Lake Simcoe Muskellunge Restoration Project
Introducing the Lake Simcoe Muskellunge Restoration Project
Muskies Canada, in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), is attempting to restore the native muskellunge population to Lake Simcoe. This effort began in the year 2000 when the Muskellunge Restoration Feasibility Study was completed. Its conclusion was that “The restoration of muskellunge to Lake Simcoe is a feasible fisheries management objective”. In an effort to update anglers and the general public, Muskies Canada teamed up with the MNR to produce this fact sheet.
Background
A once vibrant and significant component of the Lake Simcoe fishery, the muskellunge population already showed a dramatic decline by the early 1900s. In 1904, over 50 years of commercial fishing for muskellunge had finally stopped, but some anglers of that era still blamed the original commercial fishery for the crash of the muskellunge population. By the 1930’s, Lake Simcoe was already becoming a popular vacation destination. Cottages and homes increased, habitat was lost, spawning grounds were severely altered, carp numbers rose, and angling effort increased. From 1936 to 1969 over one million muskellunge were stocked into Lake Simcoe to try and boost the population. The Ontario government at the time had a muskellunge hatchery at Deer Lake that cultured muskellunge exclusively from the inland waters of the Kawartha Lakes. Habitat loss, over harvest, and ecological changes to the lake all played a role in the demise of the muskellunge in the early 1900’s.
Since that time we have learned that muskellunge from the Kawartha Lakes are less likely to co-exist with northern pike. An example of this may lie within the waters of Canal Lake – the first Kawartha Lake east of Lake Simcoe on the Trent Severn Waterway System. Here a once excellent muskellunge fishery began deteriorating rapidly after northern pike showed up in significant numbers. For the last several years muskellunge on Canal Lake are scarce, whereas the pike fishery is booming.
Lake Simcoe Muskellunge Restoration
The 2000 Lake Simcoe Muskellunge Restoration Feasibility study offered several key recommendations to help restore muskellunge into Lake Simcoe. These included reducing the harvest of muskellunge, focusing on protecting and rehabilitating their habitat, re-establishing the population through stocking, and finally taking an adaptive management approach through monitoring and assessing restoration efforts throughout the life of the project. The project is broken down into several components:
1. Harvest Regulations: As of January 1st, 2005, the muskellunge fishery on Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching is closed. This closure will remain in effect until at least 2010, when the muskellunge rehabilitation program will be evaluated to determine whether another five year closure is necessary.
2. Genetics Research: Preliminary research findings suggest muskellunge populations in Ontario constitute a single species. However, there is evidence that muskellunge populations have locally adapted to their home waterbodies over the last 10,000 years. One such adaptation may be the ability to co-exist with northern pike. Furthermore, muskellunge populations closer to each other on the landscape are more related to each other.
3. Risk Analysis of Stocking Strategy: The goal of this phase of the project is to minimize the risk of genetic harm and disease risk to the remaining Couchiching muskellunge population and the important Lake Simcoe fishery. Successful attributes of the donor stock include: Ability to coexist with pike; comparable thermal regimes and similar spawning and nursery habitat. The recommendations stemming from the risk analysis component of the project are to:
* try obtaining eggs from Lake Couchiching in early spring 2005.
* find a reliable source of eggs may be needed with the next logical donor stock coming from Gloucester Pool.
* raise fall fingerlings with smaller summer fingerlings as a contingency.
* rear fish within the provincial fish culture system, through partnerships with Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters clubs, and potentially with a private aquaculture facility.
4. “Know the Difference” Campaign. This campaign was spearheaded by Muskies Canada to further educate the angling public about the differences between northern pike and muskellunge to help ensure proper identification.
The Lake Simcoe Muskellunge Restoration Project is a ten-year program of stocking and assessment. Fish will be stocked for five years and assessed through juvenile and adult stages to evaluate the success of stocking in rebuilding the population. Fish will be marked to determine the most successful strain and life stage stocked. Spawning and nursery habitat assessment, rehabilitation and creation will continue throughout the ten-year life of the project.
2005 Activities
# Install “Know the Difference” signs
# Collect eggs from Couchiching and Gloucester in April/May
# Possible habitat assessments on Couchiching, Gloucester, and Simcoe
# Rear muskellunge to fall fingerlings
# Stock fingerling sized muskellunge into Lake Simcoe in October
The goal of the Lake Simcoe Muskellunge Restoration Project is to restore a self-sustaining muskellunge population to Lake Simcoe through a long-term restoration effort, including habitat enhancement and stocking. Both Muskies Canada and MNR anticipate that this restored population will one day sustain an important sport fishery. The goal, however, is not to create a “put, grow and take” fishery that will continually require ongoing stocking programs to maintain the intensive management efforts.
Know the Difference Signs
Bob Izumi's Fishing Forever Foundation has graciously sponsored the project by making possible the purchase of the new Identification Signs. These signs will be appearing around Lake Simcoe and Couchiching this summer. The Musky season has been temporarily closed on both lakes to assist in the fish's recovery and survival. These signs will assist anglers to more easily identify a Musky from a Northern Pike.
Here it is.....
