Aquatic Research Laboratory - Constant...

Aquatic Research Laboratory“Creating Partnerships in Water Resources”

650 W. Easterday Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 | 906-645-1949 | www.lssu.edu/arl

Mission Statement: “The LSSU Aquatic Research Laboratory combines education and research on aquatic biota and their associated habitats within the Great Lake Basin to serve the academic, scientific, and public communities.”

ARL Staff:Kevin Kapuscinski, Ph.D.: Co-DirectorAshley Moerke, Ph.D.: Co-DirectorJun Li, Ph.D.: Fish Disease LabRoger Greil: Manager...and many LSSU students

Aquatic Research Laboratory | Volume 9 Issue 1

Funding milestone reached for Aquatic Research Lab expansionby ARL staff

Both houses of Michigan’s legislature have approved nearly $9 million in funding for an expansion of Lake Superior State University’s

successful Aquatic Research Lab (ARL). The legisla-tion was signed by Gov. Rick Synder on June 29 for inclusion into the state’s 2016-17 budget.The expansion, known as the Center for Freshwater Research and Education (CFRE), will include an im-proved hatchery facility as well as expanded research and classroom space, state-of-the-art research and fish disease testing labs, a community visitor’s cen-ter and K-12 discovery area, and offices for regional partners.CFRE will be housed in a building near the west end of the Cloverland Electri-cal Cooperative power plant on the St. Marys River. The project will greatly enhance LSSU’s research capabili-ties and would be an economic driver for the state.“The Center for Freshwater Research

and Education will help connect LSSU’s faculty expertise and students to the Great Lakes economy by providing a state-of-the-art facility to not only conduct freshwater research, but also provide public education and outreach,” said LSSU President Tom Pleger. “With our location in the heart of the Great Lakes, along an international border, we have the perfect location for such a facility and we are pleased that this investment milestone by Michigan recog-nizes the importance and need for this project. We greatly appreciate all the support of our partners, stakeholders, community and state leaders, and elected officials who have helped and continue to help move this innovative and collaborative project forward.”“This project is going to be transformative for not only Lake Superior State University, but for the com-

munity and Great Lakes region,” said ARL Co-Director Dr. Ashley Moerke. “CFRE will enable us to train the next gen-eration of freshwater scientists and edu-cators and lead the way in conserving and managing our tremendous fresh-water resources.”

Continued on page 2

View of the proposed LSSU CFRE outdoor educational park adjacent to Cloverland Electric Cooperative power plant.


ARL Highlights - For more information visit: www.lssu.edu/arl

CFRE - continued from page 1 Since 1977, LSSU’s Aquatic Research Laboratory has been a model of a public-private partnership in re-search, education, and outreach, providing important economic, educational, and scientific benefits to the region. The lab has been stocking Atlantic salmon in the St. Marys River for three decades, which has cre-ated a world-class fishery in the upper Great Lakes that is valued at over $9 million to the Michigan economy. Research efforts have brought in more than $2 million just in the past five years.All the while, the lab has assisted with the training of hundreds of students who are employed in the fisheries and water resources field. Almost half of the employees in the Mich. Dept. of Natural Resources Fisheries Division are LSSU alumni.“We couldn’t be more pleased to hear that LSSU’s request for funds to build the Center for Freshwater Research and Education has been supported and ap-proved by the legislature,” said James Dexter, chief of the Michigan DNR’s fisheries division. “This can only serve to improve the educational experience for students preparing to enter the field of professional fisheries management. The hatchery component of this project should further solidify the University’s contribution to what has become a truly world-class Atlantic salmon fishery, not only in the St. Marys River, but all down the Lake Huron coastline.”Dan Dasho, president and CEO of Cloverland Elec-trical Cooperative, said, “We are happy to hear that LSSU got the funding for the ARL through the budget

process. Cloverland and LSSU have partnered over the years on this vital research facility and this will be a new chapter that will enhance the community, the region and all of the Great Lakes.”“The city of Sault Ste Marie stands strongly in sup-port of seeing this project completed, and will do all that we can to aid and assist to get the job done,” said Sault, Mich., mayor Tony Bosbous. “We believe that in addition to strengthening the academic of-ferings at Lake Superior State University, this center will help establish the Sault Ste. Marie region as the leader for protection of our Great Lakes. This will be a game changer for the Soo, our region, and the State of Michigan.”“The city strongly supports LSSU’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education project and we are thrilled to learn that it has received this crucial funding,” added city manager Oliver Turner. “As this project becomes a reality, it will no doubt bolster the economies of the region and the Great Lakes and advance our entire community for many years to come.”With the state covering $8.8 million, LSSU must now raise a matching portion of approximately $3 million to cover the total project cost of $11.8 million. Lake State plans to do this through a capital campaign that will begin in the near future.To see what the Center for Freshwater Research and Education will look like, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZQlmFcXNzY&feature=youtu.be

