Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Wisconsin Fishery
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The overall goal of the proposed research is to develop a genetic management plan for Great Lakes cisco that will include definition of conservation units based on neutral and adaptive differentiation as well as identification of suitable broodstock sources and stocking locations. Cisco restoration will likely represent a multidecadal effort with many successes and setbacks, similar to restoration of lake trout in the Great Lakes. It is vitally important to guide this restoration effort using the best data available to increase the probability of success while preventing irreparable damage to the genetic integrity of extant populations. The genetic management plan that we are proposing to create will provide an important guide for management agencies and will help to ensure that the adaptive diversity found within the vast array of cisco species and forms is maintained.