Proceedings 2016/024

Proceedings of the regional peer review of the Impacts of an agricultural drain maintenance project on aquatic species at risk in Little Bear Creek; May 11, 2016

Chairperson: Lynn Bouvier
Editor: Lia Kruger

Summary

A regional science peer-review meeting was held on 11 May 2016 in Burlington, Ontario and via Web-Ex. The purpose of the meeting was to peer review the impacts of an agricultural drain maintenance project on aquatic species at risk in Little Bear Creek.

Little Bear Creek is a tributary of Lake St. Clair and drains into the St. Clair River via the Chanel Ecarte in the Chatham-Kent Region. This Creek is home to several species at risk fishes including Pugnose Shiner (Notropis anogenus), Lake Chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta), Pugnose Minnow (Opsopoeodus emiliae), Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus), Blackstripe Topminnow (Fundulus notatus), and Spotted Sucker (Minytrema melanops). Little Bear Creek is identified as critical habitat for Pugnose Shiner and is also designated as a municipal drain under authority of the provincial Drainage Act.

There is a concern that a full clean out, which includes bottom cleanout, spreading of the spoil, removal of vegetation in the channel and removal of slope vegetation (including trees and other vegetation from the top of bank) may negatively impact aquatic species at risk fishes and/or their habitats including critical habitat. Therefore, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Species at Risk Program has requested advice from DFO Science to determine the potential impacts of the proposed clean out activities.

Participants included DFO Science, Fisheries Protection and Species at Risk programs, University of Toronto, Western University, St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA), Milne Technologies, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF), and other experts.

This proceedings report summarizes the relevant discussions from the meeting and presents recommended revisions to be made to the associated research document. The working papers presented at the workshop will be published as Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Research Documents.

Complete document (PDF, 227 KB)

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