Native Trout Recovery Update and Volunteer Opportunity
August 14, 2018
- •
- •
- •
Fall Creek Recovery Work
A tributary to the Ram River, Fall Creek is the spawning location for almost all bull trout along the North Saskatchewan River to Rocky Mountain House, providing rearing habitat for young-of-the year and juvenile fish. Unfortunately, it has also experienced logging and decades of OHV abuse which crushes eggs and delivers sediment to the creek, suffocating bull trout.
Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) and Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC) recently collaborated to restore 11 km of this critical bull trout stream, removing over 60 illegal OHV crossings. It is expected that the bull trout population will significantly increase over the next five years.
This Friday August 17 you can help restore Fall Creek by participating in a workday being held by Trout Unlimited Canada. You will plant willow plugs, learn about bioengineering techniques and all equipment and lunch is provided! You can register here.
Update on Review of Native Trout Recovery Work
This is an update to our newsletter last month, which you can read here.
The provincial government is currently undertaking an independent review to understand what is the best approach for recovering native trout in Alberta. The review will be spearheaded by Dr. Stephen Cooke’s team out of Carleton University and Dr. Eduardo G. Martins at the University of British Columbia. The advisory committee – which contains conservationists, anglers, and scientists – is now providing the reviewers with their key questions about fisheries management, which the reviewers will use to focus their research.
The committee will be meeting again in late fall to provide advice and comments on the review. A report will be completed by the end of this year, which Alberta Environment and Parks will use to recover habitat, implement rest periods to recreational angling, and any other recommendations provided by the review team.
