Uncovering Secrets of the 'Fish of 10,000 Casts': The Physiological Ecology and Behaviour of Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy )

Touted as one of North America's largest and most difficult freshwater sport fish to angle, nearly all muskellunge (Esox masquinongy ) caught are released, particularly by specialized anglers. In Chapter 2, I coupled field and laboratory methods to demonstrate minimal sub-lethal and lethal impacts of specialized catch-and-release (C&R) angling on muskellunge. In Chapter 3, acoustic transmitters equipped with tri-axial acceleration and pressure sensors were used to assess the fine-scale activity and depth patterns of muskellunge as a function of time of day, water temperature, fish size, and lunar cycles. Despite remaining primarily inactive and relatively shallow (i.e., <3.0 m), muskellunge activity and depth varied greatly as a function of these four biotic and abiotic variables. The novel findings presented in this thesis support the conservation and management of muskellunge populations throughout North America.