Aquatic Ecosystem Classification for Ontario’s Rivers and Streams, Version 2

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The Aquatic Ecosystem Classification (AEC) is a science-based tool used to classify Ontario’s rivers and streams based on their physical attributes (e.g., water temperature, turbidity, channel slope, upstream drainage area). The AEC reduces the complexity of these vast aquatic networks in Ontario by using consistent and quantitative methods to build a standardized data foundation that helps us understand and manage streams including landscape-scale planning and policy development. At the most basic level, we hope that people can derive expectations about the nature of a stream reach or segment without having to actually visit a stream.

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Fisheries and Oceans Canada

News – DFO Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program Wave 2 Launch

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After a very successful Wave One Engagement, DFO’s Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program (FFHPP) is ready to undertake the next wave of engagement. FFHPP’s Wave Two Engagement is seeking input to continue modernizing and/or developing policies, frameworks, instruments, and guidance to further implement the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the Fisheries Act.

The FFHPP Engagement Platform will house all engagement activities, provide participants with information and updates, and ensure all input and feedback will be directed to the FFHPP team.

Please visit the FFHPP Engagement Platform to register to participate in platform activities, and find new opportunities to participate, share, collaborate, and learn.

Annotated Checklist of Fishes of Thunder Bay District

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This first edition of Checklist of Fishes of Thunder Bay District adds to existing checklists prepared by members of the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists (TBFN) covering other vertebrate taxa (mammals, birds, reptiles & amphibians), as well vascular plants, butterflies, and odonates. As with these other checklists, it covers the official judicial District of Thunder Bay which extends from the eastern border of Quetico Provincial Park east to White River, and from the international border north to Lake St. Joseph and the Albany River. Much of the District (60%) is within the Great Lakes watershed, with the remaining draining into the Arctic Ocean either north via the Hudson Bay Lowlands, or west via Rainy Lake/Lake of the Woods and the Nelson River watershed.

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The Lake Simcoe Aquatic Invasive Species Guide

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With an area of 722 km2 and inflow from 35 major rivers and streams, Lake Simcoe is an important source of biodiversity for the southern Ontario region.  The lake and surrounding watershed, which span across 20 municipalities, are home to a wide variety of aquatic and non-aquatic life, including 75 species of warm and coldwater fish, and many provincially rare species-at-risk.

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Invasive Aquatic Plant Species: A Quick Reference Guide

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Invasive Aquatic Plant Species: A Quick Reference Guide was compiled and written by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Invading Species Awareness Program.  Support for the development of this guide was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

This publication is available for download in PDF format.

Research priorities for the management of freshwater fish habitat in Canada

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AUTHOR(S): Cody J. Dey, Adam I. Rego, Michael J. Bradford, Keith D. Clarke, Katherine McKercher, Neil J. Mochnacz, Alex de Paiva, Karin Ponader, Lisa Robichaud, Amanda K. Winegardner, Court Berryman, Paul J. Blanchfield, Christine M. Boston, Doug Braun, Jacob W. Brownscombe, Christopher Burbidge, Stuart Campbell, Alicia Cassidy, Cindy Chu, Steven J. Cooke, Daniel Coombs, Jenie Cooper, Allen Curry, Maja Cvetkovic, Andréanne Demers, Margaret Docker, Andrea Doherty, Susan E. Doka, Karen Dunmall, Brie Edwards, Eva C. Enders, Neil Fisher, Marika Gauthier-Ouellet, William Glass, Les N. Harris, Caleb Hasler, Jaclyn Hill, Scott G. Hinch, Emma E. Hodgson, Jason Hwang, Ken M. Jeffries, Lonnie King, Rick Kiriluk, Rob Knight, Alex Levy, Jennifer MacDonald, Rob Mackereth, Rob McLaughlin, Charles K. Minns, Jonathan W. Moore, Karine Nantel, Chantal Nessman, Claude Normand, Constance M. O’Connor, Joclyn Paulic, Laura Phalen, John Post, Thomas C. Pratt, Scott M. Reid, C. Alwyn Rose, Jordan Rosenfeld, Karen E. Smokorowski, Darrin Sooley, Mark K. Taylor, Jason Treberg, Jacques Trottier, Tyler D. Tunney, Marie-Pierre Veilleux, Doug A. Watkinson, Dean Watts, Karen Winfield, Jacob P. Ziegler, Jonathan D. Midwood, and Marten A. Koops

CITATION:

Dey, C.J., A.I. Rego, M.J. Bradford, K.D. Clarke, K. McKercher, N.J. Mochnacz, A. de Paiva, K. Ponader, L. Robichaud, A.K. Winegardner, C. Berryman, P.J. Blanchfield, C.M. Boston, D. Braun, J.W. Brownscombe, C. Burbidge, S. Campbell, A. Cassidy, C. Chu, S.J. Cooke, D. Coombs, J. Cooper, A. Curry, M. Cvetkovic, A. Demers, M. Docker, A. Doherty, S.E. Doka, K. Dunmall, B. Edwards, E.C. Enders, N. Fisher, M. Gauthier-Ouellet, W. Glass, L.N. Harris, C. Hasler, J. Hill, S.G. Hinch, E.E. Hodgson, J. Hwang, K.M. Jeffries, L. King, R. Kiriluk, R. Knight, A. Levy, J. MacDonald, R. Mackereth, R. McLaughlin, C.K. Minns, J.W. Moore, K. Nantel, C. Nessman, C. Normand, C.M. O’Connor, J. Paulic, L. Phalen, J. Post, T.C. Pratt, S.M. Reid, C.A. Rose, J. Rosenfeld, K.E. Smokorowski, D. Sooley, M.K. Taylor, J. Treberg, J. Trottier, T.D. Tunney, M-P. Veilleux, D.A. Watkinson, D. Watts, K. Winfield, J.P. Ziegler, J.D. Midwood, and M.A. Koops. 2021. Research priorities for the management of freshwater fish habitat in Canada. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0002

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Government of Canada

Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health, 2021

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The Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health is the federal-provincial agreement that supports the restoration and protection of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem. The Agreement outlines how the governments of Canada and Ontario will cooperate and coordinate their efforts to restore, protect and conserve the Great Lakes basin ecosystem. It is the means by which Canadian federal departments interact with the Ontario provincial ministries to help meet Canada’s obligations under the Canada-US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA).

On May 27, 2021, the governments of Canada and Ontario renewed their commitment to restore, protect and conserve the Great Lakes by signing the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (COA), 2021. Read more

Regaining Lost Protections: Status of the Revisions to the Canadian Fisheries Act

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AUTHOR(S): Caleb T. Hasler, Jack G. Imhof, Nicolas  W. Lapointe and Serge Metikosh

CITATION:

Hasler, C.T., J.G. Imhof, N.W. Lapointe, and S. Metikosh. 2021. Regaining Lost Protections: Status of the Revisions to the Canadian Fisheries Act. Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10614

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Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Guidance on the Use of Targeted Environmental DNA (eDNA) Analysis for the Management of Aquatic Invasive Species and Species at Risk

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Guidance on the Use of Targeted Environmental DNA (eDNA) Analysis for the Management of Aquatic Invasive Species and Species at Risk

By Cathryn Abbott, Mark Coulson, Nellie Gagné, Anaïs Lacoursière‐Roussel, Geneviève J. Parent, Robert Bajno, Charise Dietrich and Shannan May-McNally.

Analysis of DNA from environmental samples (i.e., environmental DNA or eDNA) is increasingly being used as a non-intrusive, sensitive, and often cost-effective biological monitoring approach, either on its own or to complement other methods. Due to the numerous promising applications of eDNA, there has been significant recent growth in eDNA research and development; however, the complexity and rapid evolution of related methodologies has created challenges for resource managers when deciding how to apply eDNA technologies to inform decision making.

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Standardized Broad‐Scale Management and Monitoring of Inland Lake Recreational Fisheries: An Overview of the Ontario Experience

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AUTHOR(S): Nigel P. Lester, Steve Sandstrom, Derrick T. de Kerckhove, Kim Armstrong, Helen Ball, Jeff Amos, Tal Dunkley, Mike Rawson, Peter Addison, Alan Dextrase, Dan Taillon, Blair Wasylenko, Preston Lennox III, Henrique Corrêa Giacomini, Cindy Chu

CITATION:

Lester, N.P., S. Sandstrom, D.T. de Kerckhove, K. Armstrong, H. Ball, J. Amos, T. Dunkley, M. Rawson, P. Addison, A. Dextrase, D. Taillon, B. Wasylenko, P. Lennox III, H.C. Giacomini, and C. Chu. 2020. Standardized Broad‐Scale Management and Monitoring of Inland Lake Recreational Fisheries: An Overview of the Ontario Experience. Fisheries 46(3):107-118. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10534

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