An Introduction to Alberta’s Wonderful World of Fishes

From the tiny nine-spine stickleback, which grows to a length of only six centimetres to the two-metre long lake sturgeon, Alberta has a very interesting and varied fish fauna. Adjectives such as cool and cold-water, stocked, introduced, native, bait, prey, game and hybrid are used to describe Alberta’s fish species. Of the 62 species of fish in Alberta, 41 species go unnoticed by most people. Generally, these species are small in size, and provide food for fish-eating birds and mammals, and for other fish. With names like northern redbelly dace, emerald shiner, brassy minnow, longnose sucker, slimy sculpin and Iowa darter, these fishes represent a wide range of environmental adaptations, physical characteristics and behaviors.

The remaining 21 species of fish are called game or sport fish, and are of interest to anglers, and commercial and domestic fishers. Sixteen of these species are native to Alberta and five species have been introduced to this province through stocking. Three of the native game species — sauger, mooneye and cisco — are not well known.

The five species of game fish that have been introduced to Alberta are (eastern) brook trout, brown trout, golden trout, smallmouth bass and Dolly Varden (different from our native bull trout, which people used to call Dolly Varden). Most were introduced in the early to mid part of the 20th century either as experiments by fisheries managers or by individuals acting on their own initiative. Rainbow trout are mostly introduced; the only native populations of rainbow trout exist in the Athabasca River and drainage. The brook, brown, golden and rainbow trout have become integral components of the game fish fauna of Alberta, while the other two introduced species have not. The Dolly Varden occur only in Chester Lake near Canmore and smallmouth bass may still exist in Island Lake, north of the town of Smoky Lake.

Other introduced species (non-game) that have developed self-sustaining populations include, goldfish in Henderson Lake in Lethbridge and the threespine stickleback in Hasse Lake. These species were illegally introduced. The introduction of the sailfin molly, African jewelfish and western mosquito fish in the Cave and Basin hotspring in Banff National Park probably contributed to the 1988 extinction of the Banff longnose dace, which lived in the ponds below the hot springs. The Banff springs snail is an endangered species (2000), due to fish introductions and other human impacts at the Banff springs. The introduction of new species or even the transfer of fish from one water body to another can threaten the viability of existing fish populations, spread disease and compromise the integrity of our aquatic ecosystems.

Fish are Important to Albertans – Food, Recreation and Economic Benefits.

The Domestic Fishery – Indian subsistence or “domestic” fishing provides opportunities for Treaty Indians to fish for food for their household needs – a traditional use of Alberta’s fish resource. The Indian food fishery is recognized in law and by government policy. Domestic Fishing Licenses are free and allow Indians to fish for food with a net. Other forms of Domestic Fishing Licenses available from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development include: Métis Domestic Fishing Licenses issued to residents of Métis Settlements only for lakes on or adjacent to Métis Settlement Lands; and Domestic Fishing Licenses issued to individuals after approval of an application showing a need to fish for food for subsistence purposes.

The Sportfishery – Each year over 320,000 anglers spend approximately $340 million on goods and services related to sport fishing in Alberta. In 2000, the most recent year for which information is available, anglers spent the equivalent of more than 2.9 million days fishing, catching more than 12 million fish, of which over 10 million were released and about two million were kept. Ice fishing, fishing stocked water bodies and catch-and release fishing are gaining in popularity. Relaxation, enjoyment of nature, family togetherness, challenge and excitement, catching fish to eat, and improving fishing skills are reasons anglers go fishing.

The Commercial Fishery – Commercial fishing in Alberta involves primarily the gill-net fishery, but commercial baitfish fishing operations and the fishing lodge industry are considered part of the overall commercial fishery, too. Commercial fishing with gill nets has been carried out in Alberta since the late 1800s. This fishery targets Lake Whitefish, but lake trout, walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, Cisco and goldeye are also caught. Commercial fishing regulations are set to minimize the incidental or by-catch of non-target species. In 1999/2000 the commercial (gill net) fishing industry produced 2.2 million kilograms of fish valued at $3.2 million to local economies. More than 85% of this harvest consisted of Lake Whitefish and Cisco. The majority of this fishing occurs during the winter months when the best prices can be gained. The catch is sold either through the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, a federal crown corporation that supplies mainly export markets, or directly to consumers. Approximately 40% of the commercial fishing catch is sold directly to Albertans. ?

