Objective

Fish monitoring in Lake Macatawa was initiated to provide critical information on spatiotemporal patterns of fish populations inhabiting shoreline areas of the lake. Lake Macatawa is a drowned river mouth lake in Holland, Michigan that is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Data from this project will be used to evaluate the performance of watershed restoration activities that are part of Project Clarity. In autumn 2014, we initiated a long-term monitoring effort of the littoral fish assemblage. Our fish sampling plan for Lake Macatawa is similar to our ongoing, long-term (since 2003) monitoring effort in Muskegon Lake. Our primary objective is to characterize the baseline littoral fish assemblage by sampling fish via fyke netting and boat electrofishing each September. The true value of this fish monitoring effort will come in future years as we examine how the littoral fish assemblage responds to restoration activities in the watershed.

Year 1 Report - Year 2 Report - Year 3 Report - Year 4 Report - Year 5 Report