Environment and Distribution of Age 0 Fishes in River Canard, a Lowland Ontario River

Authors

  • John K. Leslie Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington L7R 4A6
  • Charles A. Timmins Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington L7R 4A6

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v119i1.76

Keywords:

age 0 fishes, abundance, growth, turbidity, lowland river, River Canard, Ontario

Abstract

Age 0 fishes were collected to determine occurrence, relative abundance and species composition at three sites in River Canard, Ontario in spring-autumn, 1994-1995. This small lowland river (mean annual discharge, 3.2 m3 s-1) has variable flow during fish spawning and early nursery periods, high suspended particulate load, and sparse rooted vegetation and other physical cover. Forty-two taxa (12 families; 24,544 specimens) collected with beach seines and a plankton net represented a wide range of reproductive strategies and a diverse taxocene. Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum (67% of total catch), Orangespotted Sunfish Lepomis humilis (8%), and Brook Silverside Labidesthes sicculus (6%) were the most abundant species. Environmental conditions were such that fish attained autumnal lengths comparable to species in various systems throughout the ecoregion.

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