April 5, 2006

COLUMBUS, OH - A study tracking walleye movement during the spring spawning runs in the Sandusky River and Bay is underway, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

Biologists have implanted radio transmitters in 50 adult walleye and will track the fish with three shore-based sensors, as well as weekly tracking by boat and aircraft. This research will allow fisheries biologists to better understand movement patterns, locate specific spawning sites, and determine whether fish spawn every year.

The information obtained will be used to enhance the Sandusky River walleye population, which has undergone significant declines in abundance over several decades. Walleye for this study were collected near Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve and the outer Sandusky Bay.

“This research gives us a unique opportunity to document migration patterns of spawning walleye in the Sandusky River, said Roger Knight, Lake Erie fisheries program administrator for the Division of Wildlife. “The data obtained will enhance our ability to manage the Sandusky River fishery.”

If anglers encounter a walleye with an antennae protruding from the stomach, they should contact the Division of Wildlife’s Sandusky Fisheries Research Unit and provide information on the fish’s size, location, and jaw tag number if present. The Division’s fisheries biologists will be working in and around Sandusky River and Bay during the next several weeks tracking the walleye. Anglers are encouraged to observe their work and ask questions.

Anglers should also note that new walleye regulations are in place from March 1 through April 30 2006 and include a four-fish daily bag limit with a 15-inch minimum size limit.