Up, down, fast, slow...are variations in water level and speed of flow on the Kaministiquia River below Kakabeka Falls affecting lake sturgeon spawning success?
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| Young of the year lake sturgeon from the Kaministiquia River. Photo: UGLMU/MNR |
Information leading to answers to this question could help restore an ancient and interesting fish species, the lake sturgeon. With its catfish-like “whiskers” and bony plates down its sides this fish can live up to 100 years and weigh more than 136 kilograms (300 pounds). It is the largest freshwater fish in the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem, and is listed as threatened under the Species at Risk Act throughout much of its historical range.
Water flow and level around the Falls varies because of the water management practices of an upstream hydro-electric facility —and because the Falls are the major draw of scenic Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park. In a study to gauge the effect of dam-related water fluctuations, Ministry biologists fitted 20 adult sturgeon with radio tags and are tracking their movements using a shoreline-based data logger.
This allows biologists to record sturgeon movements in and out of their spawning area below Kakabeka Falls. To find out if successful spawning occurred under different flow conditions, biologists also set drift nets to collect larval sturgeon floating downstream from the spawning area.
The information Ministry biologists have collected below Kakabeka Falls will help to protect spawning habitat and rehabilitate lake sturgeon populations on the “Kam.” It will also guide future water management planning and hydro-electric development activities elsewhere within the Lake Superior Basin.
Other sturgeon studies are ongoing as well. On the Black Sturgeon River, biologists are using four remote data loggers to monitor the movements of 10 radio-tagged adult sturgeon. They have found the fish spend the winter in Black Bay and migrate into the river during the spring and early summer, moving as far upstream as the Camp 43 Dam. The dam, built in 1966, blocks access by all species to traditional spawning and feeding habitats upriver.
Meanwhile, on the Gravel River, investigations and drift net studies downstream of a waterfall seem to indicate there is no lake sturgeon spawning activity, in an area reported to be traditional sturgeon spawning habitat.
Click here to view a map of the project area
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About Lake Sturgeon
• Lake Superior’s lake sturgeon need help. In the last 120 years, sturgeon numbers have steadily declined, due to over-fishing, habitat destruction caused by urban and rural development, and dam construction.
• Tracking sturgeon electronically allows biologists to determine the seasonal distribution and movement patterns of the fish and identify the habitats the sturgeon need in order to flourish. New knowledge will be used to formulate improved water management plans and tributary protection measures that protect, not prevent, sturgeon access to habitat and spawning areas and spur population growth.
Project Partners:
- Ontario Power Generation
For more information, contact:
- Mike Friday, Aquatic Assessment Biologist, Quetico Mille Lac Fisheries Assessment Unit Northwest Science and Information, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Thunder Bay, (807) 939-3155
- Marilee Chase, COA Lake Superior Basin Coordinator, Upper Great Lakes Management Unit – Lake Superior, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Thunder Bay (807) 475-1371