A post-impoundment investigation of the fishes in Lake Kathleen, Emmet County, Michigan.

Abstract

The fish community in the impoundment on the Maple River supports at this point in time a fairly high diversity. Many of the fishes in the impoundment are also in Douglas Lake as shown by the DNR records. A conflict of interest has arisen over the existence and/or exploitation of the impoundment. Mr. McLaughlin has exhibited genuine ecological concern about the future of the impoundment even though he plans to develop it. The Trout Unlimited groups want to preserve the stream for trout. Neither party seems determined to restore the river to its original, natural condition--that of being a sandy bottom river and consequently a relatively ""non-trout"" stream. The construction of houses around the impoundment is bound to have some deleterious effect upon the reservoir. Yet, the Trout Unlimited advocates want to manipulate and modify the stream also--to make it into a trout stream. Geologically and ecologically, the Maple River has not evolved into a very suitable habitat for trout. In this environmental hassle, there are no ""good guys"" and ""bad guys."" The issue centers not on how man can preserve the original condition of the river but on who is going to be in charge of manipulating the river. One thing is for certain--based on stomach analyses of the fish in the impoundment. A large percentage of the food resources for the entire fish community consisted of organisms that live in the Elodea beds in the littoral zones and in the channels of the West and East Branches of the Maple River. If these food organisms and their habitat are erased completely, e.g., by dredging, the effects upon the fish would be disastrous. Occasional harvesting of some of the Elodea to prevent choking of the river channels might not be too harmful--if entire beds of vegetation are not irreparably damaged or completely eliminated. Downstream studies of benthic organisms by other members of the limnology class showed that the reservoir is a nursery grounds for many prey organisms upon which trout and other game fish downstream feed. If the Elodea beds are destroyed, much of the fish in the preservoir itself and in the river downstream will be harmed.