these pyramid levels, the fishery will be healthy and productive within its capacity. Now that Lac Courte Oreilles has a 50 inch Musky limit, the harvest of Musky will be significantly reduced. The Musky that are the "eating machines" will not be culled and will therefore place pressure upon the mid-level predators as they seek to satisfy their appetite. (This has been seen in Bone Lake.) The hour glass chart shown here is a projection of how the balance of the fishery may be distorted over time. As more and more Musky eat more of the mid-level predators, they make it more difficult for the mid-level predators to establish a mature spawning population. The numbers of the midlevel predator will decline making it harder for Musky to catch the fish they must in order to have normal growth patterns. As mid level predator numbers decline, the forage base will undergo a population expansion. These increased numbers will eventually place a greater burden upon the ecological system of the fishery. Unless the mid-level forage base is replenished, the fishery will move toward an imbalance that will eventually cause the collapse of the fishery. True, mid-level predators can have their populations increased by stocking. Of course, stocking is an expensive activity and with the imbalance at the top of the food chain,
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