Thank you!Thank you to our partner agencies and all the individual donors for their ongoing generosity in support of our work at the ARL. Please consider supporting the work of Lake Superior State University’s ARL. You can visit our online giv-ing site at www.lssu.edu/arl or send a check made payable to LSSU Foundation, 650 W. Easterday Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783. Please write “ARL donation” in the memo line.


To view the ARL FishCam visit: www.lssu.edu/arl/fishcam.php

30th-year Atlantic salmon class named for longtime LSSU benefactor Richard Barchby LSSU staff

Lake Superior State University and the Sault Ste. Marie community celebrated 30 years of raising and releasing Atlantic salmon in style on June

3 with the naming of this year’s “class” of fish, while enjoying salmon hors d’oeuvres and a special vintage of local wine created in honor of the event. Members of the community, LSSU faculty, staff, and students, special guests, and representatives of the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources Fisheries Division, a longtime LSSU partner at LSSU’s Aquatic Research Laboratory, were all on hand to celebrate the mile-stone in Sault Ste. Marie’s James Alford Park, outside the Cloverland Electrical Cooperative power plant, which houses the ARL on the St. Marys River.In honor of the special occasion, LSSU named this year’s class of Atlantic salmon, nearly 37,000 year-lings, for Richard Barch, Ann Arbor, a longtime benefactor of the university, and especially the ARL. Barch and his wife, Theresa, were on hand to release a portion of the salmon class into the river.

“It’s great to be here today to celebrate this occasion and to honor Mr. and Mrs. Barch, who have been great friends of the university,” said LSSU President Tom Pleger. The LSSU president noted that the 30th anniversary comes at a pivotal time for the lab and the university, as Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and the state legislature consider promoting expan-sion of the lab as one of their top priorities for capital outlay projects in the coming year.LSSU co-director of the lab, Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski, introduced lab colleagues Dr. Ashley Moerke, co-di-rector, and Roger Greil, manager, as well as members of the MDNR Fisheries Division. “I’m the new guy here, but I couldn’t have landed in a better place for studying fisheries science,” Kapuscinski said. “The lab is more than a hatchery; it’s a classroom. I’ve been impressed by what it has accomplished in 30 years, and I am excited to see what it will do in the next 30 years.”Gary Whelan, MDNR Fisheries Division Research Manager, noted that the LSSU 30-year celebration ranks with another recent DNR milestone, this year’s 50th anniversary of the state raising and releasing coho salmon in the Great Lakes. “We have a one-of-a-kind relationship, the only partnership involving an institute of higher learning working with a state agency to produce a fisheries resource like this for the people of the state of Michigan,” Whelan said, not-ing that when LSSU and the DNR stocked Atlantics in the river in 1987, it was the first time it had been done since the 1800s. “Atlantic salmon are known as the king of fish -- or the king’s fish. In Europe, an-glers pay thousands of dollars to be able to fish for them. Thanks to the imagination and vision of several people who started this project, anglers can experi-ence this remarkable fishery at a much smaller cost, with no guide and really no experience required…Atlantic salmon are now a key target species in Lake Huron, and anglers across the country are hearing about it due to your efforts.”Ed Eisch, MDNR Fish Production Supervisor, was celebrating his 30-year anniversary as an LSSU graduate during today’s event. “When I graduated, the LSSU lab was just ramping up,” Eisch said.

Continued on page 4

Lab manager Roger Greil (l) helps Richard and Theresa Barch and LSSU President Tom Pleger (r) as they prepare to release a ceremonial portion of Atlantic salmon yearlings into the St. Marys River while dedicating the entire batch of 37,000 salmon as the “Richard Barch Class” during a 30th anniversary ceremony outside the ARL.


