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c FISHERIES AND MARINE SERVICE SERVICE DES P£CHES ET DES SCIENCES DE LA MER TECHNICAL REPORT No. 691 RAPPORT TECHNIQUE N° 1977 Environment Environnement I Canada Canada Fisheries Service des piches and Marine et des sciences Service de la mer Technical Reports Technical Reports are research documents that are of sufficient importance to be preserved, but which for some reason are not appropriate for primary scientific publication. Inquiries concerning any particular RepOlt should be directed to the issuing establishment. Rapports Techniques Les rapports techniques sont des documents de recherche qui revetent une assez grande importance pour etre conserves mais qui, pour une raison ou pour une autre, ne conviennent pas a une publication scientifique prioritaire. Pour toute demande de renseignements concernant un rapport particulier, i1 faut s'adresser au service responsable. Department of the Environment Ministere de 1'Environnement Fisheries and Marine Service Service des Peches et des Sciences de la mer Research and Development Directorate Direction du Recherche et Developpement • TECHNICAL REPORT No. 691 RAPPORT TECHNIQUE NO. 691 (Numbers 1-456 in this series (Les numeros 1-456 dans cette serie furent were issued as Technical Reports utilises comme Rapports Techniques de 1'office of the Fisheries Research Board of des recherches sur les p~cheries du Canada. Canada. The series name was changed Le nom de la serie fut change avec le with report number 457). rapport numero 457). • Limnology and Fish Populations of Red Indian Lake, a Multi-Use Reservoir by C.J. MORRY and L.J. COLE This is the forty-seventh Ceci est le quarante-septieme Technical Report from the Rapport Technique de la Direction du Research and Development Directorate Recherche et Developpement Newfoundland Biological Station Station biologique de Terre-Neuve St. John's, Newfoundland Saint-Jean, Terre-Neuve 1977 • .. • TA~LE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables v List of Figures vii List of Appendices Acknowl edgments Abstract xiii Introduction 1 Historical background 1 Departmental involvement . 4 Description of study area 7 Methods and Materials . 9 Morphometry. 9 Physical and chemical studies 9 Biological studies. 12 Results and Discussion 14 Physical and chemical environment 14 • ~'orphometry . 14 Physiochemical characteristics. 14 Geochemistry . 14 Water quality 17 Water level fluctuations 17 Temperature profiles 22 Water chemistry 22 Biological environment 36 Plankton 36 Benthos 40 Fish population dynamics . 42 Overview . 42 Ouananiche (landlocked salmon) Salmo salar Linnaeus 46 Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchell . 57 Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus Linnaeus • 63 IN SITU Bioassay experiment 66 Surrma ry 69 • References 70 Appendices 77 • v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. r~orphometry of Red Indian Lake. 7 Table 2. Comparative heavy metal concentrations (ppm) in sediments. 16 Table 3. Incurrent streams - water quality analysis. 27 Table 4. Water quality analysis at control site. 32 Table 5. Water quality analysis at experimental site. 32 Table 6. Experimental - heavy metal concentrations. 33 Table 7. Control heavy metal concentrations. 37 Table 8. Complete list of species of entomostraca with author and year of description. 37 • Tab le 9. Percentage presence of zooplankton species in the 39 samples of the affected area. T represents a trace presence (seen in sample but not subsample); J indicates species was only present in juvenile form. 38 Table 10. Percentage presence of zooplankton species in the 34 samples of the unaffected area. T represents a trace presence (seen in sample but not subsample); J indicates species was only present in juvenile form. 39 Table 11. Taxonomy of benthic organisms in Red Indian Lake. 40 Table 12. Occurrence and abundance of benthic organisms by station. 41 Table 13. Species composition of net catch, Red Indian Lake, 1974. 43 Table 14. Catch per unit of effort (see text) for 14 sites in Red Indian Lake. 44 • Table 15. Comparative catch/effort statistics for Victoria Lake (Pippy, 1966) and Red Indian Lake, 1974. 45 Table 16. General growth and population statistics for the three salmonid species collected by gillnet, Red Indian Lake, 1974. 47 Cont'd. vi LIST OF TA8LES (Cont'd.) Page Table 17. Actual scale length and calculated fork length at annulus formation of ouananiche and brook trout for Red Indian Lake. 49 • Table 18. Age length distribution for ouananiche, Red Indian Lake, 1974. (Percentages in parentheses). 52 Table 19. Food habits of Red Indian Lake ouananiche. (Percentages in parentheses). 57 Table 20. Age-length distribution for brook trout, Red Indian Lake, 1974. (Percentages in parentheses). 59 Table 21. Food habits of Red Indian Lake brook trout. (Percentages in parentheses). 64 Table 22. Raw data on Red Indian Lake Arctic char. 65 .. vii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Red Indian Lake bathymetry (depths in feet). 