The population dynamics of alewives Alosa pseudoharengus and spottail shiners Notropis hudsonius were investigated in Indiana waters of Lake Michigan from 1984-1996. Insights to population dynamics of both species were found by applying age and growth information to length-frequency distributions of index trawl catches within and between years. Both alewife and spottail shiner populations showed general increasing trends over the period, reaching peak levels in 1996. Interaction potential was examined for alewives, spottail shiners, and the yellow perch Perca flavescens, another important nearshore species. Trends in relative catches of these species were correlated to provide insight to possible interactions. There appears to be negative relationships between alewife and yellow perch populations, as well as between yellow perch and spottail shiner populations. No relationships were found between alewife and spottail shiner populations.