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Using untapped telemetry data to explore the winter biology of freshwater fish

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Abstract

Winter is a challenging period for aquatic research—weather is uncomfortable, ice is hazardous, equipment fails, and daylength is short. Consequently, until recently relatively little research on freshwater fishes has included winter. Telemetry methods for tracking fish and observing movement behavior are an obvious solution to working in harsh conditions because much of the data can be collected remotely, and passive methods collect data year-round without winter maintenance. Yet, many telemetry studies do not collect data during winter or, if they do, only report data from the ice-free seasons while the remaining data are unused. Here, we briefly summarize the advantages and limitations of using telemetry methods in winter, including acoustic and radio telemetry and passive integrated transponder technology, then review the range of questions related to fish ecology, behavior, bioenergetics, and habitat use that can be addressed in winter using telemetry. Our goals are to highlight the untapped potential of winter fish biology and to motivate scientists to revisit their four-season telemetry data and incorporate objectives specific to winter biology in future study plans.

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Acknowledgements

We thank GLATOS for hosting a workshop that stimulated this paper, and the many colleagues who contributed to the discussion. This work was funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (Grant ID #2013_BIN_44024) by way of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative appropriations (GL-00E23010). This paper is Contribution 80 of the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS). JEM thanks members of the Rubenstein Ecosystem Sciences Lab for valuable discussion and ideas on an earlier draft of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, University of Vermont, 3 College St., Burlington, VT, 05401, USA

    J. E. Marsden & M. H. Futia

  2. Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 501 University Cres, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N6, Canada

    P. J. Blanchfield

  3. Department of Biology, Queen’s University, 116 Barrie St., Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

    P. J. Blanchfield

  4. Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada

    J. L. Brooks, B. L. Hlina & S. J. Cooke

  5. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus, 25 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada

    T. Fernandes & B. McMeans

  6. Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave., Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada

    A. T. Fisk, S. V. Ivanova, N. V. Klinard, S. M. Larocque & J. K. Matley

  7. Glenora Fisheries Station, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, 41 Hatchery Lane, Picton, ON, K0K 2T0, Canada

    T. B. Johnson

  8. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Michigan State University, 115 Manly Miles Building, 1405 S. Harrison Rd., East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA

    C. C. Krueger

  9. Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 1219 Queen St East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada

    L. M. O’Connor

  10. Department of Biology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada

    G. D. Raby

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Marsden, J.E., Blanchfield, P.J., Brooks, J.L. et al. Using untapped telemetry data to explore the winter biology of freshwater fish. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 31, 115–134 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-021-09634-2

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