ARL Highlights - For more information visit: www.lssu.edu/arlBarch Year Class - continued from page 3“It has become much more sophisticated since that time...Roger Greil and his students have created a world class fishery, but the real claim to fame for the lab is turning out fisheries professionals.” Eisch noted that LSSU students stand out above their peers for their work experience and being able to design research projects and carry them out. He said over the years that experience has helped them find jobs -- many with the DNR -- and earn graduate school placements. “I hope our partnership with LSSU con-tinues long into the future,” he added.Barch, an avid hunter, fisherman and traveler who discovered the LSSU lab while fishing for Atlantic salmon, said he was “honored and humbled” to be recognized at the anniversary event. “Thanks very much to Drs. Kevin and Ashley, Roger, and stu-dents who helped raise this class of fish. I’m sure it will provide the best fishing so far,” he said. Barch has noted in the past that he has hunted and fished around the world, and in his travels has found the fishing for Atlantic salmon in the St. Marys River to be the best he has seen anywhere.Barch served in the U.S. Army and the British 17/21 Lancers before beginning his career in finance with Kenower, MacArthur and Co. Investment Bankers in 1964 and eventually founding his own business, Stauder, Barch and Associates, in 1968, which grew to

be the larg-est munici-pal consult-ing firm in Michigan. He and Theresa have been strong sup-porters of LSSU’s Arts Center, and the univer-sity pre-sented him with an honorary doctorate during the 2001 com-mencement ceremony.

Visitors enjoyed a commemorative wine and salmon hors d’oeuvres for the 30th anniversary event. The wine, a shiraz and white, was produced by Sault Ste. Marie’s Wildwood Vineyard and Winery, part of Karl’s Cuisine, which catered the event along with the Antlers Restaurant and LSSU Food Service.

Student Achievements• Madison Almquist (‘17) was awarded the Izaak

Walton League of America Lock City Chapter Endowed Scholarship and the Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club Fisheries and Wildlife Scholarship

• Emily Barkley (‘19) completed an internship with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at the Oden State Fish Hatchery, May 2016

• Elizabeth Cilman (‘18) was awarded the Wendy J. Sak Memorial Fisheries & Wildlife Award

• Scott Cooper (‘17) was selected for a Michigan Sea Grant Aquaculture Internship and worked at the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery in summer 2016

• Michela Coury (‘17) served as an intern with International Volunteer HQ in Albufeira, Portugal, Jun-Jul 2016

• Sam Day (’17) was awarded the Cynthia

Kitzman/Fred Waara Fellowship Grant from the Fred Waara Chapter of Trout Unlimited

• Rachel Frey (‘17) interned with Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium, NC, May-Aug 2016

• Matthew Grieb (‘18) was awarded the Gilbert & Maxine Gleason Fisheries & Wildlife Scholarship

• Will Marosi (‘17) completed an internship at the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Fisheries Enhancement Facility in May 2016

• John Milan (‘17) was awarded the Anglers of the Au Sable Fisheries Scholarship

• Hadley Reed (‘19) and Brandon Reith (‘18) both served as an interns at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery

If you or your organization is interested in establishing a scholarship at LSSU or contributing to the LSSU Under-graduate Research Fund, please contact our Foundation Office (906-635-2665, [email protected])

Richard Barch, Ann Arbor, releases a ceremonial portion of the 37,000 Atlantic salmon yearlings that Lake Superior State University stocked into the St. Marys River on June 2-3, while LSSU mascot Seamore the Sea Duck and community members look on.



New MSU Extension educator opens office on LSSU campusby LSSU staff

Michigan State University and LSSU an-nounced a new Extension-based collabora-tion to engage with Michigan’s Eastern U.P.

Through this new partnership, LSSU will host an Extension educator to help connect MSU and LSSU resources with communities and residents.“We are extremely pleased to partner with MSU to bring Michigan Sea Grant Extension to LSSU and the Eastern U.P.,” said Thomas Pleger, LSSU president. “LSSU has a long history of research and educa-tion focused on freshwater resources and the Great Lakes. This new partnership will allow us to better serve the region in partnership with MSU, Michigan’s Land Grant Institution. Both LSSU and MSU share a commitment to outreach and enhancing the region through life-long learning.”Elliot Nelson, a Michigan Sea Grant Extension edu-cator will be based in Sault Ste. Marie on LSSU’s campus and will provide education and outreach programming related to commercial, tribal, and aqua-culture fisheries; coastal community development, including tourism and Great Lakes commerce; water quality; and coastal ecosystems.“Partnerships like this one between LSSU and MSU Extension provide opportunities to build communi-ties that make Michigan strong, prosperous and a great place to live,” said Jeff Dwyer, director of MSU Extension. “Having Elliot integrated into the LSSU community gives us a chance to expand our reach in the Eastern Upper Peninsula and allows us to learn from each other as we work on those opportunities.”Nelson grew up in the U.P. town of Cedarville, is a certified science teacher, has served as a Science Olympiad coach and taught at Grand River Prepara-tory High School in Grand Rapids. As project coor-dinator for the Little Traverse Conservancy, Nelson helped local government, business groups and land conservancies organize and create a development plan for a birding trail. As a research assistant at the UM Water Center, he participated in a grant-based program to categorize and connect water quality

