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The McIntyre River projects are cooperative ventures between the Northshore Steelhead Association (NSSA) and the Lake Superior Management Unit (LSMU). The main objective of the work involved on this system is to monitor the status or health of the rainbow trout population. Two main projects have been underway for a number of years. One of the projects is the Adult Rainbow Trout Fish Counter Project, and the other project is the YOY Rainbow Trout Monitoring Project.
YOY Rainbow Trout Monitoring Project
This project began in 2000, and is designed to determine the relative abundance of young-of-the-year (YOY) rainbow trout located at 5 monitoring sites along the McIntyre River (Figure A). The YOY Rainbow Trout Monitoring Project adds to previous information that was collected from 1980 to 1984 using the same methodology, including the same monitoring sites (indicated on Figure A). During August or September each year, a team of individuals perform sampling surveys using a Backpack Electrofisher as the capture method.
Background
The main impetus for this project was the construction of the Regional Hospital (December 1999 to February 2004) along the McIntyre River and the possible impacts on rainbow trout. The new hospital is located within the first kilometre of stream above (upstream) Lakehead University's campus (indicated on Figure A). In 1980, a similar study began due to the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority's (LRCA) Flood Control Measures Project that involved a channel modification and relocation of the river mouth by the spring of 1983. Therefore, in order to increase the usefulness of the information to be gathered for this project, the same 5 long-term monitoring sites that were established during the 1980 to 1984 period were chosen for this new YOY rainbow trout monitoring project.
Rainbow trout are the indicator species of choice for a couple of reasons. One, they are very sensitive to the types of changes that typically accompany construction work along a waterway. Sediment that is transported from a construction site can alter the conditions of the stream bottom, and thus, has the potential to negatively affect spawning success, the abundance of stream macroinvertebrates (ie fish food), and rearing habitat for young fish. Secondly, they are a very important species. That is, rainbow trout are one of the most sought after sport fish in the tributaries of Lake Superior, special restrictive regulations are in place on the McIntyre due mostly to the passionate concerns of your local Steelhead Assocation (NSSA), and fishing for rainbow trout in the spring or simply watching them during their annual spring migration has become part of Thunder Bay's culture.
YOY Rainbow Trout Relative Abundance
Although the sampling surveys began the summer following the initial stages of hospital construction, in general, the relative abundance of YOY rainbow trout within the McIntyre River has been increasing notably (Figure B). Only one of the five sites, site 5 which is located the farthest upstream, has exhibited minimal increases, but that same site has been low historically (1980-'84).
The only site located below the hospital construction site, site 1, has displayed equally promising results throughout the past 5 years, with the exception of year 2002. Nevertheless, the decline can be attributed to other factors since a similar trend was identified at 3 of the 4 other sites located above (upstream) the hospital construction site (Figure B).
Future Plans - YOY Rainbow Trout Monitoring Project
Although it appears that the rainbow trout population has not been significantly impacted by the construction of the hospital, this study will continue for the next couple of years (2005 and 2006), at a minimum. The continuation of this study will ensure a thorough assessment of the effects from construction of the hospital, but will also continue as a method of complimenting and corroborating findings from the Adult Rainbow Trout Fish Counter Project, described above. |
