Daniel L Yule, MSc
Daniel Yule is a Research Fisheries Biologist based in Ashland, WI.
Dan was born and raised in western Wisconsin and attended New Richmond Senior High School. He obtained his BS degree from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls (1989) and his MS from Utah State University (1992). After completing his studies he worked for 9 years as a Fish Biologist with the Reservoir Research Crew of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. From 2001-2003 he worked as a Fish Research Scientist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Since 2004, Dan has held his current position as a Fishery Research Scientist with the Great Lakes Science Center – Lake Superior Biological Station. In his free time Dan enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, following WI sports teams, and watching movies. Dan is a huge fan of historical fiction novels.
Professional Experience
1991-2000: Fish Biologist with the Reservoir Research Unit of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Dan oversaw the largest trout stocking evaluation conducted in Wyoming and developed acoustic methods for estimating trout abundance in reservoirs.
2001-2003: Senior Fishery Research Biologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Dan worked to develop acoustic methods for assessing abundance of zooplankton, forage fish, lake trout and rainbow trout populations in northern Minnesota lakes.
Education and Certifications
Certified Fisheries Professional by the American Fisheries Society, 2000-Present.
Master of Science - Utah State University, 1992.
Bachelor of Science - University of Wisconsin at River Falls, 1989.
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Fisheries Society
Honors and Awards
Recipient of the 2020 Moffett Award for tying for the best scientific contribution by the Great Lakes Science center that year (2022).
Exemplary Act Award awarded by the U.S. Department of Interior in recognition for a heroic act resulting in the saving of a life (2018).
Scientific and Technological Achievement Award Level III awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Identifying the Spatial Organization and Support of Large-Lake Food Webs (2015).
Bronze Medal of Commendable Service awarded by U.S. EPA to the 2011 Lake Superior Coordinated Science Monitoring Initiative - Integrated Assessment Team (2012).
Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s, Director’s Award recipient (1999) for exemplary performance (1999).
Abstracts and Presentations
Yule, D.L. W. Stott, T. Krabbenhoft, M. Bernal, S. Koenigbauer, and A. Ackiss. February 2021. Ongoing Lake Superior Coregonine Research: Answering Challenging Questions with New Tools to Support Future Management. Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, St. Paul, MN.
Yule, D.L., and M.R. Vinson. March 2023. A tale of three lake-wide CSMI benthic and pelagic fish surveys: 2011, 2016 & 2022. Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Upper Lakes Committee Meeting, Sault St. Marie, ON.
Science and Products
Science pages by this scientist
Use of Advanced Technologies to Improve Fisheries Assessments on Lake Superior
The mission brings together state, federal, tribal, Canadian provincial, private, and non-profit partners using advanced fishery research approaches to enhance fishery assessment methods.
Hydroacoustic data from uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) overtakes in Lakes Huron and Michigan, 2021
These data were derived from hydroacoustic data collected by uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) and powered research vessels. The powered vessels overtook the USVs in Lakes Huron and Michigan to study fish avoidance of survey vessels during traditional acoustic surveys. The water column was divided into three depth groups (epilimnion, metalimnion, hypolimnion) for analysis. Each drone transect was b
Compilation of Data for Parameterization of an Ecopath Model of Lake Superior at the Beginning of the 21st Century (2001-2016)
This data release includes tabular data files. The dataset consists of four input data tables (Appendices A1-A4) for a Lake Superior EcoPath with EcoSim (EwE; http://ecopath.org) model parameterized to the early 21st century using 2001-2016 collections. The data presented here are primarily intended to development a static ecosystem model representing a snapshot of Lake Superior circa 2005 when th
Filter Total Items: 27
Trophic ecology of juvenile lean and siscowet lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Superior: Assessing for potential competition
We investigated the spatial overlap, diet, isotopic niche, and growth of juvenile lean and siscowet lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Superior to address concerns of potential competition with implications to the study of resource polymorphism. Catch data revealed the greatest levels of sympatry in waters from 40 to 60 m. Juvenile lean and siscowet diet changed ontogenetically with Mysis b
Authors
Brandon S. Gerig, Shawn P. Sitar, Will F Otte, Daniel Yule, Heidi K. Swanson, Charles R. Bronte, Dray Carl, Joshua Blankenheim
