Huge Clouds of Fry in the Mindemoya River November 2011 We are proud to announce that partnership efforts between the Municipality of Central Manitoulin, the MNR, DFO and Manitoulin Streams to open the mouth of the Mindemoya River to allow the salmon access to critical up stream spawning habitat paid off. We recently received some photos and have heard several firsthand accounts of a huge hatch this year. Some people saying that the massive clouds of fry in all parts of the river were the biggest they had ever seen.This is sure to be a boost to the sport fishery, tourism and the economy in the area. It should also be noted that the MNR’s management of the new dam at lake Mindemoya contributed significantly to the success of this year’s hatch. We plan to continue these efforts in the future, while researching a more permanent solution.
We are currently seeking funding in partnership with the Municipality of Central Manitoulin to install bioengineered structures near the mouth of the river that would assist in scouring sand from the mouth to allow migrating fish upstream to spawn. As your readers may remember, the mouth of the Mindemoya River in Providence Bay, ON is often obstructed by a large sand bar, created by coastal wave action and a lack of water coming downstream. The loss of water during the summer dry season and into the fall reduces the velocity of the river. For this reason, the river is not able to scour the sand effectively from the mouth. This results in the low velocity water taking a path parallel with the beach, then it eventually makes a shallow trickle out into Lake Huron. This shallow mouth is approximately 3 inches deep and cannot accommodate the spawning salmon who often die on the resulting sand bar while trying to access the critical upstream habitat. Each full sized female can contain 2000 to 3000 eggs, that fact alone illustrates the tremendous loss when just one dies stranded on the beach in Providence Bay.
Manitoulin Streams will also continue to enhance and restore habitat on other area streams including the Mindemoya River in future years. The success of our rural, tourism dependent economy depends on the health of our ecosystem. Manitoulin Island and the Great Lakes tourism and sport fishing industries are sure to see direct and spin off economic benefits by continuing to build upon positive community stewardship partnerships such as this and the larger Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association project. It will be exciting to see the amount of mature adult salmon that return to the south shore area and this river to spawn in a few years because of our efforts. We encourage the public to support these types initiatives by volunteering, donating and promoting the efforts of Manitoulin Streams and its partners for the benefit of our entire community.
We are currently seeking funding in partnership with the Municipality of Central Manitoulin to install bioengineered structures near the mouth of the river that would assist in scouring sand from the mouth to allow migrating fish upstream to spawn. As your readers may remember, the mouth of the Mindemoya River in Providence Bay, ON is often obstructed by a large sand bar, created by coastal wave action and a lack of water coming downstream. The loss of water during the summer dry season and into the fall reduces the velocity of the river. For this reason, the river is not able to scour the sand effectively from the mouth. This results in the low velocity water taking a path parallel with the beach, then it eventually makes a shallow trickle out into Lake Huron. This shallow mouth is approximately 3 inches deep and cannot accommodate the spawning salmon who often die on the resulting sand bar while trying to access the critical upstream habitat. Each full sized female can contain 2000 to 3000 eggs, that fact alone illustrates the tremendous loss when just one dies stranded on the beach in Providence Bay.
Manitoulin Streams will also continue to enhance and restore habitat on other area streams including the Mindemoya River in future years. The success of our rural, tourism dependent economy depends on the health of our ecosystem. Manitoulin Island and the Great Lakes tourism and sport fishing industries are sure to see direct and spin off economic benefits by continuing to build upon positive community stewardship partnerships such as this and the larger Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association project. It will be exciting to see the amount of mature adult salmon that return to the south shore area and this river to spawn in a few years because of our efforts. We encourage the public to support these types initiatives by volunteering, donating and promoting the efforts of Manitoulin Streams and its partners for the benefit of our entire community.