Healthy Fish Populations are Indicators of Healthy Ecosystems

Although fish are valued mainly as a source of food, recreation and economic returns, Albertans’ interest in fish, their habits and aquatic environments is growing with increased environmental awareness. Fish populations are sensitive. Therefore, healthy, uncontaminated fish populations can indicate a healthy aquatic environment. The presence of fish can tell us that smaller prey fish species and the small aquatic organisms they eat exist in large numbers. Healthy fish populations can also help the survival of predators like osprey, fishers, mink and bears.

Fish Viewing Opportunities and a Source for Scientific Study

While perhaps not as dramatic or well-known as spawning runs of salmon in British Columbia, there are opportunities to view fish in their natural environment in Alberta. In September, bull trout can be observed spawning in Smith-Dorrien Creek (a tributary of Lower Kananaskis Lake), in the Elbow River between Elbow Falls and Canyon Creek, and in the Sheep River between Sheep Falls and Gorge Creek. Volunteers have helped tag, measure and weigh spawning bull trout as part of a special study conducted at Smith- Dorrien Creek. Each year many scientific studies are conducted to expand our knowledge of our fish resources and aquatic ecosystems. The public can view fish-rearing areas and interpretive displays at both the Cold Lake and Sam Livingston fish hatcheries as well as at the Raven and Allison Creek brood trout rearing stations near Caroline. Currently, work is underway to develop a world-class education and interpretive centre, called the Bow Habitat Station, at the Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery in Calgary.

The original source of this article lives here http://www.whyte.org/time/riveroflife/fishmgmt.pdf

Managing Our Fisheries Resources

The Demand for Fish Exceeds Supply

Alberta does not have an abundance of fish habitat; only 2.4 percent of Alberta is covered with fresh water. About 800 Alberta lakes contain native game fish populations. Compare this to Saskatchewan’s estimated 94,000 fish-bearing lakes, Manitoba’s 110,000 and Ontario’s 250,000! Another 250 to 300 Alberta water bodies (such as municipal ponds) are stocked annually with rainbow trout. Alberta’s human population has been quickly increasing over the past 30 years. Most people live in the central and southern parts of the province, while most of our fish-bearing waters are in the north. This results in a high demand on the fish resources in the more accessible waters. Fish populations in Alberta have declined as a result of over harvest and habitat alteration.

Other factors can place more strains on the population. Several species of prey and sport fish are known to hybridize or reproduce with other genetically similar species. For example, white suckers hybridize with longnose sucker, and lake whitefish hybridize with Cisco. While this is a natural phenomenon occurring when similar species spawn in the same area at the same time, hybridization
becomes a concern when native fish hybridize with non-native fish, such as Cutthroat Trout hybridizing with rainbow trout. These hybrids, called cutbows, along with all other hybrids, are sterile and use food and space needed by other fish which can reproduce and help sustain the population. In addition, these hybrids dilute the gene pool of sport fish native to the watershed.

How Are Our Fish Resources Managed?

Actually, it’s not the fish resources that are managed; it’s the users of the resource who are managed with regulations concerning how, when, where and how many fish can be harvested. The impacts of all users — recreational (sport), domestic and commercial — are taken into account, including angling release mortality and the by catch of non-target species in domestic and commercial fishing.
Managing for conservation requires both the control of fish harvest and the protection of fish habitat. While Alberta Sustainable Resource Development is responsible for managing our fish resources, Alberta Environment, through the Water Act, protects the aquatic environment and ensures the wise use of water resources.

