Lee et al. have applied a data-limited model to historic records of commercial catch combined with some basic life history information to estimate the population size of cisco in Lake Erie prior to the collapse of the fishery in the early 20th century. The model uses some basic life history parameters and solves for what the historic carrying capacity and population growth rate would have been in order to withstand the observed commercial catch. The model suggests the population should have rebounded following the fishery collapse, though it never did, suggesting threats other than harvest (e.g., invasive species, habitat degradation) led to their extirpation. The results could be used in developing a formal management plan for current cisco reintroduction efforts.
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