research across the state. Working with the Tipp of the Mitt Watershed Council, he was part of a group developing a watershed management plan. Nelson earned a bachelor of science degree from MSU and a master of science at UM. His focus has been on natu-ral resources and environment behavior; education and communications; and conservation ecology.“Our partnership with LSSU and Elliot’s new posi-tion will strengthen and broaden our relationship with our Great Lakes coastal communities and related industries enhancing, through meaningful partnerships with all, the region’s economic, social and ecological well-being,” said Dr. William Taylor, associate director of the Michigan Sea Grant College Program. “Michigan Sea Grant looks forward to a long, successful collaboration with LSSU.” Michigan Sea Grant College Program helps foster economic growth and protect Michigan’s coastal Great Lakes resources through education, research and outreach. A collaborative effort between UM and MSU, Michi-gan Sea Grant is part of NOAA’s National Sea Grant network of 33 university-based programs.“I have already felt so welcomed by the LSSU faculty and staff,” Nelson said. “Their excitement and com-mitment to education and research is an inspiration and will make working with LSSU a real joy.”

Ashley Moerke, LSSU ARL co-director, and LSSU Provost David Roland Finley chat with Elliot Nelson (r),inhisnewly-openedofficeinCrawfordHallof Science. Nelson will provide education and outreach programming to the Eastern U.P. related tocommercial,tribal,andaquaculturefisheries;coastal community development, including tourism andGreatLakescommerce;waterquality;andcoastal ecosystems.


ARL Highlights - For more information visit: www.lssu.edu/arl

Alumni Profileby Jen Johnson (‘08)

I graduated from LSSU in 2008 with my Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Manage-ment with a concentration in Fisheries. When I

began my undergraduate career, I knew I would have to study and work hard in order to earn my degree. In the beginning the idea of my degree was rather ab-stract. I knew I would feel some sense of accomplish-ment but by the end of my college experience at LSSU my degree symbolized so much more than I had first imagined. When I think of my degree now, I don’t think of a piece of paper. I think of sorting bugs on a sheet of ice for Dr. Moerke’s class. I think of holding a six foot Lake Sturgeon on the St. Marys River. I think of sitting in front of my computer and designing the first ARL Newsletter (Yup that was me!). I think of discovering how awesome freshwater mussels are. I think of Dr. Zimmerman’s quirky sense of humor. I think of how I started drinking coffee to pass Verte-brate Anatomy! I think of having to step out of my comfort zone and talk to fisheries professionals at conferences. There are so many memories I could list. My degree from LSSU is a symbol of my academic ac-complishments, but it also evokes emotions of pride, joy, and excitement from the magnitude of experi-ences I was lucky enough to have there.After LSSU, I decided to earn my master’s degree at the University of Georgia. My research focus was on the life cycle of freshwater mussels. Having a strong work ethic and getting a solid science foundation from Lake State helped me be successful in earning a master’s degree in 2010.In 2011, my family and I moved back to the area where we grew up in the UP–Dickinson County. From 2011-2013, my husband and I owned our own environmental consulting company. We did a variety of work that included freshwater mussel surveys and invasive species surveys and management. It was in these two years where my skills at LSSU really came into play. In order for our company to be success-ful, I needed to be self-motivated, a hard worker, and effectively communicate to our customers and the public. I was also the Coordinator for the local invasive species management group called the Wild

Rivers Invasive Species Coalition, where I focused on education and outreach. In March 2013, I accepted a position in Lansing with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as an Aquatic Biologist. My main job duty involved aquatic invasive species monitoring.

In January 2015, I became employed with the Michi-gan Department of Natural Resources as a Fisheries Management Biologist located in Crystal Falls, MI. I’ve been in this position for nearly two years now and have performed a variety of tasks such as report writing, grant writing, lake and stream surveys, per-mit reviews, and working with the public to manage our resources. Today, my husband Andy and I have three amazing children and are enjoying life in the UP eh!