Tools used by fisheries managers to regulate the sport fishery include season and area closures to protect spawning fish, catch limits to distribute the available harvest of fish among many users, size limits to ensure enough fish of spawning size survive to sustain the population, gear restrictions to support ethical conduct, and bait restrictions to ensure hooks are not taken too deeply, causing hooking mortality. Careful handling and quick release increases fish survival. For the domestic net fishery, license holders are authorized to set one net of 95 meters (100 yards) per lake; a minimum mesh size is specified so that only the larger, mature fish that have already spawned a number of times are harvested. Streams and rivers, and the mouths of tributaries, are closed to fishing so that over harvest does not occur, and at certain times of the year, areas in some lakes are closed to fishing in order to protect spawning fish. In addition, depth restrictions, or controlling the depth at which nets can be set, protect vulnerable fish stocks while still allowing the harvest of more plentiful fish species such as lake whitefish. Fish caught by domestic fishing license holders are for their household use only as a source of food and cannot be sold.

Participation in the commercial net fishery is also tightly controlled. Licensed fishermen must abide by gear restrictions, and season and area closures, including depth restrictions. Most commercial fishing regulations are geared to maximize the catch of target species such as lake whitefish, while minimizing the incidental catch of non-target species such as walleye, northern pike and lake trout. Quotas for the maximum amount of a target species that can be harvested are set on a lake-by-lake basis, as are tolerance limits for the maximum amount of non-target species that can be harvested. Each commercial fishery is monitored closely and closed once a target species quota or a non-target species tolerance limit is met or exceeded.

The Regulation-setting Process

The regulation-setting process seeks to strike a balance between the desires of the users of the resource (demand) and the resource available to be used (supply). This process relies on clear, two-way communication between fisheries managers and the public. The exchange of scientific data and user expectations result in better regulations and better regulation compliance.

During the development of management and recovery plans for walleye, northern pike and the eastern slopes trout fisheries, there was extensive public consultation. The regulations that resulted from this process are complicated in that they are water body/species specific. Biologists and anglers agree that this is the best way to recover and maintain fish populations because the allowable harvest is linked to the productive capability of each fish population and the productive capacity of the water body.

In the future, regulations may begin to take into account the interactions of species, so that regulations for all species in a water body, especially where species such as walleye and northern pike compete for the same food source, will be adjusted to provide the fishery the public desires. For example, this could mean developing regulations to support a good walleye fishery or a good pike fishery, in place of regulations that would have supported only an average walleye/pike fishery. However, this requires a great amount of information about each water body and population.

Critical to the regulation-setting process is information on the age and size distribution, and growth rates of each fish population. With the assistance of the Alberta Conservation Association, volunteers, and conservation groups such as Alberta Fish and Game Association and Trout Unlimited, fish population inventories are conducted using such tools as creel census, test netting and electrofishing. Information on spawning success and recruitment (rate of
reproduction) is very important as well.

Making Sense of Regulations

Some of the regulations require the angler to have a clear understanding of fish biology for the regulations to even make sense. For example, some anglers believe that large fish produce the most eggs and therefore should be released. This belief is contrary to fish biology; biologists know that having more medium sized fish in a population is more beneficial because their egg-producing capacity is greater than that of a few large fish. And the eggs are of better quality, too. Minimum-size limits are good management tools that protect fish populations while providing anglers with an opportunity to catch and keep large fish.

Fish Stocking

It is illegal to release live fish or live fish eggs into any waters except back to the waters from which they were taken. The Alberta Government’s fish stocking program (currently administered by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development) is one exception to this rule. Each year, about four million fry and fingerlings from different species of sport fish are raised and stocked in reservoirs, lakes, and constructed ponds which cannot support a native fish population. This is done to provide the public with a variety of sport fishing opportunities while taking some pressure off “wild” (non-stocked) fish populations. All fish stocking is consistent with water body management plans, which consider criteria such as water quality, physical characteristics, public interest and the characteristics of existing fish populations.

Protecting Fish Habitat

An equally important aspect of managing our fish resources involves managing people’s activities where fish habitat is concerned. Fish are a product of their habitat, and to produce fish there must be sufficient, suitable habitat available. Work in and around water bodies must result in “no-net-loss”. In some cases adverse impacts are temporary and steps can be taken to minimize these impacts
(mitigation). Longer-term impacts may require other steps to replace or offset the loss of fish habitat (compensation).

