North channel home to a variety of fish

By Maureen Peltier

SHESHEGWANING FN – First Nation community members fish for trout, salmon and whitefish in the North Channel of Lake Huron, but say their catch in recent years has decreased significantly.

To address this concern, Sheshegwaning and the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre conducted a Fish Community Study in July, 2012 to evaluate the current status of the fish population within the area.

A total of 30 nets were set during a one-week period when water temperatures ranged from 18 to 23 degrees Celsius. Captured species included: Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Lake Herring, Round Whitefish, Alewife, Rainbow Smelt, Northern Pike, Longnose Sucker, White Sucker, Lake Chub, Brown Bullhead, Burbot (Ling), Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch and Round Goby. No salmon species were caught during the study.

Looking specifically at the species of concern, captured Lake Trout ranged in length from 199 to 558 mm (8-22 inches); 57 to2000 g (1 to4 lbs) in weight; and were 2 to 7 years old.  The captured Lake Whitefish ranged in length from 189 to 590 mm (7 to 23 inches); 46 to 2100 g (1 to 4.5 lbs) in weight; and were 1 to 10 years old.

One unique result was the capture of a juvenile Lake Sturgeon. Since there are no documented spawning tributaries for Sturgeon in that area it proves that Sturgeon are capable of migrating great distances.

Maureen Peltier is a community liaison specialist with the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre in North Bay.