Northern Madtom (Noturus stigmosus) Use of Artificial Reefs in the St. Clair-Detroit River System
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Once shipping channels were created on the St. Clair-Detroit River System, fish populations and their habitat diminished, leading to beneficial use impairments in the system. Six artificial reefs were constructed to restore spawning habitat for lithophilic spawning fish. I studied relative abundance of northern madtoms on each reef to determine whether the new reefs were helping bring back the diversity of native fish of the river. I also tested the bait preference of the northern madtom. I set twelve minnow traps at the chosen reefs and control sites with each main line having three traps each of the four bait types: cheese, dog food, crawlers and no bait. There was no significant difference between the reef and control sites, however mean CPUE was higher at two reef sites in the St. Clair River. Northern madtoms preferred crawlers over any other type of bait. This study provides evidence that northern madtoms utilize the artificial reefs constructed in the St. Clair - Detroit River, however further work is needed to determine if abundance is greater compared to other sites in the system.