Aquatic Habitat and Fish Report Baseline Conditions
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Interprovincial Crossings Environmental Assessment Study Aquatic Habitat and Fish Report Baseline Conditions Final Report November 18, 2008 AQUATIC HABITAT AND FISH REPORT BASELINE CONDITIONS REPORT NOVEMBER 2008 F INAL REPORT AQUATIC HABITAT AND FISH (BASELINE CONDITIONS) Table of Contents GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS..................... 1-1 1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................... 1-1 1.1 Methodology ........................................................................... 1-1 1.1.1 Baseline Environmental Conditions ........................... 1-1 1.1.2 Study Area .................................................................. 1-4 1.1.3 Assessment of Environmental Constraints ................. 1-4 2.0 OTTAWA RIVER GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS..................................... 2-1 2.1 Hydrography – General Description ....................................... 2-1 2.2 Natural environment, recreation and tourism.......................... 2-2 2.3 Water quality........................................................................... 2-3 2.4 Variations between corridors................................................... 2-3 3.0 CHARACTERIZATION OF FISH SPECIES ...... 3-1 3.1 Fish species found in the Ottawa River................................... 3-1 3.2 Characterization of spawning sites.......................................... 3-8 4.0 SPECIES WITH SPECIAL STATUS ................. 4-1 4.1 The Channel Darter ................................................................. 4-2 4.2 The River Redhorse................................................................. 4-2 4.3 The Lake Sturgeon .................................................................. 4-3 4.4 The American Eel.................................................................... 4-4 4.5 The Longear Sunfish ............................................................... 4-5 4.6 The Brassy Minnow ................................................................ 4-5 5.0 ANALYSIS OF CORRIDORS .......................... 5-1 5.1 Aylmer–Kanata (Chemin Pink) Corridor ................................ 5-2 5.1.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions.................................................................... 5-2 5.1.2 Constraints Analysis ................................................... 5-3 5.2 Aylmer–Kanata (Boulevard des Allumettières) Corridor........ 5-4 5.2.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions.................................................................... 5-4 5.2.2 Constraints Analysis ................................................... 5-5 5.3 Lac Deschênes (Moodie Drive) Corridor ................................ 5-6 5.3.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions.................................................................... 5-6 5.3.2 Constraints Analysis ................................................... 5-9 5.4 Lac Deschênes (Holly Acres Road) Corridor.........................5-10 5.4.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions...................................................................5-10 5.4.2 Constraints Analysis ..................................................5-12 5.5 Kettle Island Corridor.............................................................5-13 TOC-1 November 2008 F INAL REPORT AQUATIC HABITAT AND FISH (BASELINE CONDITIONS) 5.5.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions...................................................................5-13 5.5.2 Constraints Analysis ..................................................5-15 5.6 Lower Duck Island Corridor ..................................................5-16 5.6.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions...................................................................5-16 5.6.2 Constraints Analysis ..................................................5-19 5.7 Gatineau Airport Corridor......................................................5-20 5.7.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions...................................................................5-20 5.7.2 Constraints Analysis ..................................................5-21 5.8 Montée Mineault-10th Line Corridor ......................................5-22 5.8.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions...................................................................5-22 5.8.2 Constraints Analysis ..................................................5-24 5.9 Petrie Island Corridor.............................................................5-25 5.9.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions...................................................................5-25 5.9.2 Constraints Analysis ..................................................5-27 5.10 Masson-Angers-Cumberland Corridor...................................5-28 5.10.1 Description of baseline environmental conditions...................................................................5-28 5.10.2 Constraints Analysis ..................................................5-29 6.0 CONCLUSION .............................................. 6-1 7.0 REFERENCE ................................................ 7-1 TOC-2 November 2008 F INAL REPORT AQUATIC HABITAT AND FISH (BASELINE CONDITIONS) List of Figures Figure 1.1 Location of the Study Area Corridors ......................... 1-7 Figure 2.1 Average monthly water-level fluctuations (m) in the Ottawa River from 1965 to 2007................................. 2-2 Figure 3.1 Location of fish species survey area............................ 3-5 Figure 5.1 Number of fish captured during the experimental fishing campaign in the Lac Deschênes area, 2002................. 5-7 List of Tables Table 1.1 Bio-physical characteristics used to classify and map potential spawning sites............................................... 1-5 Table 1.2 Attributes For Determining the Sensitiviy of Fish and Fish Habitat ................................................................. 1-9 Table 3.1 Number of reported mentions of fish, per species, in the Ottawa River stretch located between Rapides-des- Joachims and Carillon ................................................. 3-3 Table 3.2 Spawning site characteristics for special status species and sport-fishing species of the Ottawa River........... 3-10 Table 4.1 Special status species potentially present in the Study Area............................................................................. 4-1 Table 5.1 Watercourses and other key features present in each corridor........................................................................ 5-1 List of Appendices Appendix I Maps Appendix II Stream characterization data sheets TOC-3 November 2008 FINAL REPORT AQUATIC HABITAT AND FISH (BASELINE CONDITIONS) GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS Aquatic vegetation: Aquatic habitat characterized by a dominance of floating vegetation, algae or submerged vegetation or a combination of all three (Jacques et Hamel, 1982). Aquatic vegetation is divided in two categories: vegetation observed in the field as part of the surveys (observed aquatic vegetation) and the aquatic vegetation that is not always visible from the water surface and that was interpreted on the base of bathymetric maps (aquatic vegetation that usually colonize shallow waters and that can be submerged). For that purpose, the 1.8 m bathymetric contour line was used as the limit of submerged aquatic vegetation (interpreted aquatic vegetation). Breeding area : Area where the males and females of a given species congregate to breed, including known and potential spawning grounds. (http://www.qc.dfo- mpo.gc.ca/habitat/fr/classes.htm) Confirmed spawning site: Confirmed spawning sites require field-documented evidence of a particular species of fish exhibiting spawning behaviour, or the identification of fish eggs on site. Feeding area: Place where the individuals of a given species feed or can find food. (http://www.qc.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/habitat/fr/classes.htm) 1-1 November 2008 FINAL REPORT AQUATIC HABITAT AND FISH (BASELINE CONDITIONS) Fish : The term fish includes all parts of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, marine animals and any parts of shellfish, crustaceans or marine animals, and the eggs, sperm, spawn, larvae, spat and juvenile stages of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and marine animals (Fisheries Act : R. S., 1985, ch. F-14). Fish habitat: Spawning grounds and nursery, rearing, food supply and migration areas on which fish depend directly or indirectly in order to carry out their life processes (Fisheries Act : R. S., 1985, ch. F-14). Guild: A guild is a group of species that exploits the same environmental resources (e.g. habitats) in similar ways (Root, 1967). Juveniles : Generally used to define immature individuals of fish or invertebrates, including eggs and fry. Lithopelagophil species: Eggs deposited on a substrate consisting of sand, gravel or rock. The eggs and sometimes the larvae become pelagic at some point in time (more details in Lavoie et Talbot, 1988). Lentic lithophil species: Eggs deposited on rock, boulder, gravel and sand substrates in lentic water (water velocity < 30 cm/s). (more details in Lavoie et Talbot, 1988). Lentic phytolithophil species: eggs deposited on submerged vegetation, logs/branches or in natural cavities. Substrate is consists of different material (loam, sand, gravel, rock) and is covered with organic matter or not (more details in Lavoie et Talbot, 1988). 1-2 November 2008 FINAL REPORT AQUATIC HABITAT AND FISH (BASELINE CONDITIONS) Nursery area : Area characterized by the presence of fry (larvae) that is