Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2016

AUTHORS: David Clapp*, Michigan DNR Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station; Tracy Galarowicz, Central Michigan University Department of Biology; John Clevenger, Michigan DNR Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station; Emily Martin, Lake Superior State University School of Natural and Biological Sciences; Mark Kaemingk, Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory; Kevin Wehrly, Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research

ABSTRACT: Smallmouth bass are an iconic Michigan sportfish, but more iconic are two of the research biologists who contributed much to our present understanding of smallmouth bass population dynamics in Michigan waters of the Great Lakes. Dr. Carl Latta conducted his PhD research on smallmouth bass populations in the waters off Waugoshance Point in northern Lake Michigan during 1953-1955, and went on to become director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Institute for Fisheries Research and the longest-serving head of the MDNR Fisheries Division Research Section. Approximately 20 years later and 25 miles across the lake from Waugoshance Point, Dr. Herb Lenon established, in the Beaver Island Archipelago, what has become one of the best long-term data sets on smallmouth bass population dynamics in the Great Lakes. The work of both men is still considered seminal in the field, and their legacies loom large in the history of Michigan fisheries research. We review the careers of both researchers, relate their early findings to current information and studies on northern Lake Michigan smallmouth bass populations, and discuss the future of these assessments and smallmouth bass management in the Great Lakes.