Impacts of human development on habitat and fish communities in Douglas Lake.

Abstract

This study examined the effects of human shoreline development on both habitat variables and fish communities. The impacts of such development has important implications for management and regulations of shoreline activity. We found few statistical differences in habitat variables between the developed and undeveloped sides of Douglas Lake, Emmet County, MI. However, we found that there is a trend toward differences in fish communities between developed and undeveloped sites in a lake. Additional research is needed to further examine this trend.