It's getting to be that time of the year again…Spawning Time for Walleyes

By Peggy Pyke-Thompson

It is getting close to that time of the year again when walleye go up into the tributaries of the larger rivers in order to spawn so that they complete the next cycle of their life. Without the spawning, we would not be able to enjoy the fishing and eating of this type of fish. I am a diehard walleye lover. I love catching them, and even better, I love to eat walleye (as long as someone else cleans them…).

For all of my life, and even longer than that actually, members of my family have been fishing and eating walleye. Even with the recommendations that the fish not be eaten, we still ate the fish although not in such large quantities as before all of the fish advisories. (Please note that the fish advisories recommend: Women of child bearing years and children under 16 years should not consume walleye. It is also important for people to know that they should not eat the larger walleye since the mercury levels in the bigger fish is high compared to the levels in the smaller fish. Also, do not consume female walleye since they carry the eggs for spawning.)

For at least 20 years, my siblings, nieces, nephews and family friends have worked hard collecting eggs and milt from the walleye, and putting fertilized eggs or hatched out eggs back into the tributaries to help ensure the survival of the walleye. For a while, it seemed as though efforts to increase the walleye population were successful. Ice fishers and other fishers were reporting that they were catching more walleye than before.

To our dismay, we keep hearing stories of people going into the spawning beds and walking all over them instead of spearing fish from the bank like they used to. What this does is squash all the eggs and destroys them, not only the ones that were laid naturally by the fish, but also the ones that were placed there by the Pyke Phish Farm. We also hear of the spearing of other fish at the same time that are just tossed upon the bank side when it is discovered that the fish caught is not a walleye, but a sucker. This is a waste and is destructive too. As children, we were taught that you eat what you catch and you only take what you need to feed your family.

Please remember that spawning season for walleye will be upon us soon and we need to start taking better care of the spawning beds if we want the walleye to continue to be there for our children and grandchildren and their children and grandchildren to enjoy.

RESPECT WALLEYE SPAWNING BEDS

Cycle of Life

Once a year in the springtime after the fish mature, the walleye will go on a journey back to where they were spawned out. This action completes their cycle of life, so that their species may live another generation. This seems simple however; this doesn’t take into consideration the human influence on this cycle. There is an ongoing interruption of the life cycle of the walleye due to over spearing and/or over netting on the spawning beds.

This interruption ultimately decreases the future harvests of the net 7 generations. This has also caused a decrease in the amount of walleye eggs that the Pyke Phish Farms have been able t restock back into the rivers. Restocking the rivers with fertilized eggs has helped but a significant decrease in the amount o mature adults has also hindered our efforts. We have found that it has been increasingly more difficult to find mature fish without holes or that haven’t been stressed out. When we have tried to seed the spawning beds, they are disrupted by people stepping on them.

Our only solution is to remind others to return to our traditional teachings and culture:

- offer tobacco tow roods, water, plants, animals, fish

- take only what you need

- use everyting that you take

- make sure your grandchildren and next 7 generations will be able to enjoy the same harvest that we enjoy today of fish, game, birds, and medicines.

- follow the ways of the creator and offer part of your harvest.

These simple teachings have enabled us to enjoy the animals, birds, fish, the way our ancestors enjoyed and left for us so long ago. Leg us do the same for the next 7 generations.

OTHER WALLEYE FACTS:

- there are up to 30,000 eggs per pond of female weight.

- Females mature in 3 to 6 years length of greater than 14 inches

- Males mature in 2 to 4 yeas with a length of 11 inches

- Spawn peaks at 42 degrees to 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 5-10 degrees Celsius.

- Later in the spawn cycle it is harder to get males and also get decrease of milt.

WALLEYE

The walleye (Sander vitreus) is a freshwater fish from the perch family that is native to most of Canada and the northern United States. It is also sometimes called the yellow walleye, colored pike, yellow pike, pickerel or doré in different parts of its range. The closest genetic relative to the walleye is a fish called the sauger. Often, there is interbreeding between the two species and the resulting offspring are called saugeye.

Walleye within a watershed are generally quite similar genetically and are distinct from walleye in adjoining, nearby watersheds. Since the species has been artificially propagated for over a century and has been placed on top of existing populations, or introduced into waters that are naturally devoid of this species, the overall genetic distinctiveness of populations may be reduced.

The common name for this fish comes from the fact that their eyes reflect light. This “eyeshine” is the result of a light-gathering layer in the eyes called the tapetum lucidum which allows the fish to see well in low-light conditions. Many fishermen look for walleyes at night, since this is the time of day when most feeding activity occurs. The eyes also allow the fish to see well in turbid waters (stained or rough, breaking waters) which gives them an advantage over their prey. Walleye are piscivorous, which means that they eat other fish along with insects, crayfish, leeches and amphibians.

The main colors for walleye are olive and gold. The dorsal side is olive, and grades into a golden hue on the flanks. There are five darker bands, or saddles, that extend to the upper sides. The color shades to white on the belly. The mouth is large and has many sharp teeth. The first dorsal and anal fins and the operculum are spiny. Walleyes can be distinguished from their close relative the sauger by the white color on the lower lobe of the caudal fin which is absent on the sauger. The sauger also has distinctive rows of black dots on the two dorsal and the caudal fin, these are not present or are indistinct on the same fins of the walleye.

Walleyes grow to about 80 cm (31 in) in length and weigh up to about 9 kg (20 lb). The maximum recorded size is 107 cm (42 in) and 11.3 kg (25 lb). Females are larger than males, in general. Southern populations of walleye grow faster and larger than their northern counterparts. The maximum recorded age for a walleye is 29 years. In areas where walleye are heavily fished, they seldom reach 5 or 6 years of age. Typical catches in North America are somewhere around 30 to 50 cm (12 to 20 in), well below their potential size.

Most male walleyes mature at age 3 or 4. Females mature about a year later. Adults migrate to tributary streams in the late winter or early spring to lays eggs over gravel and rock. Open water reef or shoal spawning strains of walleye do occur also. Some populations are also known to spawn on sand or vegetation. The water temperature required for spawning is 6 to 10°C (43 to 50°F). Large females can lay up to 500,000 eggs. Parents do not care for the eggs or the fry. Eggs are slightly adhesive and fall into space between rocks. Incubation is temperature dependent but usually lasts between 12 and 30 days. Once hatched, free-swimming embryos spend about a week absorbing the small amount of yolk present. Once the yolk has been absorbed, the young walleyes begin to feed on invertebrates (fly larvae and zooplankton). After 40 to 60 days, they become piscivorous and eat fish almost exclusively. They will eat yellow perch and ciscoes and will also feed heavily on crayfish, minnows and leeches.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/walleye accessed 3/4/2011.

Gilbert and Williams, National Audubon Society Field Guide to Fishes: North America. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., NY, 2002.

Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service.