"When I first read People of the Sturgeon and its rich tale of Wisconsin traditions, I felt it would make a powerful and compelling audio narrative that would both complement and bring added dimensions to the original text," said Chris Bocast, audiobook producer.

Spawning Sturgeon, Wolf River, Wis.; Sturgeon Spearing on Lake Winnebago; University Place: Wednesday Nite @ The Lab—People of the Sturgeon; and University Place: History Sandwiched in—People of the Sturgeon are four video offerings that highlight Wisconsin’s robust lake sturgeon population.

Mark McBride, UW-Milwaukee, (414) 229-5844, mcbride@uwm.edu

Flavobacterium columnare is a common fish pathogen that causes columnaris disease in wild and farmed freshwater fishes and results in devastating losses in the aquaculture industry. The disease has been recognized for nearly 100 years, but a lack of genetic tools to manipulate the bacterium has hampered identification of the mechanisms of pathogenesis. The researchers developed robust genetic tools and procedures for Flavobacterium johnsoniae and recently demonstrated that some of these function in F. columnare; they propose to adapt additional genetic tools for use in F. columnare. F. johnsoniae GldN is a component of a novel protein secretion system. The researchers suspect that F. columnare GldN is involved in secretion of the chondroitinase CslA, and that GldN and CslA are needed for virulence. To test these hypotheses, wild-type, gldN mutants and cslA mutants will be examined for ability to cause disease in the model zebrafish system and in yellow perch. R/SFA-08

Most public information campaigns related to preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been directed toward recreational boaters. However, recent unpublished research and anecdotal information suggests that fishing tournaments may serve to exacerbate the transport/colonization risk posed by zooplankton and disease organisms. This project will train professional anglers and tournament organizers in preventing the spread of AIS and produce brochures and booklets to help anglers become part of a broader citizen AIS monitoring network. Funding source: NOAASea Grant Office. A/AS-64

M. Jake Vander Zanden, UW-Madison, (608) 262-9464, mjvanderzand@wisc.edu

Lake productivity has long referred to the productivity of the pelagic, open-water zone, but recent work indicates that bottom habitats may also be important contributors. Additionally, the ongoing spread of Dreissenid mussels in North America generally increases the importance of benthic production and processes in lakes. In this project, researchers define lake autotrophic structureas the distribution of the overall primary production between benthic and pelagic habitats. They propose to quantify changes in autotrophic structure along Green Bay’s dramatic trophic gradient (ranging from hyper-eutrophic to oligotrophic) and use their field data to parameterize models estimating how changing Dreissenid grazing, nutrients and suspended sediments might be expected to affect autotrophic structure. They will also use stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes on contemporary fish and invertebrate samples, as well as archived scale samples, to test the hypothesis that the carbon sources underlying fish production track autotrophic structure across Green Bay’s trophic gradient. R/HCE-07

James Kitchell, UW–Madison, (608) 262-7259, kitchell@wisc.edu

The average summer surface water temperature of Lake Superior has increased by about 3.5°C over the past three decades. Warmer water temperatures have increased the duration of thermal stratification and lengthened the period of lake trout’s preferred thermal habitat (9-11°C) by up to twofold. Because lake trout are the preferred host of sea lamprey, changes to their thermal habitats alter the feeding and growth of sea lamprey, among the greatest threats to Lake Superior fisheries. While control efforts have been tremendously successful at reducing lamprey abundance, climate change raises questions about how increasing water temperatures in Lake Superior will change the parasitic behavior of remaining lamprey. This project will develop bioenergetic models that estimate effects of climate warming on sea lamprey growth in multiple regions of Lake Superior. Combining these results with information about host abundance and stable isotope-based estimates of lamprey diet in Lake Superior, the project will determine how increased lamprey growth may influence mortality of native lake trout. R/SFA-2

John Janssen, UW-Milwaukee, (414) 382-1733, jjanssen@uwm.edu

The Dreissenid mussel invasion has resulted in increased benthic production, especially in rocky habitat, which increases the importance of quantifiying the inhabitants of these areas. Assessing the density of invertebrates in rocky aquatic habitat is a long-standing challenge for aquatic ecologists, but significant innovations using electroshocking are evolving. In coastal waters, electroshocking appears to be effective at drawing the most numerous arthropods from crevices and under stones to where they can be suction sampled, but the present configuration is designed to collect small fishes. The researchers will develop and test a system in which the electroshocking apparatus is not attached to a submersible but dangled from a boat and positioned by hand using an attached submersible video camera. They also propose to modify the system to either include a suction sampler or to generate water flow so that electroshocked animals drift into a net. R/SFA-07

Wisconsin's Water Library has reading lists on many different topics.  Take a look at the fish and fishing reading list, the Great Lakes fish reading list and books for kids on fish and fishing.