Kundel, HHansen, Gretchen J A2023-04-262023-04-262023-04-26https://hdl.handle.net/11299/253804These data contain 1,438 electrofishing surveys performed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on 318 Minnesota lakes from 1993 through 2019. This dataset was derived from a larger set of over 5,700 electrofishing surveys that were then filtered by the following attributes: survey must be done at night, target age-0 walleye, have gear code EW, EF, or SEF, started August 1st or later, have an electrofishing run time (shock time) or at least 30 minutes, and be performed when the water temperature is between 10°C and 20°C. We believed these electrofishing surveys to be the most reliable for reporting age-0 walleye relative abundance.Invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) alter lake ecosystems and can negatively affect first-year growth of walleye (Sander vitreus), potentially lowering walleye overwinter survival and recruitment success. Zebra mussel effects also vary among lakes, and walleye resilience to the effects of zebra mussels may vary depending on lake characteristics (e.g., depth, clarity) or fish community composition. To test these hypotheses, we used data from 1,438 surveys across 348 lakes collected between 1993 and 2019 to measure walleye recruitment, defined as relative abundance of age-0 walleye in their first fall. We fitted Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify the effects of zebra mussels on walleye recruitment while accounting for the effects of lake temperature, surface area, and water clarity. A before-after-control-impact (BACI)-like design was used to account for potential changes in recruitment due to factors other than zebra mussel invasion. Age-0 walleye recruitment to their first fall was ~41% lower (95% credible interval of 38 - 44%) in lakes containing zebra mussels compared to uninvaded lakes. Invaded lakes had higher recruitment prior to zebra mussel invasion than lakes that remain uninvaded. Conversely, walleye recruitment increased slightly (7% (95% credible interval 2 - 11%)) in lakes without zebra mussels over the same time period. Walleye recruitment was higher in larger lakes and lakes with lower water clarity. Water temperature, as indexed by degree days (base 5 °C), did not affect walleye recruitment. Our results demonstrate negative effects of zebra mussel invasion on walleye population dynamics at a landscape scale.CC0 1.0 Universalhttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/walleyezebra musselsaquatic invasive specieslakesagency datamonitoringrecruitmentDatasethttps://doi.org/10.13020/N6TZ-VJ60