Walleye Research Paper

Global warming is the gradual increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere due to greenhouse effect. By the middle of the century global warming may cause the temperatures in the Oneida Lake area to increase, which could have detrimental affects to the Walleye population. The three scenarios had a p value of 0.3482. The diet energy density was constant at 3500 J/g and the predator energy density was held constant at 4000 J/g. Graph 1 shows the weight of the Walleye against the temperatures of a normal summer. The initial weight of the Walleye is 335 grams and at the end of the year the weight is 387 grams. The highest reported temperature during the summer was 24.9 ° C. This rise in temperature creates a relatively linear growth in

During normal summer temperatures the growth of the Walleye is slow, but still positive. Once the temperatures are warmed by 2 ° and 4° C there is a decline in growth during the summer. The largest decline is seen when summer temperatures reach 28 °C and causes the fish to put less energy into maintaining body weight. Once Fall begins in September the temperatures drop and the fish start to gain weight again. Looking at the graphs we see a pattern start to develop. In the Spring the Walleye start to gain weight and during summer months there is a decline in J/g/day of growth that doesn’t increase again until the fall months. The severity of the decline in summer its impact on end of year weight depends on the increase in summer temperatures. The scope for growth for the Walleye has been studied by Kitchell et al. (1977) who found that around 23 °C Walleye’s energy towards growth begins to decline. Walleye are a cool water fish and temperatures can greatly affect growth. Temperatures for optimal growth are best when the temperature stays below 23 °C allowing for better conditions during the summer that support Walleye growth. At high temperatures the consumption of prey decreases attributing to the loss of body weight. The decrease in prey consumption could also be due to the fact that Walleye’s prey on yellow perch. These coolwater fish also prefer temperatures that range from 20-25°C. As the temperatures increase during the summer months yellow perch become less frequent which may cause the Walleye to prey on invertebrates that have lower energy density. This could be a likely scenario considering the Walleye are consuming less grams of fish per day at 4°C warmer temperatures compared to temperatures that are just 2°C warmer. Therefore spring and fall temperatures offer the optimal conditions for growth for the