2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5I've attended at least five meetings in the last two decades on the Lake Michigan yellow perch collapse, including the first in 1994 in Kenosha.
From the moment I walked into the most recent gathering on the topic — last Thursday at the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences in Milwaukee — a difference was apparent.
Three tanks of live perch greeted attendees. One tank held 10-day-old larvae, nearly transparent and 1/2-inch long. Another had 3-month-old fingerlings, about four inches in length. The third had 2-year-old "dandies," many 12 inches long and the dream of any angler or diner.
The fish were the product of Fred Binkowski and his staff at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Binkowski is a world authority on perch rearing; the fish had been raised just down the hall.
The handsome yellow, black and green fish were a living expression of a new hope for the local perch fishery.
As you are no doubt aware, perch have undergone a rapid, lakewide decline in abundance since the early 1990s. Although Wisconsin closed the commercial fishery and drastically reduced the sport bag limit in 1996, the perch population has continued to dwindle.
The primary reason, most experts say, is a lack of food for young perch, likely caused by invasive zebra and quagga mussels.
Twenty years of studies and meetings have produced no new program to help perch.
But earlier this year fisheries managers with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources acknowledged they could — and should — do more.
Ron Bruch, DNR fisheries director, said before the agency could do anything it was important to "meet with the people."
A strong showing of perch anglers and other conservationists turned out last Thursday to support the department.
The meeting place couldn't have been better. The facility houses UWM research and aquaculture projects as well as DNR fisheries offices. Milwaukee wants to be known as a water technology center. The UWM site has great potential to lead the way on perch work.
Of course, it's not clear what that is. What's certain is the only thing tried to date — harvest reductions — hasn't worked.
The meeting included a presentation by Richard Barbiero, senior environmental scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, that showed nutrients in the lake have declined in recent decades.
John Janssen of the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences presented information on perch dispersal in the first weeks and months of life. Before young perch are able to swim well, they are transported by wind and currents. If they don't get pushed to an area with adequate food, they starve.
DNR fisheries biologist Pradeep Hirethota showed data on the perch decline, both in terms of reduced harvest and weaker year classes of fish.
Perch were once the backbone of the Lake Michigan pier and shore fishery. But the perch harvest in Lake Michigan (excluding Green Bay) has been on a downward trend since 1993.
In 2013, Lake Michigan sport anglers kept a record low 8,830 perch in Wisconsin waters. For comparison, the sport harvest was 67,660 perch in 2006 and 886,000 in 1992.
The 2014 graded mesh assessment, completed by DNR crews last winter in waters off Milwaukee, produced only 10 fish, the lowest catch ever.
At Bruch's invitation, I then provided historical information on Lake Michigan perch fishing, which arguably was the most valuable fishery in the history of the lake.
Binkowski then presented information on fish rearing. Key points to consider: genetics of brood fish, hatchery space, size at stocking and cost.
John Dettmers of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission finished the presentations with information on lakewide perch numbers. Of note, the perch catch rate in Wisconsin waters is lower than any other state.
Conspicuous by its absence was the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Although the agency is responsible for native fish and spends millions of dollars annually to help lake trout recover in Lake Michigan, it has failed to implement a program to help perch.
The focus of this meeting, however, was about a new willingness to take action.
As articulated earlier this year, the DNR would like to explore options to improve habitat and possibly stock perch in estuaries or harbors.
The meeting ended with a question-and-answer session. The public is invited to provide input on perch management. To comment, send an email to bradley.eggold@wisconsin.gov or call (414) 382-7921.
I called Bruch on Tuesday to discuss the meeting and ask about where the process will go from here.
The next step, Bruch said, would be for the DNR to complete an "alternatives analysis." The exercise includes a statement of the problem and potential ways to treat it.
"We've got a lot to chew on," Bruch said. "There are big questions, including funding, staffing, approvals, grants and partners."
Bruch said he intends to form a task group to tackle the problem. The group would likely include fisheries biologists and managers, aquaculturists, Wisconsin Conservation Congress members and others. It will likely be formed before the end of the year.
It's too early to form a timeline beyond this year; the "what" hasn't even been determined. But it's clear the DNR intends to put new effort into improving the perch fishery.
"It's too important," Bruch said. "To do nothing is not an option."
On behalf of the "fish of the people," let the work begin.
Wolf season update: One hundred and nineteen wolves were registered over the first 14 days of the 2014 Wisconsin wolf hunting and trapping season, according to a DNR report posted Wednesday.
Wolf management zones 3 and 6 are open, the other four have been closed. The statewide quota for the season is 150 wolves.
Although wolf registrations have slowed in the last week, the season is expected to close in the coming days or weeks. The previous two seasons ended in late December.
Agency wildlife officials attribute the higher rate of wolf kills this year to increased hunter and trapper effort over the first two weeks of the season as well as the increased use of traps.
Send email to psmith@journalsentinel.com
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