AUTHORS: Zachary S. Feiner, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology; Alexander Latzka, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Allison Mikulyuk, University of Wisconsin-Madison Aquatic Science Center; Heidi Rantala, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Bethany Bethke, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Ellen Albright, University of Wisconsin-Madison Discovery Farms; Catherine Hein, University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology
ABSTRACT: Aquatic vegetation provides critical habitat for fishes throughout life. However, aquatic vegetation is changing in many lakes due to increased lakeshore development, invasive species, and climate change. Underappreciated and poorly understood linkages between aquatic plants and fish could serve as an underutilized opportunity to support fisheries outcomes by considering management of plant and fish communities in concert. Researchers in the Upper Midwest are currently engaged in a broadscale effort to understand relationships between aquatic plant and fish communities in temperate lakes with the goal of better informing current management practices and developing new habitat management tools. In the process, it became clear that the large number of potential quantifiable predictors and responses (e.g., individual, population, and community-level metrics for both plants and fish) and broad range of possible management partners necessitated a clearer understanding of the major issues and priority questions surrounding current plant management practices. We held multiple workshops with state, federal, tribal, and local agencies, as well as public stakeholders, to seek input on aquatic plant and lake habitat management goals, barriers, and research questions. We discuss outcomes of these workshops, including identifying high-priority research needs and management questions, as well as similarities and differences in perspectives among groups. This feedback provided tangible objectives for performing applicable science around aquatic plant management, while also providing important information for lake decision-makers on an important but previously rarely considered issue in fisheries management.