Status and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2022
In 2022, the Lake Superior fish community was sampled with daytime bottom and surface trawls at 71 nearshore locations in May-June and 35 offshore locations in July, and at 51 Coordinated Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) locations in July-October with bottom trawls, surface trawls, mid-water trawls and acoustics that were previously sampled in 2011 and 2016. Nearshore bottom trawls collect
Authors
Mark Vinson, Daniel Yule, Lori M. Evrard, Sydney B Phillips
Status and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2021
The Lake Superior nearshore fish community was sampled in May-June 2021 with daytime bottom trawl tows at 45 stations located in USA waters. The 45 locations sampled were long-term monitoring sites that had been annually sampled since 1978. All comparisons to 2021 results were limited to past collections from USA waters, as compared to previous years, where comparisons included USA and Canadian si
Authors
Mark Vinson, Daniel Yule, Lori M. Evrard, Owen T. Gorman, Sydney B Phillips
Status and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2020
The Lake Superior fish community within Management Unit WI-2 was sampled in July 2020 with daytime bottom trawls at 11 nearshore stations. The 11 locations sampled were long-term monitoring sites that had been annually sampled since 1974. In 2020, the number of species collected at each site ranged from 0 to 13, with a mean of 6.3 and median of six. All comparisons to 2020 results were limited to
Authors
Mark Vinson, Lori M. Evrard, Owen Gorman, Daniel Yule
Genetic population structure of cisco, Coregonus artedi, in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Management of a widely distributed species can be a challenge when management priorities, resource status, and assessment methods vary across jurisdictions. For example, restoration and preservation of coregonine species diversity is a goal of management agencies across the Laurentian Great Lakes. However, management goals and the amount of information available varies across management units, mak
Authors
Wendylee Stott, Daniel Yule, Chris L. Davis, Kevin Donner, Mark P. Ebener, Stephen Lenart, Christopher Olds
Lake Superior Kiyi reproductive biology
ObjectiveThe Lake Superior Kiyi Coregonus kiyi is an understudied species being considered for reintroduction into Laurentian Great Lakes where it no longer occurs. Herein, we provide descriptions of Kiyi reproductive biology with the intention of guiding potential gamete collections for propagation.MethodsData were collected on Kiyi spawning timing, spawning locations, spawning season catch rates
Authors
Mark Vinson, Matthew E. Herbert, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Jamie A. Dobosenski, Lori M. Evrard, Owen Gorman, Joshua F Lyons, Sydney B Phillips, Daniel Yule
Diversity in spawning habitat use among Great Lakes Cisco populations
Cisco (Coregonus artedi) once dominated fish communities in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Restoring the abundance and distribution of this species has emerged as a management priority, yet our understanding of Cisco spawning habitat use is insufficient to characterise habitat needs for these populations and assess whether availability of suitable spawning habitat could be a constraint to recovery. W
Authors
Matthew R. Paufve, Suresh Sethi, Brian C. Weidel, Brian F. Lantry, Daniel Yule, Lars G. Rudstam, Jory L. Jonas, Eric K. Berglund, Michael J. Connerton, Dimitry Gorsky, Matthew Herbert, Jason Smith
Concordant patterns of morphological, stable isotope, and genetic variation in a recent ecological radiation (Salmonidae: Coregonus spp.)
Groups of sympatric taxa with low interspecific genetic differentiation, but considerable ecological differences, offer great opportunities to study the dynamics of divergence and speciation. This is the case of ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) in the Laurentian Great Lakes, which are characterized by a complex evolutionary history and are commonly described as having undergone an adaptive radiation. In t
Authors
Moises A Bernal, Daniel Yule, Wendylee Stott, Lori M. Evrard, Thomas E Dowling, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft
Variation of cisco egg size among Laurentian Great Lakes populations
Many fish species display inter-population and inter-individual egg size variation. Intra-specific differences in egg size seemingly reflect both energetic experiences of individual spawning fish and long-term population responses to differing ecosystems. Optimal egg size theory implies that selection influences a population’s mean egg size in response to its early-life environment, given the well
Authors
Scott T Koenigbauer, Daniel Yule, Kristopher Dey, Chris Olds, Michael J. Connerton, Tomas O Höök
Trophic transfer efficiency in the Lake Superior food web: Assessing the impacts of non-native species
