You can’t just use gold: Elevated turbidity alters successful lure color for recreational Walleye fishing

Abstract

Increasing anthropogenic turbidity alters underwater visual environments, leading to disrupted perception of visual cues with a variety of consequences, such as diet shifts and reduced prey consumption. In this study, we used novel techniques, including a citizen science mobile phone application (app), to investigate the effects of altered water clarity on recreational fisheries. Our objectives were to determine if elevated turbidity (suspended sediments or algae) alters lure success in the recreational Walleye (Sander vitreus) fishery and if the behavior of recreational anglers shifts with algal blooms. We developed a mobile phone app to gather real time data on lure success across water clarity conditions in collaboration with Lake Erie charter captains. Citizen science data collected with the app showed that lure color success shifted with water color and clarity: white lures were most successful in clear water, yellow in sedimentary turbidity, and black in algal conditions. A survey of charter captains suggested that fishing practices and lure usage may change over the long term if algal blooms persist.