Wisconsin lake experiment removes 285,000 fish but fails to revive walleye population

Between 2018 and 2021, scientists removed approximately 285,000 centrarchid fish from McDermott Lake in Wisconsin as part of a controlled ecological experiment. The goal was to determine whether reducing competition and predation pressure could help the lake's struggling walleye population recover naturally. While the removal significantly altered the fish community — with yellow perch numbers surging by around 788% — walleye showed no measurable natural recruitment during the study period. Researchers concluded that eliminating centrarchids alone was insufficient to restore walleye to the lake.