Estimating population size and survival of adult northern pike (Esox lucius) in Lower Green Bay

Complex life history behaviours like spawning migrations can complicate population assessments. However, predictable aggregation of populations at certain times of year (e.g. at spawning grounds) presents an effective way to sample species that are otherwise spatially widespread. From 2014 to 2019, a mark‐recapture study on Green Bay northern pike (Esox lucius) entering a spawning wetland was used to estimate apparent survival and population size using Bayesian inference and the Cormack–Jolly–Seber model. Population estimates and apparent survival varied from 446 to 1949 and 0.22 (males in 2017) to 0.63 (males in 2015), respectively, among years. Apparent survival also increased with maximum mean daily water temperature. Estimated capture probability was consistently low across years (