Spatial ecology of translocated American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a large freshwater lake

Abstract

American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) undertake extensive migrations from their rearing grounds to spawn in the Sargasso Sea, and historically the upper St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario provided an important source for large, fecund female eel. Following declines in the Lake Ontario population, glass eel were translocated from eastern Canada from 2006 to 2010. From 2016 to 2018, large, presumably translocated yellow eel (N = 230) with the potential to begin maturing and out-migrating within their year of capture were collected in spring and fall and tagged with acoustic transmitters. Eel were released into eastern Lake Ontario and tracked to better understand their movement patterns prior to and during migration, and the timing of migration. Most eels successfully migrated out of Lake Ontario (64%). Timing of migration was consistent regardless of year or tagging season and primarily occurred in late summer or fall, with cooling water temperatures and decreasing sky illumination associated with initiation for fall tagged eel. Eels were mostly detected in eastern Lake Ontario and those in western Lake Ontario were mostly detected in shallow waters (< 20 m) close to shore. Eels were detected on fewer receivers in the winter, suggesting reduced movements during this season. Finally, larger individuals spent less time in the system, particularly when tagged in the fall. These findings confirm that translocated eels can migrate out of Lake Ontario; however, the weeks when migration occurred were more aligned with timing in their natal range (i.e., eastern Canada) than with naturally recruited eels from Lake Ontario. This temporal mismatch requires further consideration, since it may influence arrival times of translocated eel to the spawning grounds and their recruitment potential. These results can be used to inform future assessments of eel translocation efficacy and can also aid in the design of future tracking studies to more completely explore the downstream migration success of eel translocated into the highly productive waters of Lake Ontario.