Studying the Genetics and Population Size of Muskellunge in Little Shoepack and Shoepack Lakes

Voyageurs National Park encompasses 218,000 acres (341 square miles) of lakes, forests, and streams in northern Minnesota. Water makes up almost 40% of the park. There are 30 named lakes in Voyageurs—four large lakes and 26 smaller interior lakes. Of these 30 lakes, only two of the interior lakes, Little Shoepack and Shoepack lakes, have muskellunge populations. Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy), also known as muskies, are large, predatory fish that are native to some Minnesota lakes.

The location of Shoepack and Little Shoepack lakes, which are home to native muskellunge populations, within Voyageurs National Park.

Map source: Maki et al. (2024).

Because Little Shoepack and Shoepack lakes are small (51 acres and 304 acres, respectively) and their muskie populations are predicted to be small, resource managers are concerned about the persistence of these native fish in the lakes. A 2019 population assessment completed for Shoepack Lake muskies found that the estimated population had decreased from a previous estimate in the early 2000s. Once populations reach a certain (low) level, they can suffer from a lack of genetic variability that may lead to an increased risk of extirpation.

Due to concerns for these populations, researchers at Voyageurs National Park partnered with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to study the genetics of muskellunge in both lakes and the muskie population size in Little Shoepack Lake. The study’s findings will aid in park planning and management and stewardship decisions.

Click on the image to the right to find out what researchers found about muskies on the two lakes. Here’s a hint for one finding—muskies on Shoepack and Little Shoepack lakes are different than muskies found elsewhere!

Reference
Maki, R. P., K. Patterson, J. W. Amundson, E. J. Carlson, L. Miller, S. M. Shroyer, J. LeDuc, R. Banta, J. Glase, J. Horvath, and M. Howard. 2024. Little Shoepack Lake muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) population estimate and genetic evaluation of muskellunge from Shoepack and Little Shoepack lakes. Science Report NPS/SR—2024/164. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. Available at: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/706923.

Learn More:

To learn more about how park stewards use Natural Resource Condition Assessment projects to answer specific natural resource questions, visit the Natural Resource Condition Assessment Program.