Why it matters: The restoration of native species will enable regional sport and commercial fishers to experience diverse and productive fishery harvests that are resilient to the population fluctuations of individual species. Consequently, Great Lakes coastal communities will benefit from an increase in economic stability that results from diverse and productive sport and commercial fisheries. The Nature Conservancy’s work in the offshore zone of the Great Lakes is to ensure that the food web supports a diverse array of native fish populations and is resilient to invasive species.

Strategies:

• Develop​ and test habitat restoration techniques​.
• Map​ and prioritize habitat and other biological drivers.
• Inform​ restoration decisions for native fishes with data and knowledge on habitat prioritization and restoration techniques. 
  

Relevant Documents:

• Alewife Decline Fact Sheet
  
• Invasive predator suppression on critical spawning reefs: Final Report (2015)​ [113 pg.]
  
• Developing Tributary Conservation Priorities for Great Lakes Migratory Fishes
  
• Effectiveness of Critical Lake Trout and Coregonid Reef Spawning Habitat Restoration in Northern Lake Michigan: Mitigating from Environmental and Invasive Egg Predator Impacts; and, Status and History of Cisco in Michigan Inland Waters
  
• Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Invasive Rusty Crayfish on Crucial Nearshore Spawning Reefs in Northern Lake Michigan
  
• Spatial and Seasonal Distribution of the Invasive Round Goby and Rusty Crayfish on Critical Nearshore Spawning Reefs in Northern Lake Michigan
  

Contact: Matt Herbert │517.316.2283