Shedd Aquarium Launches Regional Research Project with Support from Citizen Scientists

Shedd Aquarium’s conservation research team launched a citizen science project this spring in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology and the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve aimed at documenting long-term shifts in the timing of fish migrations into Great Lakes streams. As the start to a long-term research project, the data collected will help determine whether fish are using water temperature and stream flow as cues to initiate their spawning migrations, and pinpoint when peak migration occurs. With data collected over time, the study will increase our understanding of the local impacts of climate change and contribute to the natural history of Great Lakes fish.

Led by Dr. Karen Murchie, a research biologist at Shedd Aquarium, the project will specifically look at two native Great Lakes fish species, white and longnose suckers (Catostomus commersonii and Catostomus catostomus). Researchers selected white and longnose suckers as focal species for the project because they migrate in large numbers into streams throughout the Great Lakes basin and are large enough to see easily.

At the project’s onset, Murchie worked with volunteers to select monitoring locations with known or suspected sucker migratory runs in tributaries that typically have clear water for viewing purposes.  The sites selected are along the southern shore of Lake Superior and along the western shore of Lake Michigan to provide a latitudinal spread in the data. Citizen scientists will monitor the same location daily and log information on water depth, water clarity, weather conditions, presence of suckers and estimates of their numbers. More than 27 volunteers will participate in the study, inputting data into provided spreadsheets.

“Citizen scientists have a unique role to play in helping document the movements of Great Lake fishes,” said Murchie. “Once trained, they can cover multiple locations over a large spatial and temporal scale that far exceeds what any single research team could accomplish.”

The first set of observations began March 1 in Highland Park, Illinois, where three of 17 monitoring sites are established. Other monitoring sites are throughout the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior borders in Wisconsin and Michigan. Monitoring at each location will occur daily until the end of the peak migration is noted. Murchie anticipates having all data collected by the end of June to begin analyzing for trends. While data from 2017 is analyzed, plans for expanding on sites and volunteers for 2018 will begin. 

“When people think of migratory species, they often only think of butterflies, birds or large mammals,” said Murchie. “Right here in the Great Lakes, there are many migratory fish species that contribute enormously to their ecosystems and deserve the same recognition. As we continue these studies and expand our monitoring sites, we hope to increase awareness about the species in our backyard that also need to be preserved and protected.”

In the Great Lakes, more than 50 species of fish form spawning migrations. These migratory fish are important for maintaining fishery species, transferring nutrients from the lakes to fertilize stream ecosystems and developing conservation and management strategies. Despite their importance, however, the distribution and migration patterns of many of these species are not well understood. This research aims to fill those knowledge gaps.

Shedd acknowledges and appreciates all volunteer citizen scientists and extends its gratitude to organizations facilitating the research efforts, including the Park District of Highland Park, Urban Ecology Center, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Ridges Sanctuary, Door County Land Trust, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, and the Huron Mountain Club.

Shedd Aquarium’s migratory fish research is made possible in part by the generosity of ArcelorMittal. The study is an integral piece to a suite of programs at the aquarium dedicated to protecting and preserving Great Lakes ecosystems.