On this page you will find fish species identified by Vision H2O during inventories in the watershed's streams and rivers. We'll also look at how the presence of certain fish and aquatic insects provides information about the health of our waterways, and touch on their essential needs for reproduction.
The work carried out by Vision H2O in the streams and rivers of our watershed - Bear Creek, Tedish, Aboujagane, Kouchibouguac, Kinnear and Copp Brook - demonstrates that these habitats are home to many species of fish and other aquatic life.
Our inventories have enabled us to observe a variety of species in our waters, including Atlantic salmon and brook trout, as well several others such as smelt, alewife, stickleback, blacknose dace, bullhead, yellow perch, American eel and mummichog. This diversity indicates that our waterways are relatively healthy and offer a variety of habitats.
Finally, you'll discover how you can help keep our waterways healthy by taking simple but effective steps at home.
Fish Populations
We used several different techniques to observe and conduct an inventory of fish populations in streams.
Minnow Traps
Minnow traps are small fish traps. We used bait to attract fish into the trap. The goal was to determine the different species of fish present in our streams (river diversity). The protocol we followed called for the traps to be checked after 24 and 48 hours. The traps were then removed from the water. This method was a little restrictive, as only small fish were caught.
Electrofishing
To study fish populations in rivers, Vision H2O decided to use electrofishing, a technique where a low-intensity electrical current is introduced into the in the river. This allows the team to detect the presence/absence of fish, which are then identified, counted and released.
This method has enabled us to confirm the presence of Atlantic salmon in three of the four rivers that we monitor in our watershed: the Aboujagane, Kinnear and Kouchibouguac. The presence of Atlantic salmon is an indicator of a healthy habitat.
Electrofishing is, however, demanding: equipment rental is very expensive and this method takes longer and requires a larger team in the field. It also requires certification, and there is a potential danger from the electric current in the water. Also, water levels in our rivers are commonly low due to lack of precipitation.
Monitoring of Smelt Spawning Grounds
Vision H2O also undertook a spawning ground inventory for rainbow smelt. This requires a bit of research to collect information (where, when, how) before starting the inventory.
While these inventories don't require a lot of resources, they are time-consuming. However, the inventories enabled us to learn more about the importance of our small streams as spawning grounds for fish like the smelt. These fish are very important because they are at the base of the food chain. Smelt also plays an important cultural and economic role in winter ice fishing.
Our species
Brook Trout
Salvelinus fontinalis
The speckled trout, also known as brook trout, is an anadromous species that migrates from the sea to freshwater to reproduce in autumn. Eggs buried in gravel hatch in spring. During our fieldwork, we found this species in every river in the watershed. It is commonly sought after by local recreational anglers during the fishing season. Speckled trout can be distinguished from salmon by its square tail and yellow and red spots bordered in blue and the white stripe on its pectoral and pelvic fins.
Atlantic Salmon
Salmo salar
The Atlantic salmon is also an anadromous fish. Like the trout, salmon migrate to freshwater in autumn to deposit her eggs in gravel, which hatch in spring. During fieldwork, we found salmon in all rivers except the Tedish.
Salmon can be distinguished from trout by their elongated bodies, forked tails and large eyes. They are silvery in color, with dark blue-green spots on their bodies and heads.
Rainbow Smelt
Osmerus mordax
In spring, smelts swim up our streams and rivers to lay their eggs (small translucent balls).
Smelts are also anadromous fish, migrating to freshwater in spring to reproduce. This small, slender fish has a silvery hue, with a pale green to olive-green back. Its large scales give it a shiny appearance. Once out of the water, it sometimes reflects pinkish, purple or bluish colors, earning it the name rainbow smelt.
For the past few years, Vision H2O has been surveying waterways to monitor smelt spawning grounds. We have discovered that small streams such as Copp Brook in Shemogue are good spawning sites for this species.
Alewife
Alosa pseudoharengus
Alewives are also anadromous fish. For this reason, our rivers and small streams in Cap-Acadie are essential for alewife spawning. Fishing for this species is also important in this region. This fish has been found in the Kinnear River during the late spring/early summer run.
The alewife has a slender, compressed body. Its back is generally greenish, while its sides and belly are silvery, giving it a shiny appearance. Its tail fin is forked, and it has a single, clearly visible black spot, generally smaller than the eye, located just behind the operculum (cheek). There is also a keel-shaped line of rigid, serrated scales along its belly.
