Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre

Henvey Inlet Walleye Tagging 2009

For a second consecutive year the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Center conducted a walleye tagging project in the Pickerel River at the request of Henvey Inlet First Nation.

 

Walleye is a culturally important fish for the First Nation and the community is concerned about the health of the population in the river.

 

 
Fisheries Intern Josh Hardy is shown here holding a walleye for the camera.

 

This was an interesting experience for A/OFRC Aboriginal Inland Habitat Technician Charles Hardy and Fisheries Intern Josh Hardy.  Charles' home community of Biinjitiwaabik Anishinaabek Zaaging and Josh's community of Red Rock First Nation are in the Superior Region.  Working in a region far south of their home region offered a chance to see many species rarely seen in their waters.

 

Netting began soon after the ice was out, running from April 21^st to May 7^th, where the water temperatures ranged from 5 – 10 degrees Celsius. Two trapnets were set and lifted every day, and the fish were sampled and released. Fish species that were captured include: walleye, redhorse suckers, channel catfish, white sucker, northern pike, muskellunge, black crappie, white crappie, rock bass, brown bullhead, lake whitefish, bowfin, and largemouth bass. This spring a total of 12 walleye were tagged, where as in 2008 a total of 16 walleye were tagged.

 

Results of this project are being compiled and when completed, the final results will be summarized in a report and discussed with representatives of Henvey Inlet First Nation.

Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation Smallmouth Bass Habitat Assessment

Aundeck-Omni-Kaning First Nation, in the interest of conservation and to protect existing smallmouth bass habitat, applied to the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre in the fall of 2008 for assistance in conducting a shoreline survey.  A component of the work was to identify potential areas where future smallmouth bass nests could be developed.

 

  

 

Seven different locations around the First Nation were explored for possible smallmouth bass nesting habitat and habitat data was collected using 12 of the identified smallmouth bass nests.  Fieldwork for this project was conducted by A/OFRC personnel.

 

 

One of the exciting aspects of this projects was the partnership developed through common interest between Aundeck-Omni-Kaning First Nation and the Little Current Fish and Game Club.  This partnership facilitated the implementation of this project and brought together these two stakeholders in the course of investigating the preferred nesting habitat of this species.  A technical report arising from the findings of this work will assist these partners with educating their members and will provide guidance for planning conservation efforts, including the development of any additional bass nesting habitat.

 

  
Nancy Debassige, a M'Chigeeng First Nation member and A/OFRC summer student, was pleased to add to her field experience by assisting A/OFRC Biologists Kim Tremblay and Maureen Peltier with the fieldwork.

 

 

Notice - A/OFRC Superior Regional Habitat Workshop - has been cancelled.

Please note that the A/OFRC Superior Regional Habitat Workshop that was scheduled for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2009, in Thunder Bay has been cancelled.

Workshop information for the Southwest Regional Habitat Workshop will be posted shortly.

A/OFRC to host a Superior Regional Habitat Workshop in Thunder Bay, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2009

Participants at last fall's Serpent River First Nation habitat workshop check the shoreline for aquatic species.

Based on the success of our previous training workshops, the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre (AOFRC) is conducting a fisheries habitat workshop Sept. 30th & Oct. 1st, 2009.   We encourage you to consider attending if you feel that you would benefit from such a workshop.

This course will be particularly useful for individuals working in the area of fish habitat or communitiy members with a personal interest.  At the workshop, participants will be able to:

1.   Understand and identify warm & coldwater lakes & streams.

2.   Learn about fish species abundance.

3.   Visually identify impacts upon fish habitat.

4.   Go into the field and learn how to collect habitat data

The workshop will be held at the Days Inn Thunder Bay North (1250 Golf Links Rd.) 

(Wed.) Sept. 30th & (Thur.) Oct. 1st, 2009.

The workshop will involve both in-class and hands-on field experience.  A/OFRC staff will deliver course content and supply all necessary equipment. Participation in this workshop will include course materials and equipment as well as coffee and snacks.  There are openings for 10 -15 participants, so register soon!

Not only will participants of this workshop benefit from this experience, but the communities will also be further ahead in the pursuit of developing fisheries expertise within the area.

''Free to Anishinabek Communities''

Deadline to register is noon Friday, Sept. 25th/09

For more information or to sign up contact: 

Maureen Peltier at (705) 472-7888, ext. 30, Fx: (705) 472-6333 or e-mail: mpeltier@aofrc.org

Christian Island Habitat Assessment 2009

 

A/OFRC Biologist Kim Tremblay explains habitat assessment techniques to new Fisheries Biologist Intern Nikki Commanda.

 

Beausoleil First Nation, wishing to protect sensitive areas, updated shoreline and littoral fish habitat information including spawning shoals, with the assistance of the A/OFRC this summer. The community maintains an interest in managing a sustainable sport fishery in order to continue to attract anglers to their community.  

 

Shoreline cruises were conducted around Christian Island on Lake Huron between July 27^th and the 31^st. The information that was collected included: type of shoreline and littoral substrate, type of vegetation, critical fish habitat, existing in water man-made structures, and shoreline development.  This information is entered into ArcMap by A/OFRC biologists and used to create different value maps such as the one shown below.  This type of project produces hard copies of maps along with digital ArcMap files so communities can expand on this information in the future.  

 

M’Chigeeng Shoreline Habitat Assessment

A/OFRC staff Nancy Debassige and Sarah A. Couchie compile shoreline data along Lake Mindemoya on Manitoulin Island during the M'Chigeeng Shoreline Habitat Assessment project.

M’Chigeeng First Nation and the Anishinabek/Ontario Resource Centre (A/OFRC) are engaging in a joint three week project completing lake surveys, and other work, on Lake Mindemoya and Otter Lake on Manitoulin Island. It commenced on July 13^th/09. 

The First Nation has had a long history of fishing the waters of these lakes and have concerns about their current health. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) has conducted a number of Fall Walleye Index Netting surveys to track the walleye population on Lake Mindemoya, which has remained stable as of 2005. There has not been any previous assessments done on Otter lake.

This joint assessment project between M’Chigeeng First Nation and the A/OFRC on the two lakes  is designed in two parts. Firstly, on Lake Mindemoya it will provide information on the quality/quantity of spawning habitat and allow for tracking the spread of the recently introduced zebra mussel. If colonization is already extensive, it may account for the lack of fish being seen in traditional areas. This survey uses data collected from the Bathymetric Automated Survey System (BASS), shoreline development, shoreline vegetation, littoral zone substrate and vegetation. All pertinent information will be recorded and delineated. Zebra mussel colonies will also be identified and outlined to establish a baseline for comparison in future years.

Secondly, on Otter Lake, the First Nation is primarily concerned with a drop in the number of fish they are seeing during their annual harvest on this lake. The MNR has not conducted any previous work and indicate that it is stocked with splake. A lake survey here, will provide information on the fish community and fish habitat. Shoreline cruises will be conducted, mapping littoral and shoreline habitat.  Critical fish habitat existing in water man-made structures and shoreline development will be recorded.  The BASS will also be used on this lake to collect bathymetry for the production of a contour map. Minnow traps and gill nets will be used to sample the fish community.