Category Archives: Lake Life

Life on and in Lake Champlain

Canada Geese Visit Lake Champlain

 

Canada Geese Visit Lake Champlain in Alburgh, Vermont

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) are one of the more common birds seen around the Lake Champlain Valley, especially during their spring and fall migrations. Lake Champlain is considered part of the Atlantic Flyway, which is one of the major flight corridors for migratory birds. Canada geese, like these stopping in Alburgh, Vermont, depend on Lake Champlain to provide rest and food on their journey.


[nrelate-related]

 

Freshwater Drum or Sheepshead

When I was taking my open-water diving certifcation in Lake Champlain I bumped into a freshwater drum near Oakledge Park in Burlington. It was a bit of a shock to see something so big and unexpected in lake Champlain. – Tom

This article by Eric LaMontagne originally appeared on the LCI blog.

Battle the Brute: Freshwater Drum

Freshwater Drum or Sheepshead

It is common knowledge that Lake Champlain is home to many different species of fish. From miniscule minnows to monstrous muskies, the diversity held within the waters of Lake Champlain is impressive.

Of the more substantial fish, the Freshwater drum is a brute. Commonly known as a sheepshead, the current state record stands at 20.46 lbs from Lake Champlain, the only body of water they are found in Vermont.

The Freshwater drum is scientifically unique. It is the only member of the genus Aplodinotus and the only member of the family Sciaenidae that spends its entire lifecycle in freshwater. Mature male sheepsheads have the rare ability to “vocalize”; a set of muscles within their body cavity vibrate against their swim bladder to create a grunting sound thought to be used in mating.

Freshwater drum spend their days in the deep water where they can stay cool. At night, and on very cloudy days, they will move upwards to the shorelines to search for food. Females spawn in early June, choosing warm, shallow water to lay their eggs.

These fish are a favorite of anglers on Lake Champlain because of their size. Being a bottom feeder, the most common way of catching them is to cast a live bait with a heavy sinker; minnows, nightcrawlers, and crickets work well. Small, shiny lures fished slowly can work as well. They are much more active at night.

For more information:

http://fishbase.org/summary/Aplodinotus-grunniens.html

http://seagrant.wisc.edu/greatlakesfish/drum.html

Lake Trout Moving “Below the Surface” of Lake Champlain

We at ECHO are fortunate to have a wonderful resource in the UVM Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory housed with us at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain.  The “Rube” as its called, is the home of some of the most current research on the Lake and its Basin– all done by a dedicated, interested, and sharing group of UVM faculty, students, and staff.  Among them is Dr. Ellen Marsden, who has been studying lake trout in Lake Champlain for a long time.  As you may already know from our video about Champ, Dr. Marsden has a knack for communicating scientific concepts concisely and in an accessible manner.  Sometimes a moving picture can tell us what words cannot.  For instance, she and her graduate student, Bret Ladago, built a underwater Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) that is capturing remarkable footage of lake trout staging for spawning in shallow reef habitats in Lake Champlain (for the best viewing, maximize the view):

In this one, several lake trout are “shoaling” — staying in one area where they may later spawn.  Several trout in this small group have adult sea lampreyattached to them; some show wounds from previous parasitism by sea lamprey.  To my eyes, the proportion of fish with either sea lamprey attached or wounds is dramatic; yet overall I only can get a really good look at perhaps a dozen individual lake trout.

In this one, a much larger number of fish are moving past the ROV while “schooling.”  Again, there are signs of sea lamprey parasitism on a portion of these fish.  In this case, I can see that there are many more fish in the area and I can examine many more fish for signs of parasitism by sea lamprey than in the previous footage.

This amazing footage provides never-before-seen glimpses into the appearance and behavior of Lake Champlain’s lake trout.  But yet it is important to understand that these are glimpses- just a very small snapshots of the large population of lake trout.  For example, the shoaling video alone could make us believe that despite our efforts to control the numbers of sea lamprey in the Lake, a majority of fish show signs of parasitism.  The second video may lead us to temper that view somewhat.  More footage might reveal other impressions.  How do we know what the true rate of parasitism of lake trout by sea lamprey is?  Are efforts to control sea lamprey changing this over time?

While the video footage is certainly engaging, its not the best tool for estimating rates of sea lamprey parasitism.  For example, because we cannot always see both sides of the trout, we do not know if individual trout may be seen multiple times.  Furthermore, there appears to be behavioral differences between the sets of footage which might indicate that the fish we see may not be average or typical members of the population.

Fisheries science provides the tools we need to answer these questions.  By actually capturing and examining hundreds of large lake trout in a standardized way, the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative has collected data year after year to provide answers.   According to their data (presented here from Lake Champlain Basin Program’s 2012 State of the Lake Report), rates of wounding on both lake trout and atlantic salmon by parasitic sea lamprey have been declining since 2007:

Taken from: http://sol.lcbp.org/biodiversity_impact-sea-lamprey-on-salmon-trout.html

For 2011 around 40% of large lake trout had scars from infestation of sea lamprey.  Ideally, this rate will continue to drop over time and achieve the 25% target rate set by fisheries managers for lake trout.

There are many reasons that we should care about the health of lake trout populations in Lake Champlain.  As large, deep water fish-eating predators, they exist with Atlantic Salmon as one of the top predators in the Lake, playing a role in maintaining the structure of the Lake’s food web.  By virtue of their size and habitat, they are part of the economic draw to the Lake, supporting the business of fishing guides, equipment sales, and fishing license sales.  Some of these dollars get invested back into conservation activities of our state and federal governments.  Additional public dollars support management activities to control the numbers of immature sea lamprey growing up in local streams and rivers and to rear young lake trout for stocking.  Last but not least, as these videos attest, they are graceful, resilient, and beautiful members of our Lake community.

For more information about lake trout in Lake Champlain, check out this story from UVM’s University Communications series, or visit Dr. Marsden’s website.

Birds Everywhere!

Birds Everywhere!

by Eric_LaMontagne

Photo: Neil Phillips, Flickr

We all know that Lake Champlain has a huge variety of fish species, including some that can be found nowhere else in Vermont.

This time of year though, fish aren’t the only thing that are plentiful: thousands of birds descend on our lake for their annual migration.

According to the Lake Champlain Basin Program (www.lcbp.org), 318 species of birds live, breed, or use Lake Champlain as a resting point along their migration routes. Fourteen of those are listed as endangered or threatened by New York, Vermont, or the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Both New York and Vermont have some well managed areas that make for great bird watching. The NY DEC has the Lake Champlain Marshes Bird Conservation Area which includes six Management Areas along the western shore of Lake Champlain. These areas are located at Kings Bay, Montys Bay, Wickham Marsh, Ausable Marsh, Putts Creek, and East Bay. Each area has a wide variety of habitat which will ensure a broad selection of species. For a map of these areas, seehttp://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/31955.html

Vermont is home to several conservation areas as well. The Dead Creek WMA is specifically managed for migrating birds, and is a great place to see dozens of species of birds. Other great locations to check out include the Sandbar WMA in Milton, East Creek WMA in Orwell, and The Narrows WMA in West Haven. Visit www.vtfishandwildlife.com for more listings.

If you’re planning on heading out on a birding trip, consider taking a look at the Lake Champlain Birding Trail brochure. It is a good guide to get you started, regardless which side of the lake you want to explore. Find it athttp://www.lakechamplainregion.com/files/public/LkChampBirding.pdf.