American eel (Anguilla rostrata)
American eel (Anguilla rostrata)
Blacknose Dace (Rhinichthys atratulus)
Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
Ninespine Stickleback (Pungitius pungitius)
Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus)
Blacknose Dace (Rhinichthys atratulus)
Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
Ninespine Stickleback (Pungitius pungitius)
Habitats and ecosystems
Essential conditions for fish reproduction
To reproduce successfully, fish need relatively cool, clean, oxygen-rich water. Our samples reveal cool, well-oxygenated water in spring and fall, while in summer, decreasing water levels and rising temperatures drive fish to seek refuge in cooler pools.
Smelt eggs
Many species, like the rainbow smelt, choose specific spawning sites, such as gravel or rock bottoms, where the current is steady. These conditions allow the eggs to remain well oxygenated and protected from sediment.
Stable water levels, healthy riparian vegetation and good connection between different habitats are also essential. They provide food, shelter and access to breeding grounds.
Vegetation along watercourses provides habitat for insects, which are a source of food for fish.
In addition, fish depend not only on aquatic insects for food, but also on terrestrial insects. Dense, diverse vegetation along riverbanks is therefore essential: as well as stabilizing the banks and providing shade to cool the water, vegetation shelters a wide variety of insects. These insects sometimes fall into the water, becoming a valuable source of food for fish.
Pools (deeper areas) and riffles (shallow bottoms with rapid current) are also very important. Together, they create a variety of habitats in the stream. Pools offer refuge from strong currents or heat, while riffles often provide ideal spawning areas.
The natural movement of the river also contributes to creating favorable conditions, notably by moving and depositing woody debris such as stumps, trunks and dead branches, which serve as essential shelter for fish.
Preserving this natural alternation helps maintain favorable conditions for all stages of the fish life cycle.
The importance of gravel
Gravel is a type of river-bottom substrate made up of small rounded rocks and pebbles, often mixed with sand.
As mentioned above, many species of fish dig into gravel to lay their eggs and reproduce. The gravel offers the eggs protection from predators until they hatch.
The importance of riverbank vegetation
Aboujagane River
Certain human activities, such as clear-cutting, can harm fish breeding sites. Without trees to absorb the rain, it washes sediment into the river. This sediment covers the gravel where fish lay their eggs, suffocating the eggs and blocking the gills of adult fish, making it difficult for them to breathe.
Salmon, for example, migrate to rivers in the fall to spawn in the gravel. The eggs hatch in spring, and the young salmon remain in the river after birth for 2 to 4 years. Without gravel, salmon eggs would not survive the winter.
Having a riparian buffer zone with lots of vegetation is very important for providing shade for fish, especially with rising water temperatures due to climate change.
Environmental health indicators
Fish and their spawning grounds can be affected by environmental effects due to human activities such as pollution and deforestation near watercourses.
Pollution in watercourses by garbage (such as plastic) or chemicals is harmful to fish health. They ingest these chemicals, which affects their growth, behavior and ability to reproduce.
Macro-invertebrates as water quality indicators
Macro-invertebrates are small aquatic organisms visible to the naked eye, such as Odonata (Dragonflies), Trichoptera (Caddisflies) and Coleoptera (Beetles).
Some of them are considered to be bio-indicators, because they are sensitive to toxins, contaminants and abrupt changes in their environment. Their presence can therefore indicate that a stream or river has good water quality conducive to fish habitat.
In addition to being valuable indicators, macroinvertebrates also play an essential role in the ecosystem. They feed on aquatic vegetation and contribute to the decomposition of organic matter. They also play a key role at the base of the food chain, being an essential source of food for fish.
Conservation and management
The conservation of fish habitats is essential to preserving the biodiversity and health of our waterways. Vision H2O undertakes a number of initiatives to protect these natural environments, such as cleaning up litter in waterways, planting trees near riverbanks, installing and maintaining rain gardens to limit water runoff, and regularly monitoring water quality.
These actions help provide a healthy, sustainable habitat for fish and other aquatic wildlife.
Cleaning up litter along Cap-Acadie's waterways and beaches
Trees were planted along Copp Brook to improve the vegetation buffer zone
A few rain gardens have been constructed in the region to reduce stormwater runoff.
A few rain gardens have been constructed in the region to reduce stormwater runoff.
From June to October, water quality samples are taken from streams and rivers in the watershed.
Taking Action
Citizens can help protect fish habitat. For example, creating a rain garden captures runoff water after a rainfall. Contaminated water is absorbed into the garden soil instead of polluting the watercourse and harming the fish that live there.
Residents living along Bear Creek have preserved a riparian buffer zone for flora and fauna, which helps water quality.
Riverfront property owners can also avoid mowing close to the bank, or even plant trees to enhance the flora near the water. This provides shade and food for fish, reduces water temperature and slows bank erosion.
Residents can also respect recreational fishing regulations to ensure a healthy fish population for years to come.