Activities that are affected by the guideline of no-net-loss of productive fish habitat include recreational development, timber harvest, agriculture and cattle grazing, petroleum and mineral exploration and extraction, and any other activitythat may affect the aquatic environment. Developers must identify critical habitats for all life stages of the fish affected. Appropriate habitat protection, rehabilitation
and compensation measures need to be included in development plans. The
effectiveness of habitat rehabilitation and compensation actions must be monitored and maintained.

Species of Concern Have a Brighter Future

By the mid-1990s, populations of bull trout, Alberta’s official fish emblem, had declined severely due to over harvest and habitat alteration. However, sport fishing regulations prohibiting the harvest of bull trout (zero catch limit) implemented in 1995 are already having a positive affect. In Lower Kananaskis Lake, where harvest has been prohibited since 1992, there are reports of increased bull trout catch rates and slower growth rates for these fish, both signs of population recovery. Elsewhere in the eastern slopes there are reports that the numbers and size of bull trout are increasing. Again, it is important to know something about fish biology to understand the regulations. While anglers may see an increased
number of bull trout, they should also know that bull trout are not ready to spawn until they are about six years of age, and usually over 40 cm long!

Management plans developed from 1996 to 1998 to maintain and recover populations of walleye, and east slopes cold-water fish species such as Arctic grayling, rainbow trout, brown trout and cutthroat trout have brought into place more restrictive regulations. But the restrictions are also more realistic
considering the productive capabilities of these populations and current angling pressure.

The original source of this article lives here http://www.whyte.org/time/riveroflife/fishmgmt.pdf

Regulation Compliance and Enforcement

The first steps taken to protect and ensure the wise use of Alberta’s fish resources should always be proactive and preventive. Public consultation and education activities undertaken by fisheries managers and biologists, Conservation Officers, and conservation groups help anglers and others to understand the biological requirements of fish populations and the need for more restrictive harvest
regulations. The enforcement presence shown by Conservation Officers on routine patrols acts as a deterrent to would-be resource violators.

Fortunately, most anglers and other resource users comply with regulations. When illegal activities do occur, Conservation Officers take enforcement action. Penalties include license suspensions, fines up to $100,000 and jail for up to six months. Judges ensure the severity of the penalty relates to the severity of the offence.

Investigations conducted by Conservation Officers sometime lead to the prosecution of organized groups or “poaching rings”. These rings severely impact fish resources by harvesting very high numbers of fish, sometimes from vulnerable populations, for sale on the black market. However, by far, the greatest number of resource violations involve individuals contravening catch and size limits. While some may consider these infractions to be minor, especially where they involve “just” one or two fish over the limit or fish “just” a centimeter or two below the legal size, it is the large number of these infractions that can and has negatively impacted fish populations.

The Report-A-Poacher (RAP) program was established to involve all Albertans in reporting illegal wildlife activities, regarding fishing and hunting. Offences can be reported 24 hours a day, toll-free to 1-800-642-3800. Assistance from the public is critical to the protection of the fishery.

Whirling Disease and other Unwanted Invaders

Aquatic organisms can be accidentally moved from water body to water body. Undesirable species, parasites and diseases can easily upset the delicate balance in aquatic ecosystems and fisheries. Eurasian water milfoil is a restricted aquatic weed that can spread rapidly and outcompete other plants. Whirling disease, a potentially fatal illness of trout, has been found in Montana and many other western states. The tiny parasite that causes whirling disease can survive within live fish, dead fish and in water and riverbed mud. It can even survive in dry mud, including that on boats, trailers and equipment.

Anglers and boaters are urged to clean their equipment well, to not transport fish, plants or water from one water body to another, and to not dispose of fish parts in or near water when cleaning fish.

