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Excessive mortality from spawning through the first year of life is likely responsible for recruitment failures in many lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) populations. We evaluated relationships between interstitial predator species and lake trout egg deposition in three regions of the Great Lakes. The introduced crayfish Orconectes rusticus dominated the nearshore zone in northern Lake Michigan, whereas other sites in Lake Michigan and Parry Sound were dominated by native Orconectes propinquus. In Lake Champlain, sculpin (Cottus spp.) were the most common interstitial predator, yet densities were comparable with those in Lake Michigan. Predator densities in Lake Michigan (mean ± standard error = 15.5 ± 0.4 predators·m–2) were twice those in Lake Champlain or Parry Sound (6 ± 1 predators·m–2). Densities of eggs were higher in Lake Champlain (2994.1 ± 398.3 eggs·m–2) and Parry Sound (454.7 ± 36.3) than in Lake Michigan (7.5 ± 1.3; Kruskal-Wallis, P ≤ 0.05). Ratios of eggs to predator provide simple measures of the effectiveness of lake trout rehabilitation efforts. The average ratio calculated from 10 successful spawning locations is 190 eggs·predator–1·m–2. Ratios may help establish target egg densities for restoration efforts and the concentration of spawning adults required to allow survival to the fry stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used our long-term annual bottom trawl survey (1973–2004) in Lake Michigan to reveal the response of the native fish community to the biological control of a dominant exotic fish, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), as well as to changes in total phosphorus and salmonine biomass. Through nonmetric multidimensional scaling, we documented a 1970s community largely dominated by alewife, and then a shift to a community dominated by several native species during the 1980s through 1990s, when alewife remained at relatively low levels. We argue that the recovery of burbot (Lota lota), deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) was partially or fully aided by the alewife reduction. We argue that changes in phosphorus or salmonines were not directly related to abundance increases of native species. An additional community shift occurred during 1999–2004, which coincided with a reduction in species richness and total fish biomass in our trawl. The mechanisms underlying this latest shift may be related to reductions in nutrients, but further research is required. The restoration of the native fish community has been incomplete, however, as emerald shiner (Notropis atherinioides), cisco (Coregonus artedii), and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) have yet to demonstrate recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]