Levi Suchla

My research focuses on improving stock assessment of walleye in Mille Lacs Lake. The walleye fishery in Mille Lacs Lake has declined since the 1990s, which coincides with warming temperatures, increases in smallmouth bass, invasion of zebra mussels and spiny waterflea, and changes in management strategies and northern pike abundance. The Mille Lacs Lake walleye fishery is recreationally and culturally important to many people in Minnesota, and I will be reviewing previous stock assessments that have been done in order to provide recommendations for data collection and research to improve future stock assessments and ensure they are as accurate as possible.