Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Data reports provide a medium for filing and archiving data compilations where little or no analysis is included. Such compilations commonly will have been prepared in support of other journal publications or reports. The subject matter of data reports reflects the broad interests and policies of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, namely, fisheries and aquatic sciences. Data reports are not intended for general distribution and the contents must not be referred to in other publications without prior written authorization from the issuing establishment. The correct citation appears above the abstract of each report. Data reports are abstracted in Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts and indexed in the Department’s annual index to scientific and technical publications. Numbers 1 - 25 in this series were issued as Fisheries and Marine Service Data Records. Numbers 26 - 160 were issued as Department of Fisheries and the Environment, Fisheries and Marine Service Data Reports. The current series name was introduced with the publication of report number 161. Data reports are produced regionally but are numbered nationally. Requests for individual reports will be filled by the issuing establishment listed on the front cover and title page. Out-of-stock reports will be supplied for a fee by commercial agents. Rapport statistique canadien des sciences halieutiques et aquatiques Les rapports statistiques servent à classer et à archiver les compilations de données pour lesquelles il y a peu ou point d’analyse. Ces compilations auront d’ordinaire été préparées à l’appui d’autres publications ou rapports. Les sujets des rapports statistiques reflètent la vaste gamme des intérêts et des politiques du ministère des Pêches et des Océans, c’est-à-dire les sciences halieutiques et aquatiques. Les rapports statistiques ne sont pas destinés à une vaste distribution et leur contenu ne doit pas être mentionné dans une publication sans autorisation écrite préalable de l’établissement auteur. Le titre exact paraît au-dessus du résumé de chaque rapport. Les rapports statistiques sont résumés dans la revue Résumés des sciences aquatiques et halieutiques, et ils sont classés dans l’index annuel des publications scientifiques et techniques du Ministère. Les numéros 1 à 25 de cette série ont été publiés à titre de relevés statistiques, Services des pêches et de la mer. Les numéros 26 à 160 ont été publiés à titre de rapports statistiques du Service des pêches et de la mer, ministère des Pêches et de l’Environnement. Le nom actuel de la série a été établi lors de la parution du numéro 161. Les rapports statistiques sont produits à l’échelon régional, mais numérotés à l’échelon national. Les demandes de rapports seront satisfaites par l’établissement auteur dont le nom figure sur la couverture et la page du titre. Les rapports épuisés seront fournis contre rétribution par des agents commerciaux. Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 1164 2005 COMMENTARY ON THE MANAGEMENT OF FISH HABITAT IN NORTHERN CANADA: INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING DIAMOND, OIL SANDS AND PLACER MINING – LITERATURE SEARCH by N.Y. Khan1, I.K. Birtwell, and S.C. Samis1 Fisheries and Oceans Canada Science Branch, Pacific Region Marine Environment and Habitat Science Division Freshwater Habitat Section West Vancouver Laboratory 4160 Marine Drive West Vancouver, BC V7V 1N6 1 Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Habitat Management Directorate, Habitat Protection and Sustainable Development Branch, 200 Kent Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0E6 ii © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2005, Cat. No. Fs 97-13/1164E ISSN 0706-6465 Correct citation for this publication: Khan, N.Y., Birtwell, I.K., and Samis, S.C. 2005. Commentary on the management of fish habitat in northern Canada: information requirements and policy considerations regarding diamond, oil sands and placer mining. Literature Search. Can. Data Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 1164: vi + 263 p. iii PREFACE This document is one of a number of reports (Birtwell et al. 2005a, 2005b; Samis et al. 2005) prepared in response to the need for information that will assist in decision making with respect to authorizations regarding “harmful alteration, disruption or destruction” of fish habitat under the authority of the Fisheries Act of Canada. Although the main focus of these reports is on diamond mining in the Canadian Arctic, which involves destruction of lakes and streams, attention has also been given to oil sands and placer gold mining that also involve the destruction of fish habitat. The assessment of such impacts on fisheries resources and the application of appropriate compensatory and restorative techniques are particularly challenging in Canada’s north. This is because of the prevalent harsh environmental conditions such as short open water, ice-free growing season (1-3 months), low summer temperatures (4-12 oC), continuous permafrost in many locations, and lack of sunlight during winter, and the paucity of relevant information. A comprehensive search and assessment of pertinent literature was conducted to determine deficiencies in knowledge with respect to fish and their habitat in northern Canada. The assessments of the literature obtained through the searches are provided in other reports (Birtwell et al. 2005a, 2005b). The details of methods used to gather relevant literature for the review, and a list of the records retrieved for this purpose are presented in this report. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE..........................................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ v RÉSUMÉ ........................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 METHODS ......................................................................................................................... 1 DATA BASES SEARCHED.......................................................................................... 1 SEARCH STRATEGIES............................................................................................ 2 Search Strategy for Biology of Species (ASFA, OA, and CPI).............................. 2 Search Strategy for Biology of Species (WAVES) ................................................ 2 Search Strategy for Watershed Ecology (ASFA, OA,CPI and WAVES) .............. 3 Search Strategy for Habitat Compensation and Restoration (ASFA, WAVES) .... 3 Search Strategy for Cumulative Effects (ASFA and WAVES).............................. 3 OTHER SOURCES OF RECORDS............................................................................... 4 RECORDS MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................ 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................ 5 RESULTS ........................................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF RETRIEVED REFERENCES............................................................................. 6 v ABSTRACT Khan, N.Y., Birtwell, I.K., and Samis, S.C. 2005. Commentary on the management of fish habitat in northern Canada: information requirements and policy considerations regarding diamond, oil sands and placer mining. Literature Search. Can. Data Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 1164: vi + 263 p. A comprehensive search and assessment of pertinent literature was conducted to determine deficiencies in knowledge with respect to fish and their habitat in northern Canada. Particular emphasis was placed on regions where diamond mining is occurring because of the need to assess the importance of fish habitat that will be affected and to address mitigation, compensatory and restorative measures. This document comprises details of literature searches for a review of the biology and ecology of selected fish species in Arctic Canada. It includes information on various aspects of the biology and ecology of seven species of fish commonly found in streams and lakes of the Lac de Gras watershed of the Northwest Territories. Details of the searches include information on fish distribution, habitat preferences, diet, seasonal changes, behavior, physiology, life cycle stages, residency and migratory behavior, species associations, limiting factors, tolerance and resistance to stressors, and critical habitat requirements. The search also included aspects of watershed ecology, cumulative effects of habitat change, and habitat compensation and restoration strategies. The assessment of information obtained from the searches is presented elsewhere (Birtwell et al. 2005a, 2005b). The databases that were searched included Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), Oceanic Abstracts (OA), Conference Papers Index (CPI), and WAVES (bibliographic information relating to fisheries, aquatic sciences, and nautical sciences currently in the collections of the Fisheries and Oceans Canada libraries). A significant number of relevant records were also obtained from other electronic searches on the Internet. Numerous review articles also provided a significant number of references relevant to this project. Over 3000 records