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

Wisconsin Fishery Project


Using genomics to delineate stock structure and create a standardized genetic resource for Great Lakes walleye

January 2019 - December 2020


Personnel

Participating Agencies

  • Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Walleye support important commercial and recreational fisheries in the Great Lakes region, especially in Lake Erie. Our project will use genomic tools to help define stock boundaries. We will also develop a low cost genetic screen to assign walleye caught in mixed-stock fisheries to their stock of origin. This project is a collaboration between multiple agencies and universities including the Ohio DNR, U.S. Geological Survey, and Ohio State University. This research will be used to design new management strategies with the goal of protecting each stock of walleye and preserving the important portfolio of population diversity in this species.