Taaja R Tucker
Science and Products
Juvenile lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) diets from annual Lake Huron fall bottom trawl surveys (2008-2017)
Diet analyses were performed on juvenile lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) captured by bottom trawl during annual USGS Great Lakes Science Center demersal fish community surveys in mid-October to mid-November 2008–2017 in Lake Huron. This dataset contains lake trout capture information (e.g., location, depth) and diet item data (taxa consumed and their associated lengths).
Survey data of larval fish, zooplankton, and aquatic plants collected from the St. Clair River delta, MI (2010-2011)
The St. Clair River delta, part of the St. Clair-Detroit River System (SCDRS), is the most fished coastal wetland area in the Laurentian Great Lakes and provides nursery habitat for a variety of fish species; however, few large-scale surveys of early fish life stages have been performed since the 1980s. Larval fish, zooplankton, and aquatic plants were sampled at 21 sites in delta
Diet and bathymetric distribution of juvenile Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Huron
Rehabilitation efforts for Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Huron have resulted in increased capture of young wild Lake Trout in annual bottom trawl surveys conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. To better understand the ecology of juvenile (<400mm) Lake Trout, we summarized the spatial distribution of their capture in bottom trawls at...
Roseman, Edward F.; Riley, Stephen; Tucker, Taaja; Farha, Steve A.; Jackson, Scott; Bowser, Dustin Determining habitat limitations of Maumee River walleye production to western Lake Erie fish stocks: Documenting a spawning ground barrier
Tributaries provide spawning habitat for three of four major sub-stocks of Lake Erie walleye (Sander vitreus). Despite anthropogenic degradation and the extirpation of other potamodromous species, the Maumee River, Ohio, USA continues to support one of the largest fish migrations in the Laurentian Great Lakes. To determine if spawning habitat...
Schmidt, Brian; Tucker, Taaja; Collier, Jessica; Mayer, Christine; Roseman, Edward F.; Stott, Wendylee; Pritt, Jeremy J. Review of methods to repair and maintain lithophilic fish spawning habitat
Rocky reefs provide important spawning and refuge habitats for lithophilic spawning fishes. However, many reefs have been lost or severely degraded through anthropogenic effects like dredging, channelization, or sedimentation. Constructed reefs have been used to mitigate these effects in some systems, but these reefs are also subject to...
Baetz, Audrey; Tucker, Taaja; DeBruyne, R.; Gatch, Alex; Hook, T.; Fischer, J.; Roseman, Edward F. Assessment of larval fish assemblages and nursery habitat in the St. Clair River delta
The St. Clair River delta, part of the St. Clair-Detroit River System (SCDRS), is the most fished coastal wetland area in the Laurentian Great Lakes and provides nursery habitat for a variety of fish species; however, few large-scale surveys of larval fish have been performed within the delta since the 1980s. Larval fish, zooplankton,...
Tucker, Taaja; DeBruyne, Robin L .; Roseman, Edward F.; Larson, Douglas; McNaught, A. Scott Zooplankton dynamics in a Great Lakes connecting channel: Exploring the seasonal composition within the St. Clair-Detroit River System
The connecting channels linking the Laurentian Great Lakes provide important migration routes, spawning grounds, and nursery habitat for fish, but their role as conduits between lakes for zooplankton is less understood. To address this knowledge gap in the St. Clair–Detroit River System (SCDRS), a comprehensive survey of crustacean zooplankton was...
Keeler, Kevin (Contractor); Tucker, Taaja; Mayer, Christine M; Taylor, William W.; Roseman, Edward F. Long-term assessment of ichthyoplankton in a large North American river system reveals changes in fish community dynamics
Larval fishes are sensitive to abiotic conditions and provide a direct measure of spawning success. The St. Clair – Detroit River System, a Laurentian Great Lakes connecting channel with a history of environmental degradation, has undergone improvements in habitat and water quality since the 1970s. We compared 2006–2015 ichthyoplankton community...
Taaja R. Tucker; Roseman, Edward F.; Robin L. DeBruyne; Jeremy J. Pritt; Bennion, David; Hondorp, Darryl W.; James C. Boase Evidence of repeated long-distance movements by lake charr Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Huron
Movements and dispersal distances of acoustically-tagged adult lake charr Salvelinus namaycush were estimated based on detections at acoustic receivers in Lake Huron during 2010–2014. Most lake charr were detected only at receivers proximate to their release location or were not detected at all, but 3–9% of tagged lake charr were...
Riley, Stephen; Binder, Tom; Taaja R. Tucker; Krueger, Charles C. Observations of cocooned Hydrobaenus (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae in Lake Michigan
Larvae of the family Chironomidae have developed a variety of ways to tolerate environmental stress, including the formation of cocoons, which allows larvae to avoid unfavorable temperature conditions, drought, or competition with other chironomids. Summer cocoon formation by younger instars of the genus Hydrobaenus Fries allows...
Tucker, Taaja R.; Hudson, Patrick L.; Riley, Stephen Islands in the ice stream: were spawning habitats for native salmonids in the Great Lakes created by paleo-ice streams?
Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis and cisco Coregonus artedi are salmonid fishes native to the Laurentian Great Lakes that spawn on rocky substrates in the fall and early winter. After comparing the locations of spawning habitat for these species in the main basin of Lake Huron with...
Riley, Stephen; Binder, Thomas R.; Tucker, Taaja R.; Menzies, John; Eyles, Nick; Janssen, John; Muir, Andrew M.; Esselman, Peter C.; Wattrus, Nigel J.; Krueger, Charles C. Factors associated with the deposition of Cladophora on Lake Michigan beaches in 2012
Deposition of the macroalgae Cladophora spp. was monitored on 18 beaches around Lake Michigan during 2012 at a high temporal frequency. We observed a high degree of spatial variability in Cladophora deposition among beaches on Lake Michigan, even within local regions, with no clear regional pattern in the intensity of Cladophora deposition. A...
Riley, Stephen C.; Tucker, Taaja R.; Adams, Jean V.; Fogarty, Lisa R.; Lafrancois, Brenda Moraska Lake trout in northern Lake Huron spawn on submerged drumlins
Recent observations of spawning lake trout Salvelinus namaycush near Drummond Island in northern Lake Huron indicate that lake trout use drumlins, landforms created in subglacial environments by the action of ice sheets, as a primary spawning habitat. From these observations, we generated a hypothesis that may in part explain locations chosen by...
Riley, Stephen C.; Binder, Thomas; Wattrus, Nigel J.; Faust, Matthew D.; Janssen, John; Menzies, John; Marsden, J. Ellen; Ebener, Mark P.; Bronte, Charles R.; He, Ji X.; Tucker, Taaja R.; Hansen, Michael J.; Thompson, Henry T.; Muir, Andrew M.; Krueger, Charles C.
Roseman Presents on Science and Monitoring Strategy for Restoring Fish Habitat and Populations in Large Rivers
Developing a Science and Monitoring Strategy to Guide Recovery of Fisheries Habitats and Populations in the St. Clair-Detroit River System.