Overview Fish and Fish Habitat Inventory of the MILLIGAN and WAPITI Watershed Groups

1
Overview Fish and Fish Habitat Inventoryof
theMILLIGAN and WAPITI Watershed Groups
2
Acknowledgements

• Funding provided by the Science and Community
  Environmental Knowledge Fund (Formerly the Oil
  and Gas Environmental Fund) and Pioneer Resources
  Canada Inc.
• Administered by the Fisheries Section of Ministry
  of Water, Land and Air Protection, Fort St. John

3
Outline

• Overview Fish and Fish Habitat Inventory -
  Objectives
• Description of study areas
• Sampling results and significant fisheries
  observations
• Data gaps and recommendations for additional
  inventory

4
Overview Fish and Fish Habitat Inventory

• Fish sampling conducted at watershed scale
  (150,000)
• Collects baseline fish distribution and fish
  habitat data
• Identifies critical habitats (spawning, rearing,
  overwintering)
• Less detailed than 120,000 Reconnaissance Fish
  and Fish habitat Inventory
• Not intended for fish stream classification
  purposes

5
Project Locations
6

• Milligan
• Creek
• Watershed Group Study Area
• 2 sub-basins
• red dots represent extent of known fish
  distribution prior to 2002 inventory.

7
Milligan Creek Habitat and Fish Distribution

• 43 sites assessed, 25 in Milligan, 18 in
  Chinchaga
• Fluvial aquatic habitats can be grouped into two
  morphology types namely
• - riffle-pool
• - large channel

8
Riffle-Pool
9
Riffle Pool Characteristics

• Occur within well-drained, mixed-wood upland
  habitats
• Gradient ranges from 1 to 2
• Substrates mainly coarse granular material
  interspersed with fines
• Exhibit some degree of confinement
• Cover for fish is usually boulder, small and
  large woody debris, undercut banks
• Turbidity is variable but generally tannic, and
  clearer upstream

10
Fish Present Uplands and Confined Valleys

• Given moderate habitat complexity and access to
  potential overwintering sites these stream
  reaches can be suitable for several sportfish and
  non-sport species including

11
Large Channel
12
Large Channel Characteristics

• Gradient less than 0.5
• Channels meandering and unconfined
• Substrates are generally 100 fines and organic
  accumulation
• Beaver activity extensive with large segments of
  stream developed into a series of dams and
  impoundments
• Upper reaches often interrupted by muskeg seepage
  areas with stream channels absent or
  discontinuous
• Instream cover provided by extensive deep pool
  habitat, overhanging vegetation and instream
  vegetation

13
Fish Present Large Channel Muskeg Seepage
Complexes

• Suitability for sportfish limited due to high
  water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen, absence
  of adequate winter discharge and lack of seasonal
  access.
• Species common to these habitats include

14
Milligan Creek Watershed Group Northern Portion
15
Milligan Creek Watershed Group Southern Portion
16
Milligan Creek Watershed Group Chinchaga
17
Significant Features and Fisheries Observations

• Milligan Watershed
• At a regional level, relatively low quality fish
  habitat
• Arctic grayling populations localized
• Northern pike widespread, but low in density
• Lakes with capability to overwinter fish limited
  in abundance (possibly only 4)
• Species diversity low
• Only 1 regionally significant species collected
  (spoonhead sculpin) distribution limited to
  lower Milligan

18
Future Research Recommendations

• Milligan Watershed
• A primary lake survey of the unnamed lake (WB ID
  00026MILL) at the headwaters of Chinchaga
  tributary (WSC 228-962600) would confirm its
  over-wintering capability and presence of
  resident fish populations

19
Wapiti River Watershed Group Sub-basins
20
(No Transcript)
21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
Wapiti Project Area Sub-basins
25
Upper Wapiti Sub-basin
26
(No Transcript)
27
Belcourt Creek Sub-basin
28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
Red Deer Creek Sub-basin
32
(No Transcript)
33
Significant Features and Fisheries Observations

• Wapiti Watershed
• Bull trout and mountain whitefish exist as
  several distinct, isolated populations within the
  Wapiti and Belcourt sub-basins
• Arctic grayling present in low densities despite
  suitable and accessible summer feeding habitat in
  lower Wapiti River, Belcourt Creek and Red Deer
  Creek

34
Future Research Recommendations

• Wapiti Watershed
• Identification of critical spawning habitat
  incomplete
• Additional aerial search for spawning bull trout
  and redds in mid-September is required