Ecology of Lake Nipigon

From Great Lakes Wiki

Due to low pollution levels and deep cool water, Lake Nipigon has a large fish population that is ideal for sport and commercial fishing. Commercial fishing on the lake includes mainly whitefish, walleye (yellow pickerel), and lake trout. The lake has 50 fish species coming from 19 different families. Some of the populations of Lake Nipigon include: northern pike, sturgeon, yellow perch, common white sucker, long nose sucker, sculpin and cisco. The waters are home to populations of shortjaw cisco and deepwater sculpin, a species that is considered at risk for extinction. Two species of deep water cisco found in Lake Nipigon have not been found to live anywhere else.

Over fishing in the 1800s and the building of dams on the Nipigon River in the 1920s and 50s led to habitat destruction and fluctuating water levels that caused diminished levels of fish populations, specifically the brook trout. In 1989 a rehabilitation plan was implemented reviving brook trout populations to a sustainable level. Sport fishing began on the river after WWII when outfitters operated out of Orient Bay taking people on multi day trips for walleye, northern pike and brook trout. There are currently seven charter boats on the lake and a total of ten tourist establishments.

In the early 1990s, with the advent of new technologies such as fish finders people re-discovered the lake trout populations. Before this time lake trout were 4% of sport fishing and now reach an upwards of 75% of the total sport fishing, which is now causing a decline in lake trout.

Despite the small decline in populations, anglers in the area rumor of lake trout weighing 70 lbs. (31.8 kg) to be living in the waters of Lake Nipigon, and many believe that the record lake trout is somewhere in the deep waters of Lake Nipigon. The boat Fish-N-It is holds the unofficial lake record from 1996 of a 55 lb. (25kg) lake trout. The area is legitimately famous for the world record 14.5 lb (6.57 kg) brook trout that was caught in the waters of the Nipigon River.

The high-quality population of lake trout in the rivers stems from two advantages. First, in 1976 smelt were introduced into the lake creating a more than adequate food base for the trout population. Secondly, the lake is free of sea lamprey, unlike the Great Lakes. Sea lampreys are known to cause widespread casualties of lake trout, hindering them from reaching full maturity. The Ministry of Natural Resources also protects the populations by limiting fishers to two lake trout per day, with only one in excess of 27.6 in. (70 cm).

Large-scale commercial fishing on the lake began in the early 1900s and continued unrestricted until 1917 to help with food shortages. The largest harvest on the lake was in 1919 totaling 2.3 million pounds. The commercial outfits mainly seek whitefish. The sturgeon population collapsed to commercial fishing in the 1920s and has not recovered.

There is a reoccurring tension between sport and commercial fishers. Commercial fishers would like less restriction on lake trout, where sport fishers would like to protect and maintain the populations to keep sport fishing at its current levels. The lake is heavily monitored and regulated by The Ministry of Natural Resources, which will stop harvesting if populations are in danger, such as the close of commercial walleye and sauger harvest in April 2002. Since 1996 Wabinosh and Ombabika bays have been completely closed to commercial fishing.

Wildlife in the area includes: great blue herons, ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare, beaver, fox, marten, lynx, deer, moose, black bears, moose, caribou, bald eagle, osprey (both thriving in cliff habitats), and the double crested cormorant. Oddly enough white pelicans(mainly on islands), yellow-headed blackbird, western meadowlark (normally prairiebirds ) and the more southern scarlet tanager, redheaded woodpecker and Baltimore oriel.

Recently research has been conducted concerning the double crested cormorant. John Casselman of Queen’s University told Outdoor Magazine that there is a negative correlation between the cormorant or Phalacrocorax auritus and fish populations in the region. They have been reportedly reducing populations of sportfish, specifically the small-mouth bass, commercial fish, notably the yellow perch and alewife which sustain trout and salmon populations.

People concerned by the cormorant note its inflation from a few hundred nests in the 1970s (when the population was decimated by DDT use) to over 450,000 today. People say they are destructive because they are displacing existing species and depleting fish populations. Some defend the bird saying that its habits are misunderstood. They say that the beautiful bird has become a successful predator through evolution which people ignorantly choose to ignore. There is currently debate over the proper way to control their population. Ontario Government will not act until thorough scientific research is conducted.

Heavy logging beginning around 1900 destroyed much of the primary forests of the area. There are still stands of old growth including black spruce, red pine, jack pine, fir, poplar, cedar and moose maple. Much of the new forest is dominated by aspen and white birch. Other species said to be in existence throughout the area are willow, mountain maple, Manitoba maple, elm, ash, basswood, white spruce, northern spruce and balsam fir.

There is still some clear cutting occurring in the area. To the west of Lake Nipigon foresters are experimenting with the size and shape of clear cutting areas. This practice results in a checkerboard pattern in the satellite imagery.

The area experiences periodic forest fires. The fires are controlled, because they are essential to the survival of some tree species, such as the jack pine. One recent major burn was in 1999, buring a total of 74,305 acres (30,070 hecaters). It burned under control from a period of May 18th to July 15th, when it was declared out of control. The Canadian Governement has posted remote sensing imagery of the burn, which suggests that it started in the south and was driven toward the northwest.