Limits to Growth of Young-of-the-Year Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum): An Individual-Based Model Perspective

Abstract

An individual-based model (IBM) accurately described the variation in growth exhibited between young-of-the-year (YOY) walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) cohorts from Oneida Lake (New York) and western Lake Erie. The IBM was used to develop a general explanation for the wide variability in growth exhibited by YOY walleye. Length of growing season and encounter rate, λ, between YOY walleye and the prey fish set the potential for growth in a particular aquatic system. Walleye spawning observations and observed YOY prey densities in Oneida Lake versus those for western Lake Erie corroborated these modeling results. Given a specific encounter rate and length of growing season, first-year growth of walleye was further controlled by size of prey fish relative to YOY walleye size, availability of prey fish throughout the summer and early fall months, and water temperature.