Implementation of Coregonine population viability analysis within the Coregonine Restoration Framework – Year 5

Laura Lee (USFWS, laura_lee@fws.gov), John Sweka (USFWS), Brian Weidel (USGS), Andrew Honsey (USGS), Cory Brant (USGS), Karen Alofs (UofM), Andrew Muis (GLFC), Amanda Ackiss (USGS)

The Coregonine Restoration Framework (CRF) provides an adaptive management structure to guide restoration of this suite of species in the Great Lakes Region. Initial steps in this effort established four science teams—Resolve Taxonomy, GAP Analysis, Population Viability Analysis (PVA), and Threats Assessment—whose charge was to propose analytical methods for their respective elements and guide the implementation of those methods. Methods developed by these teams were approved by the Council of Lake Committees and are now being implemented. This project will continue the initial implementation of the methods of the PVA team funded in FY2022, FY2023, FY2024, and FY2025. Previous funds were used to hire a GS-12 modeler to work with partners, including other science teams, and lead efforts to develop PVA models and disseminate their results. These efforts are needed to determine the potential effects of various management alternatives in advancing coregonine restoration. Work will focus on restoration of bloater, lake whitefish, cisco, and round whitefish in Lake Ontario. These efforts will be the first true test runs of the adaptive management strategy outlined by the CRF, but funding for this position will also allow analysis of existing fishery-independent and fishery-dependent data from other areas to develop additional population models. Given the limited capacities of staff across partner resource agencies, further advancement of the CRF needs full time, dedicated staff to model the population dynamics of coregonine species in specific areas.