinook salmon
mitigation program in southeast Washington.
He conducts research on ESA-listed Snake
River Chinook salmon as part of the Hatchery/
Wild Interactions Unit. Over his career he
has authored or co-authored over 120 journal
articles and technical reports. Michael is
married to Carol (Koshko) Gallinat (‘85) who
works for the Walla Walla School District.
They have two sons, 16 and 19 years old.
Alumni: Send us your updates for
future newsletters! Please send them to
gsteinhart@lssu.edu.
Page 6
Michael Gallinat (‘85), who works at the
Snake River Lab in Dayton, WA, holds a large
Chinook salmon. (Photo/M. Gallinat)
LSSU Partners with Two Associations to Study Black Lake
Walleye By Luke Kaiser (‘12), Alexander Ingersoll (‘12), and Geoff Steinhart
With the support of the Black Lake Association
(BLA) and Hammond Bay Area Anglers Association
(HBAAA), three LSSU students have been conducting
research on spawning and larval walleye in Black
Lake and its tributaries.
park, so it does not likely represent larvae that could
have hatched in other areas of the lake. Given the
low density of walleye eggs and the apparent lack of
walleye larvae, it appears that natural reproduction of
walleye in 2011 was very low.
Luke Kaiser (‘12) confirmed walleye spawned in
Black Lake near Onaway State Park, but no walleye
eggs were found in the Rainy or Upper Black Rivers.
Other eggs were found in the rivers (suckers and
sturgeon), so egg collection methods were effective. It
is likely that high flows in spring disrupted walleye
spawning in the rivers. When total eggs captured was
extrapolated to the potential spawning area near the
state park, it was estimated that the equivalent of only
a single walleye spawned in this area. While this is a
relatively low number of eggs, sampling occurred in
only a small portion of Black Lake, so it reflects only a
fraction of the total spawning effort for the lake.
Larval walleye consume small crustaceans,
or zooplankton, so Dana DePlonty (‘13) collected
zooplankton from April through September.
Zooplankton densities were low, but reasonable for a
lake with low productivity.
Larval walleye sampling was conducted by Alex
Ingersoll (‘12) and a total of 500 larval fishes were
caught with yellow perch being the most abundant
(80% of all larvae). Additional species included
whitefish and minnows, but no larval walleye were
found. All larval sampling was again near the state
Recent publications:
Alex, Luke, and Dana collecting samples on
Black Lake, Michigan. (Photo/G. Steinhart)
*Indicates a current or former LSSU undergraduate
Arend, K., D. Beletsky, J. DePinto, S. Ludsin, J. Roberts, D. Rucinski, D. Scavia, D. Schwab, and
T. Höök. 2011. Seasonal and interannual effects of hypoxia on fish habitat quality in central
Lake Erie. Freshwater Biology 56: 366-383.
Collins*, S., A. Moerke, D. Chaloner, D. Janetski, and G. Lamberti. 2011. Response of dissolved
nutrients and periphyton to spawning Pacific salmon in three northern Michigan streams. J. of
the North American Benthological Society 30: 831-839.
Dorr, B.S., A. Moerke, M. Bur, C. Bassett, T. Aderman, D. Traynor*, R. Singleton, P. Butchko,
J. Taylor. 2010. Evaluation of harassment of migrating Double-Crested Cormorants to limit
depredation on selected sport fisheries in Michigan. J. of Great Lakes Research 36: 215-223.
Janetski, D.J., A.H. Moerke, D.T. Chaloner, and G.A. Lamberti. 2011. Spawning salmon increase
brook trout movements in a Lake Michigan tributary. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 20: 209-219.
Steinhart, G. and B. Lunn*. 2011. When and why do smallmouth bass abandon their broods? The
effects of brood and parental characteristics. Fisheries Management and Ecology 18: 1-11.
Zhang, Y., I. Salinas, J. Li, D. Parra, S. Bjork, S. LaPatra, J. Bartholomew, and J. Sunyer. 2010.
IgT, a primitive immunoglobulin class specialized in mucosal immunity. Nature Immunology 11:
827-835.
Page 7
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Aquatic Research Laboratory - Lake Superior State University

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