FISH-COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES FOR LAKE SUPERIOR

The development of fish-community objectives for each lake is mandated by A Joint Joint Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries (Great Lakes Fishery Commission 1997). That multiagency agreement also reflects a commitment to habitat protection and restoration through the following statement: The Parties must exercise their full authority and influence in every available arena to meet the ecological, chemical, and physical needs of desired fish communities. Accordingly, these fish-community objectives highlight habitat issues. The first objective summarizes the agencies’ habitat concerns: Achieve no net loss of the productive capacity of habitat supporting Lake Superior fishes. Where feasible, restore habitats that have been degraded and have lost their capacity for fish production. Reduce contaminants so that all fish are safe to eat. Develop comprehensive and detailed inventories of habitats. The fish-community objectives were developed in conformity with twelve guiding principles that summarize the values and practical realities that constrain or guide fisheries management on Lake Superior. Additional objectives pertain to prey species, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum), lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), and trout (Salmonidae spp.), sea