Kiyi reproductive phenology in Lake Superior

Mark Vinson (USGS, mvinson@usgs.gov), Matt Herbert (TNC)

Kiyi historically occurred in Lakes Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior. Today they occur in Lake Superior. Reestablishing Kiyi into lakes where it went extinct is a topic of discussion among Laurentian Great Lakes fishery managers. An impediment to re-introducing Kiyi is a lack of understanding of its reproductive biology to guide gamete collection and hatchery rearing. The objective of this project was to provide contemporary and, in some cases, initial descriptions of Kiyi reproductive biology with the intention of guiding future gamete collections for propagation. From November-January, 2017-2021, Kiyi were collected using gill nets fished by a commercial fisher near Grand Island, Michigan. We report on near-spawning collection locations, spawning timing, catch rates, spawning season sex ratios, fecundity, and egg size of Lake Superior Kiyi.