Ecosystem-based management relies on understanding how perturbations influence ecosystem structure and function (e.g., invasive species, exploitation, abiotic changes). However, data on unimpacted systems are scarce; therefore, we often rely on impacted systems to make inferences about ‘natural states.’ Among the Laurentian Great Lakes, Lake Superior provides a unique case study to address non-nat
Authors
Bryan G. Mathias, Thomas R. Hrabik, Joel C. Hoffman, Owen Gorman, Michael J. Seider, Michael E. Sierszen, Mark Vinson, Daniel Yule, Peder M. Yurista
State of Lake Superior ecosystem in 2017
This report describes the status of fish species and their habitat in Lake Superior during the reporting period of 2012-2016 in response to achievement of fish community objectives (FCOs) established by fishery managers for the lake. The overarching goal for the FCOs continued to be met as the fish community remained diverse, self-regulating, dominated by indigenous species, and able to support su
Authors
Bryan G. Matthias, Thomas R. Hrabik, Joel C. Hoffman, Owen Gorman, Mike J Seider, Michael E. Sierszen, Mark Vinson, Daniel Yule, Peder M. Yurista
Status of Cisco in Lake Superior in 2017
This report describes the status of fish species and their habitat in Lake Superior during the reporting period of 2012-2016 in response to achievement of fish community objectives (FCOs) established by fishery managers for the lake. The overarching goal for the FCOs continued to be met as the fish community remained diverse, self-regulating, dominated by indigenous species, and able to support su
Authors
Cory Goldsworthy, Daniel Yule
News about this scientist
Science and Products
- Science
Science pages by this scientist
Use of Advanced Technologies to Improve Fisheries Assessments on Lake Superior
The mission brings together state, federal, tribal, Canadian provincial, private, and non-profit partners using advanced fishery research approaches to enhance fishery assessment methods. - Data
Hydroacoustic data from uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) overtakes in Lakes Huron and Michigan, 2021
These data were derived from hydroacoustic data collected by uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) and powered research vessels. The powered vessels overtook the USVs in Lakes Huron and Michigan to study fish avoidance of survey vessels during traditional acoustic surveys. The water column was divided into three depth groups (epilimnion, metalimnion, hypolimnion) for analysis. Each drone transect was bCompilation of Data for Parameterization of an Ecopath Model of Lake Superior at the Beginning of the 21st Century (2001-2016)
This data release includes tabular data files. The dataset consists of four input data tables (Appendices A1-A4) for a Lake Superior EcoPath with EcoSim (EwE; http://ecopath.org) model parameterized to the early 21st century using 2001-2016 collections. The data presented here are primarily intended to development a static ecosystem model representing a snapshot of Lake Superior circa 2005 when th - Publications
Filter Total Items: 27
Trophic ecology of juvenile lean and siscowet lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Superior: Assessing for potential competition
We investigated the spatial overlap, diet, isotopic niche, and growth of juvenile lean and siscowet lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Superior to address concerns of potential competition with implications to the study of resource polymorphism. Catch data revealed the greatest levels of sympatry in waters from 40 to 60 m. Juvenile lean and siscowet diet changed ontogenetically with Mysis bAuthorsBrandon S. Gerig, Shawn P. Sitar, Will F Otte, Daniel Yule, Heidi K. Swanson, Charles R. Bronte, Dray Carl, Joshua BlankenheimStatus and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2022
In 2022, the Lake Superior fish community was sampled with daytime bottom and surface trawls at 71 nearshore locations in May-June and 35 offshore locations in July, and at 51 Coordinated Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) locations in July-October with bottom trawls, surface trawls, mid-water trawls and acoustics that were previously sampled in 2011 and 2016. Nearshore bottom trawls collectAuthorsMark Vinson, Daniel Yule, Lori M. Evrard, Sydney B PhillipsStatus and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2021
The Lake Superior nearshore fish community was sampled in May-June 2021 with daytime bottom trawl tows at 45 stations located in USA waters. The 45 locations sampled were long-term monitoring sites that had been annually sampled since 1978. All comparisons to 2021 results were limited to past collections from USA waters, as compared to previous years, where comparisons included USA and Canadian siAuthorsMark Vinson, Daniel Yule, Lori M. Evrard, Owen T. Gorman, Sydney B PhillipsStatus and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2020