History of Fisheries Management in Alberta

“We’ve come a long way,” doesn’t begin to describe the evolution of fisheries management in Alberta. With the benefit of hindsight we can say that mistakes were made, despite our forefather’s beliefs and good intentions. We are learning from these mistakes and beginning to rebuild depleted fish populations. When the first pioneers settled this province they looked upon its resources as endless, a land of plenty. They believed that these resources, including fish, could support themselves and many others. This attitude prevailed until the latter part of the 20th century when serious fish stock problems were evident.

Before the 1960s and 1970s, a very small number of government staff members and a handful of university academics undertook “fisheries management” in Alberta. It wasn’t until the provincial government began hiring biologists and technicians that our fish resources and the users of this resource were monitored. The prevailing management philosophy of the time required biologists to prove that fish populations were being depleted before regulations could be changed. The public was concerned that their fishing “rights” would be taken away from them unfairly. During the time required to gather this “proof”, fish populations were further depleted.

Today, fisheries management operates under a restrictive code (termed “precautionary management”), where conservation is the primary goal and harvesting fish is permitted if a surplus is available. Prevailing attitudes and beliefs influenced activities in our past. The bull trout (Alberta’s fish emblem), was once considered “ungodly and barbaric” for its fish-eating behavior that at times included cannibalism. Bull trout were systematically removed and destroyed; Conservation Officers of the 1930s reported on the number of bull trout destroyed in government reports. Negative attitudes toward northern pike, also called “slough sharks” and “slimy snakes,” included the belief that they could
never be over harvested. Small pike were pickled whole while spawners were harvested with pitchforks and fed to pigs.

Fish stocking and fish transfers have a colorful history in Alberta. Fisheries managers introduced large and smallmouth bass into Sylvan, Gull and Cooking lakes in 1908 and into Lac La Nonne in 1924. Atlantic salmon was introduced into several water bodies in both Banff and Jasper National Parks from 1915 to 1962. None of these populations became self-sustaining.

During the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railroad circa 1903, (eastern) Brook Trout were carried in cream cans to Alberta’s east slopes and deposited in streams to “improve” our stream fisheries. Brown trout were stocked in the same waters for the same reasons, and with the hope that they would displace the “inferior” bull trout that was much less exciting to catch. The natural ranges of
Cutthroat trout and rainbow trout in Alberta were expanded as well. Yellow perch and northern pike were transferred from water body to water body by Conservation Officers, biologists, and sometimes by people who simply felt that it was a good idea.

Not only are we dealing with past mistakes, but also with diverse beliefs and technological advances of the present. Improved access afforded by new boats and roadways, combined with improved technology in the form of powerbaits and GPS equipment make the harvest of fish easier now than it has ever been. One goal of present-day fisheries managers is to bring our fish resources “back to the future”. Those who began sport fishing in the 1990s were introduced to a resource that was already depleted. It will take patience, time, and the acceptance of restrictive harvest regulations in order to return as many of our fisheries as possible to their former glory.

Keep Fish in Our Future

There are many ways to support and improve the status of Alberta’s fish populations. All Albertans can volunteer their time, money and/or equipment to help enhance, restore or create fish habitat, to provide lake aeration systems, assist biologists in conducting fish inventories and provide input during public Consultations. The Alberta Conservation Association, Alberta Fish and Game Association, Trout Unlimited, or your local fish conservation group may have more information about volunteer opportunities. Anglers can be a good role model for other anglers by sharing their knowledge and fishing ethics and practicing safe fish handling techniques for catch-and-release fishing. And, by supporting and complying with regulations, they can help maintain and recover
fish populations.

Fisheries are a valuable public resource that all Albertans are responsible for safekeeping. Ensuring wise management and healthy fish stocks now will guarantee healthy and abundant fish populations for the future.

Again, information on suspected violations, including the destruction of fish habitat, should be reported immediately to the Report-A-Poacher (RAP) hotline, 24-hrs. a day at 1-800-642-3800. Know the RAP line and don’t hesitate to call it; it is everyone’s responsibility to keep fish in our future!

This article’s original source lives here http://www.whyte.org/time/riveroflife/fishmgmt.pdf