A/OFRC Biologist Maureen Peltier and Wikwemikong Lands Department Summer Student Quinton Peltier conduct electrofishing in Kaboni Creek while Fisheries Intern Sarah Couchie looks on.
This past July, A/OFRC Biologist Maureen Peltier and Fisheries Intern Sarah Couchie completed a Stream Assessment of Kaboni Creek in Wikwemikong Uncededed Indian Reserve using electrofishing techniques. The project followed the Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol in which two 40m stretches of the stream, that represented at least one riffle-pool sequence beginning and ending at a crossover point, were identified for survey purposes. One site was in the upper reaches of the creek while the other was near the mouth of the creek where it meets South Bay.
Once sites were identified, site features and dominant vegetation types as well as benthic macroinvertebrates were assessed. Some species identified were roundworms, mayflies, stoneflies, snails, beetles, dragonflies, scuds, caddisflies, black flies, water mites, mosquitoes, and crayfish.
After sorting through hundreds of bugs, a state-of-art LR-24 electrofisher was used to sample the fish community. Species caught included rainbow trout, brook stickleback, common shiner, blacknose dace, redbelly dace, rock bass, mottled sculpin, white sucker, central mudminnow, bluntnose minnow, johnny darter, creek chub and brassy minnow.
