Parks Canada reintroducing at-risk fish species to Banff National Park
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An endangered species of fish is about to be reintroduced to its natural habitat in Banff National Park.
Parks Canada staff at the Lake Louise, Yoho, Kootenay Area Unit to stock up on westslope cutthroat trout margaret lake and other locations this spring.
The ongoing project will repopulate the fish species in some mountain lakes in Banff National Park, as it was listed as endangered under the federal Threatened Species Act in 2013.
Brad Stitt, project manager for native fish restoration, said, “This is about more than just restoring one fish species. It’s about rebuilding the health of the entire ecosystem. … They are a vital link in the mountain food network.”
Stitt said that once restored, it becomes a source of food for grizzly bears and birds of prey.
Re-establishing trout species in those water bodies also serves as an indicator for Parks Canada in monitoring “healthy, functioning ecosystems for all species, including humans”.
other sites Restoration of westslope cutthroat trout is planned, completed or underway, including Hidden Lake, Coral Creek, Helen Lake. Cascade CreekLittle Herbert Lake and Katherine Lake.
“We are protecting areas for future generations and these protected areas play an important role in helping create healthy, resilient ecosystems by restoring at-risk species,” Stitt said.
project requirement
This work allows Parks Canada to turn back the clock to when, more than a century ago, westslope cutthroat trout were more common.
Stitt said their historical range extends from Bow Lake on the Icefields Parkway eastward to the Calgary area.
In the early 1900s, brook and rainbow trout, which are not native to the area’s water bodies, were added to support the demand for recreational fishing. They beat out the Westslope Cutthroat Trout in terms of food.
climate change and aquatic invasive species such as whirlpool disease Due to this the limit reduced to less than 10 percent.
Westslope cutthroat trout eat insects and other fish, which helps manage the food supply in the waterbody to ensure that one species does not become more dominant than others.
“Reestablishing them on the landscape really makes westslope cutthroat trout more resilient, not only in mountain national parks, but throughout their entire range,” Stitt said.
Process
The federal agency identified key reintroduction habitats in 2018–19 and removed non-native fish before introducing westslope cutthroat trout into the mountain lakes.
Approximately 2,000–3,000 brook trout were killed by 2022–24 in preparation for the reintroduction of westslope cutthroat trout to Margaret Lake. A natural fish is said to be poisonous Rotenone is used to remove these.
Once finished, Parks Canada continues to monitor the areas.
Stitt said it’s a plan that has had success in the United States and Canada.
Cutthroat trout have declined dramatically, and are listed as threatened under the provincial Wildlife Act. Parks Canada hopes they will thrive in Alberta’s wetlands.
Margaret Lake is a cold, freshwater reservoir near Hector Lake, about 20 kilometers north of Lewis Lake. Parks Canada has two options for reintroduction this spring.
This could involve transferring adult fish from other successful areas or setting up a remote incubation site, where they collect and milk the eggs – the male fish’s sperm – then fertilize them on site, transport them back to a mobile quarantine hatchery and incubate the eggs.
Stitt said the latter is more labor intensive but has been “very successful” and reduces the risk.
“They both work well and we’re just trying to decide which one will be best for Margaret,” he said.
Trout reintroduction ‘very important’
Lake Louise, Yoho, Kootenay Area Unit Superintendent François Massé said at the Banff Annual Planning Forum in March that the work being done is “very important” under Parks Canada’s mandate.
He said local populations of westslope cutthroat trout are being reintroduced and tested to make sure they are healthy.
“It’s very exciting,” he said. “We’re bringing native species back into the lakes of this place.”
Daniela Rubeling, acting superintendent of the Banff Field Unit, said at the forum that this is “a significant accomplishment with long-term conservation benefits.”
The Banff and Lake Louise, Yoho, Kootenay area units are developing a draft 10-year multi-species inventory for “recovery, protection and monitoring of at-risk species in the park,” Rubeling said.
It will contain 53 conservation recovery measures for 23 species and will be made available on the public registry of species at risk later this year.
“Healthy aquatic systems are really important to the overall ecological integrity of the park,” Rubeling said.
