Why Spawning Beds Must Be Clean

Walleye (pickerel) usually spawn in rivers, but will also spawn in lakes if the spawning beds are suitable.  A spawning bed is an area, which is usually in shallow water with a gravel bottom and swift moving water.  The swift moving water is required to keep silt from building up and to provide oxygen to the eggs.

The male walleye usually arrive first when water temperature is slightly above freezing followed by the females which arrive later.  The female will select or create a hollow in the gravel and deposit her eggs on the gravel, where they will stick to the rocks. When the female is finished she will move away and the male will pass over the eggs and deposit the sperm necessary to fertilize the eggs.  Once the eggs are fertilized they will hatch in about 26 days. They must get food (zooplankton) within 3-5 days or die.  The food may drift down to them in the current or the young walleye (fry) must drift down stream to find food.

Problem:
The problem many spawning beds are facing today is that the waters of the lakes and streams have an over abundance of phosphates and nitrates. This allows an abundant growth of algae which coats the gravel preventing the eggs from sticking to the rocks. This results in the eggs being washed away by the swift current and not being fertilized.  The French River Stewardship Council volunteers and supporters cleaned three spawning beds this year.  The pictures below show the before and after of cleaning one of the rocks at the spawning site located at Meshaw Falls.

Solution:
Meshaw Falls, Lower Sturgeon River and Bell Island  spawning areas were cleaned by removing debris, re-locating rocks and gravel and  using high pressure hoses to remove algae from the rocks, thus allowing spawning fish access to clean spawning beds.  The cleaned locations will be monitored in the spring of 2012 and if required, further cleaning will be done after the spawn. The Lower Sturgeon River, just west of the Turenne Rd. bridge required the removal of two dams to allow spawning fish access to the spawning areas further up the river.  A barge and excavator were used and the debris was trucked to the Municipal land fill site. The beavers have since returned and started to build another dam.  The FRSC has requested the local trapper to remove the beavers.  This area will also be monitored in the spring of 2012.  The FRSC directors were grateful and would like to thank the property owner, Mr. Scott Campbell who allowed the volunteers, the excavator and dump truck access to his property in order to remove the dams and debris. Presently, nine spawning areas requiring cleaning have been identified on the French River and the FRSC executive has ascertained we require approximately $15,000.00 over the next two years to complete our project.  This portion of our fisheries project could not have been started without the following contributors and volunteers.

Economic Partners,

Sudbury

East/West Nippising Mr. Neil Fox, General Manager was at the Lower Sturgeon River and worked with our volunteers moving rocks and manned the pressure hose. Economic Partners contributed $5,000.00 towards the fisheries project.

Caisse Populaire d’Alban Ltée Mr. Stephan Methot, General Manager, was at Meshaw Falls cleaning rocks with the pressure hose, and a contribution of $1,000.00 was donated to the fisheries project.

Caisse Populaire de Noëlville Ltee Mr. Jean-Serge Pharand, General Manager, attended our AGM in July and a cheque was received for $1,000.00 for the fisheries project.

Ministry of Natural Resouces
Mr. Eric Cobb, Acting Area Supervisor advised us of a $3,900.00 contribution to the fisheries project.

Volunteers
Claude Albert, Ron Aubrey, Carl Bisaillon, Joe Dippong, Ron Garbutt, Jim Hanham, Mac Heddle, Ron Ireland, Richard Martel, Ron Raymond, Moe Rancourt, Jim Rook, Don Vernon and Peter Williams.