The Lake Superior fish community within Management Unit WI-2 was sampled in July 2020 with daytime bottom trawls at 11 nearshore stations. The 11 locations sampled were long-term monitoring sites that had been annually sampled since 1974. In 2020, the number of species collected at each site ranged from 0 to 13, with a mean of 6.3 and median of six. All comparisons to 2020 results were limited toAuthorsMark Vinson, Lori M. Evrard, Owen Gorman, Daniel YuleGenetic population structure of cisco, Coregonus artedi, in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Management of a widely distributed species can be a challenge when management priorities, resource status, and assessment methods vary across jurisdictions. For example, restoration and preservation of coregonine species diversity is a goal of management agencies across the Laurentian Great Lakes. However, management goals and the amount of information available varies across management units, makAuthorsWendylee Stott, Daniel Yule, Chris L. Davis, Kevin Donner, Mark P. Ebener, Stephen Lenart, Christopher OldsLake Superior Kiyi reproductive biology
ObjectiveThe Lake Superior Kiyi Coregonus kiyi is an understudied species being considered for reintroduction into Laurentian Great Lakes where it no longer occurs. Herein, we provide descriptions of Kiyi reproductive biology with the intention of guiding potential gamete collections for propagation.MethodsData were collected on Kiyi spawning timing, spawning locations, spawning season catch ratesAuthorsMark Vinson, Matthew E. Herbert, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Jamie A. Dobosenski, Lori M. Evrard, Owen Gorman, Joshua F Lyons, Sydney B Phillips, Daniel YuleDiversity in spawning habitat use among Great Lakes Cisco populations
Cisco (Coregonus artedi) once dominated fish communities in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Restoring the abundance and distribution of this species has emerged as a management priority, yet our understanding of Cisco spawning habitat use is insufficient to characterise habitat needs for these populations and assess whether availability of suitable spawning habitat could be a constraint to recovery. WAuthorsMatthew R. Paufve, Suresh Sethi, Brian C. Weidel, Brian F. Lantry, Daniel Yule, Lars G. Rudstam, Jory L. Jonas, Eric K. Berglund, Michael J. Connerton, Dimitry Gorsky, Matthew Herbert, Jason SmithConcordant patterns of morphological, stable isotope, and genetic variation in a recent ecological radiation (Salmonidae: Coregonus spp.)
Groups of sympatric taxa with low interspecific genetic differentiation, but considerable ecological differences, offer great opportunities to study the dynamics of divergence and speciation. This is the case of ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) in the Laurentian Great Lakes, which are characterized by a complex evolutionary history and are commonly described as having undergone an adaptive radiation. In tAuthorsMoises A Bernal, Daniel Yule, Wendylee Stott, Lori M. Evrard, Thomas E Dowling, Trevor J. KrabbenhoftVariation of cisco egg size among Laurentian Great Lakes populations
Many fish species display inter-population and inter-individual egg size variation. Intra-specific differences in egg size seemingly reflect both energetic experiences of individual spawning fish and long-term population responses to differing ecosystems. Optimal egg size theory implies that selection influences a population’s mean egg size in response to its early-life environment, given the wellAuthorsScott T Koenigbauer, Daniel Yule, Kristopher Dey, Chris Olds, Michael J. Connerton, Tomas O HöökTrophic transfer efficiency in the Lake Superior food web: Assessing the impacts of non-native species
Ecosystem-based management relies on understanding how perturbations influence ecosystem structure and function (e.g., invasive species, exploitation, abiotic changes). However, data on unimpacted systems are scarce; therefore, we often rely on impacted systems to make inferences about ‘natural states.’ Among the Laurentian Great Lakes, Lake Superior provides a unique case study to address non-natAuthorsBryan G. Mathias, Thomas R. Hrabik, Joel C. Hoffman, Owen Gorman, Michael J. Seider, Michael E. Sierszen, Mark Vinson, Daniel Yule, Peder M. YuristaState of Lake Superior ecosystem in 2017
This report describes the status of fish species and their habitat in Lake Superior during the reporting period of 2012-2016 in response to achievement of fish community objectives (FCOs) established by fishery managers for the lake. The overarching goal for the FCOs continued to be met as the fish community remained diverse, self-regulating, dominated by indigenous species, and able to support suAuthorsBryan G. Matthias, Thomas R. Hrabik, Joel C. Hoffman, Owen Gorman, Mike J Seider, Michael E. Sierszen, Mark Vinson, Daniel Yule, Peder M. YuristaStatus of Cisco in Lake Superior in 2017
This report describes the status of fish species and their habitat in Lake Superior during the reporting period of 2012-2016 in response to achievement of fish community objectives (FCOs) established by fishery managers for the lake. The overarching goal for the FCOs continued to be met as the fish community remained diverse, self-regulating, dominated by indigenous species, and able to support suAuthorsCory Goldsworthy, Daniel Yule - News
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government