STUDENT: May07 NRS409 Class
ADVISOR(S): Gus Smith and Derek Ogle
COLLABORATOR(S): Scott Toshner (WiDNR)
TITLE: Inch Lake Baseline Fish Community Study

PURPOSE: In May 2007 we (Northland's Field Ecology (NRS409) class and other Northland-related volunteers) conducted an investigation of the fish community of Inch Lake, Bayfield County. Inch Lake is a 31-acre (12.5 ha) undeveloped, soft-water seepage lake in the state-owned Inch Lake State Natural Area. Very little is known about the fish community in Inch Lake because no comprehensive survey has ever been conducted on it. In 2006, following the gifting of Inch Lake to the State of Wisconsin, Inch Lake was designated as a catch-and-release artificial lure only lake. These restrictive regulations have been maintained since that time. The purpose of our study was to provide information on current fish populations in Inch Lake to form a baseline to which future examinations of the fish populations in Inch Lake can be compared. These comparisons will be used to assess the effect of the restrictive catch-and-release artificial lure only regulations on fish population dynamics.

The specific objectives of this initial field study were

• Develop a long-term sampling strategy for assessing the objectives listed below. Initiate and refine this strategy.
• Develop a list of fish species present.
• Compute catch-per-effort (CPE) for all major fish species.
• Construct a population estimate for all major fish species.
• Construct length frequencies for all major fish species.
• Compute PSD values for all major fish species.
• Compute relative weight (Wr) for all major fish species.
• Construct age frequencies for all major fish species.
• Compute parameters for the Von Bertalanffy growth model for all major fish species.

REPORTS: 2008 Report (old -- 2007 Report)

SLIDE SHOW: May, 2007; May, 2008