Reproductive Behavior of wild and hatchery lake trout in the Drummond Island Refuge

Drummond Island is a moderately large island in the northern reaches of Lake Huron. The area of interest is the waters just offshore of the south-facing portion of the island. This is in the narrow constriction at the northern end of the lake, close to where the Straits of Mackinac connect lakes Huron and Michigan. Wind driven processes force water between the two lakes, resulting in strong directionally polarized flows along the channel. In addition, coarse numerical modeling results (NOAA GLCFS- Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System) reveal strong near-inertial oscillations, rotational oscillations with a period of approximately 16 hours. Additionally, the location of interest sits in a region that will be significantly influenced by the outflow of the St Marys River. This combination of influences make it a complex and interesting region, and both direct observations and high resolution modeling will be important for developing a better understanding of the circulation in the region.