2 Figure 2. Beachcombing for logs on Red Indian Lake. 3 Figure 3. Log-strewn shoreline. 3 Figure 4. Exploits River drainage area. 5 Figure 5. Exploits Dam. 6 Figure 6. Dewatered steady in Victoria River. (Note "drowned" pulp logs). 6 Figure 7. r~i 11 ertown . 9 Figure 8. Water and plankton sampling. 10 Figure 9. Bottom core sampling. 11 Fi gure 10. Benthic sampling using Ekman dredge. 12 Figure 11. Bioassay holding cage. 13 • Figure 12. Sampling sites for sediment cores - I. 15 Figure 13. Sampling sites for sediment cores - II. 18 Figure 14. Mouth of Buchans Brook. 19 Figure 15. Tailings "fan" in Red Indian Lake. 19 Figure 16. High-water conditions, June 1974. 20 Figure 17. Low-water conditions, August 1974. 20 Figure 18. Low-spill conditions on Victoria River. 21 Figure 19. Thermal stratification in Red Indian Lake, June-July 1974. 23 Figure 20. Thermal stratification in Red Indian Lake, • July-August 1974. 24 Figure 21. General water quality sampling sites. 25 Figure 22. Gillnet, heavy metal and stream survey sampling sites. 26 Cont'd. viii LIST or rIGURES (Cont'd.) Page Figure 23. Original settling ponds at Buchans. 28 Figure 24. Tailings system Phase II. 29 Figure 25. Brook above tailings outfall. 30 Figure 26. Buchans Brook below outfall. 31 Figure 27. Buchans Brook and Red Indian Lake t 1974. 31 Fi gure 28. Panorama of dissolved zinc concentrations in Red Indian Lake. 34 Figure 29. Panorama of dissolved copper concentrations in Red Indian Lake (ppb). 35 Figure 30. Fish length-scale radius relationship for brook trout (top)t ouananiche (bottom) taken at Red Indian Lake t 1974. 50 Fi gu re 31. Age-length relationship for ouananiche (top)t brook trout' (bottom)t taken at Red Indian Lake, 1974. 51 Figure 32. Age composition of ouananiche taken at Red Indian Lake t 1974. 53 Figure 33. Fork-length distribution of ouananiche taken at Red Indian Lake t 1974. 54 Figure 34. Length-weight relationship for ouananiche, Red Indian Lake, 1974. 55 Figure 35. Age composition of brook trout taken at Red Indian Lake, 1974. 60 Figure 36. Fork-length distribution of brook trout taken at Red Indian Lake, 1974. 61 ... Figure 37. Length-weight relationship for Salvelinus fontinalis t Red Indian Lake. 62 • Figure 38. Location of In Situ bioassay (X)t Buchans Brook. 67 LIST OF APPENDICES Page Appendix I. Heavy metals concentrations in bottom cores from Red Indian Lake, 1974. 77 Appendix II. Temperature recordings at 20· intervals for each station. 83 Appendix III. Heavy metal concentrations - Red Indian Lake water samples. 91 Appendix IV. Field analysis of \~ater quality, Red Indian Lake, 1974. 95 Appendix V. Laboratory analysis of water quality, Red Indian Lake, 1974. 99 • Appendix VI. Daily water levels (ft ASL) of Red Indian • Lake, 1974. 103 Appendix VII. Data on mill operations at Ouchans; 1967, 1968, and 1975. 107 • • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A number of people contributed greatly to the completion of this study. Among them and worthy of special note are: Dennis Riche, who analysed a great part of the data and produced numerous figures and tables; Andrew Jamieson, who performed all laboratory water quality analyses; William Bruce and Robert Wiseman, who contributed many ideas and suggested approaches in completing the work. George Furey and Stephen Parsons assisted in the field. Employees of the Environmental Protection Service collected and analysed core samples; Vern Pepper assisted in completing analyses of variance on the zooplankton data. Vince Taylor proved to be a valuable source of unpublished information concerning departmental involvement with the Exploits River. Dr. J.R. Pickavance of M.U.N. identified oligochaet samples. Mrs. Sylvia Kearsey is given a special note of thanks for her persistence and patience in tYring the many drafts of this report. Finally, particular thanks are due to Cal Whalen for suggesting • the project and assisting in its co~encement. • xiii ABSTRACT Morry, C.J. and L.J. Cole. 1977. Limnology and Fish Populations of Red Indian Lake. a Multi-Use Reservoir. Fish. Mar. Servo Res. Dev. Tech. Rep. 691: 109 p. A limnological survey. centering on fish populations. was conducted on Red Indian Lake in the summer of 1974. Physical parameters, as previously recorded. were verified and chemical parameters, including heavy metal concentrations. were observed in over 100 areas. Biological aspects of the project included benthos and plankton sampling and a rigorous gillnetting program aimed at giving a good representative sampling of fish populations throughout the lake. A 96-hour in situ bioassay using local brook trout and ouananiche as subjects was conducted in 8uchans Brook to observe critical lethality due to tailings pond run-off. No direct bio-physical hazards could be attributed, as a result of this bio-assay nor the survey in general, to either of the two primary industrial users of Red Indian Lake. Low productivity may in part be due to unstable shoreline conditions resulting from severe fluctuations of water levels. , , RESUME r~orry. C.J. and L.J.