Inventory of Nearshore Fish Population Densities and Community Structures at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Isle Royale National Park

To our knowledge, there are no published studies on the fish communities of the nearshore aquatic zone of Lake Superior proper. The diversity and complexity of nearshore aquatic habitats are likely to support a higher diversity of fishes than are found in the offshore zone of the lake (Hoff and Bronte 1999). The most comprehensive account to date of fishes of the nearshore zone of Lake Superior is included in a monograph on the fishes of Isle Royale by Hubbs and Lagler (1949). Although this monograph concentrates on inland waters of Isle Royale, it provides a compilation of fish records for the nearshore zone during 1904-1945. As such, the work of Hubbs and Lagler (1949) establishes a baseline for all future inventories of nearshore fish communities of Lake Superior.