Hatchery Update• In fall 2015, 7,680 age-0 Atlantic salmon

(average length 128 mm) reared at the ARL were stocked into Torch Lake by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources

• A total of 348 adult Atlantic salmon were netted from the St. Marys River in fall 2015 by ARL students and staff, and gametes were collected from 131 pairs for propagation

• Morethan482,000eggswereartificiallyfertilized, more than 368,000 eyed eggs were supplied to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the remaining eggs were retained by the ARL

• In late spring 2016, 36,790 age-1 Atlantic salmon (average length 183 mm) reared at the ARL were stocked into the St. Marys River

Jen Johnson holding a walleye captured during a lake survey.



Recent Publications and PresentationsCollins, S, B. Marshall, and A. Moerke. 2016. Aerial insect responses to non-native Chinook salmon

spawning in a Great Lakes tributary. Journal of Great Lakes Research 42(3):630–636Crane, D.P., and K.L. Kapuscinski. Habitat use by age-0 Muskellunge in the upper Niagara River, New York.

Hugh C. Becker Muskie Symposium, Mar 2016, Minnetonka, MNGunderson, M.D., Kapuscinski, K.L., Crane, D.P., and J.M. Farrell. 2016. Habitats colonized by non-native

floweringrushButomus umbellatus (Linnaeus, 1753) in the Niagara River. Aquatic Invasions 11(4):369–380

Greil, R., Moerke, A., Kapuscinski, K., and D. Borgeson. History of rearing and stocking Atlantic salmon in the upper Great Lakes, with an emphasis on the St. Marys River. Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Jan 2016, Grand Rapids, MI

Killourhy, C.C., Crane, D., and S.V. Stehman. 2016. Precision and accuracy of visual estimates of aquatic habitat. Freshwater Science 35(3):1062–1072

Li J., Ma, S.Y., and N.Y.S. Woo. 2016. Vaccination of silver seabream against Vibrio alginolyticus. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 17(1):40

Moerke,A.,K.Arend,D.Mockler,G.Steinhart,P.Ripple,andF.Zomer.Influenceoflow-ordertributaryinputsonthenearshoredynamicsofWhitefishBay,LakeSuperior.SocietyforFreshwaterScience,May2016, Sacramento, CA

Moerke, A. Emerging issues in the St. Marys River AOC. Michigan Tribal Environmental Council annual meeting, May 2016

Moerke,A.andM.Vinson.PotentialclimatechangeimpactsonLakeSuperiorfishes.SuperiorChallengeSummer, University of Michigan CILER, May 2016

Sun,Y.,Liu,L.,Li,J.,andL.Sun.2016.ThreenovelB-typemannose-specificlectinsofCynoglossus semilaevis possess varied antibacterial activities against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Developmental & Comparative Immunology 55:194–202

Uzarski, D.G., V.J. Brady, M.J. Cooper, D.A. Wilcox, D.A. Albert, R.P. Axler, P. Bostwick, T.N. Brown, J.H. Ciborowski, N.P. Danz, J.P. Gathman, T.M. Gehring, G.P. Grabas, A. Garwood, R.W. Howe, L.B. Johnson, G.A. Lamberti, A.H. Moerke, B.A. Murry, G.J. Niemi, C.J. Norment, C.R. Ruetz III, A.D. Steinman, D. Tozer, R. Wheeler, T.K. O’Donnell, and J.P. Schneider. 2016. Standardized measures of coastal wetland condition: Implementation at a Laurentian Great Lakes Basin-wide scale. Wetlands. Doi:10.1007/s13157-016-0835-7

Wang, Y.J., Wang, X.H., Huang, J., and J. Li. 2016. Adjuvant effect of Quillaja Saponaria saponin (QSS) in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) upon bath vaccination. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 17(3):325

Wenke, A., E. Clegg, and A. Moerke. Changes in stream habitat and biota following a perched culvert replacement in John’s Creek, MI. Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Jan 2016, Grand Rapids, MI (poster – awarded Best Student Poster)

LSSU student Austin Wenke beat out under-graduate and graduate students from across the state to take best-poster honors during the American Fisheries Society Michigan chapter’s 76th annual meeting, Jan. 24-27 in Grand Rapids.

Aquatic Research Laboratory650 W. Easterday Ave.Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 USA

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