Science Services - Northern Highland Fishery Area Monitoring

Objectives of this research project are to maintain the long-term NHFRA angler effort and harvest database through a compulsory fishing permit system. To annually survey the fish populations in selected NHFRA lakes-- Escanaba Lake walleyes in particular. To produce and distribute an annual report of results.

Background

The Northern Highlands Fishery Research Area (NHFRA) in Vilas County consists of five small lakes: Escanaba, Pallette, Nebish, Spruce, and Mystery. Angler use and harvest on these lakes has been continuously monitored through a compulsory creel check since the area was established in 1946.

The NHFRA database represents the world's longest continuous set of harvest statistics on freshwater lakes. On Escanaba Lake, the walleye and other gamefish populations have been annually surveyed in many of the same years, providing a concurrent harvest and population database with historical significance.

Also, lakes in the NHFRA have been the focus of many research projects since the mid-1940s and the database includes long-term research on sport fish populations; sport fish survival and growth statistics; the effects of angling and spearfishing; the impact of various regulations such as angling restrictions and size limits; fish stocking experiments; and chemical treatments.

The database has proved invaluable to Wisconsin fisheries professionals by providing them information necessary to protect and enhance many of the state's fishery resources. In particular, the time-series of data on the Escanaba Lake walleye fishery has been heavily used in designing the walleye management program in Wisconsin. Fishery professionals from all over the world have requested some of this data. Maintaining this time series of data is critical.