The second strategy is the creation of northern pike channels in the wetland. The purpose of these channels is to:
1. Project Title: Transplanting Aquatic Vegetation in Collingwood Harbour
2. Contact
Rick Grillmayer
Habitat Projects Team Leader
Collingwood Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP), 275 First St., Unit #6,
Collingwood, Ontario L9Y 1C1
Tel.: (705) 446-0551; FAX: (705) 446-0561
3. Agencies Involved
Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA), RR 1, Angus, Ontario L0M 1B0
Ministry of the Environment and Energy, 40 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto, Ontario M4V 1M2
Ministry of Natural Resources, Lake Huron Assessment Unit, 611 9th Ave. East, Owen Sound, Ontario N4K 3E4
Ministry of Natural Resources, District Office, Midhurst, Ontario
Brian McHattie, Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), 73 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Dundas, Ontario
4. Restoration Goal
To increase the biotic integrity of the Collingwood Harbour fish and wildlife populations, by rehabilitating the existing wetland complex, and by the creation of additional wetland habitat.
5. Project Type
a) Re-establishing extirpated aquatic vegetation in areas degraded by poor water quality and carp activities.
b) Creating spawning and rearing habitats for northern pike (Esox lucius) and other fish species.
c) Increasing shoreline diversity for aquatic organisms.
6. Background and Rationale
In 1972 the International Joint Commission identified Collingwood Harbour as an Area of Concern (AOC). Historically, most of the Harbour suffered from the stress of development, and other negative effects associated with ship building activities. Currently, excessive suspended solids loading and nutrient enrichment are two significant factors which have had negative effects upon the quality of the Harbour waters. As a result, there has been a severe reduction in the size and diversity of wetland areas within the Harbour.
The Collingwood Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP) and its Public Advisory Committee have identified several rehabilitation strategies. The first strategy involved the development of five wetland "pods" (Figure 1), which are all located within the Harbour. The locations for the "pods" was based on the following parameters:
a) Acceptability by the Canadian Coast Guard under the Navigable Waters Protection Act. Because Collingwood Harbour is heavily used by recreational boaters, nearly 75% of the harbour was marked as "off limits to structures that may inhibit navigation of boats".
b) Historically, these areas had an abundance and diversity of aquatic emergent vegetation.
By constructing the "pods" at various depths, these areas will be revitalized of aquatic emergent vegetation. While these plants are not available to adult fish, they do provide the necessary refugia required by young-of-the-year (YOY) smallmouth bass and other aquatic invertebrates. As a result, the "pods" will protect vegetation, especially from carp grazing activities and spawning.
The second strategy is the creation of northern pike channels
in the wetland. The purpose of these channels is to:
a) allow water to enter the wetland which was drying partly because of the invasion of purple loosestrife;
b) provide pike with an access to suitable areas for spawning;
c) create shoreline diversity for fish and wildlife.
7. Regulatory Considerations
Permits are not usually required when transplanting wetland vegetation. Persons transplanting should have the permission of landowners, and should cause as little damage as possible to the landscape. Care should also be taken to avoid the introduction of species such as purple loosestrife into areas were they currently do not exist.
Because the wetland "pods" were placed in Collingwood Harbour, in areas that were accessible to watercraft, as extensive permit review process was required. The following is a summary of the permits required by the RAP to implement the project.
1. Navigable Waters Protection Act. An exemption from this act was granted by the Marine Navigation Services Branch. Because Collingwood Harbour is a federally regulated port, an exemption of permit was not required from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Small Crafts and Harbour Section.
2. Fisheries Act. DFO was consulted as the work sites were federally regulated. Authorization of this project pursuant to section 35 of the Fisheries Act was not required as no fish habitat was altered or destroyed.
3. Section 14, Public Lands Act. Authorization under this act was required from MNR Midhurst. MNR Midhurst also required proof of public/local landowner consultation. This was accomplished through input from the Collingwood Harbour Public Advisory Committee, and the Habitat Subcommettee. Both Committees had active representatives from the Collingwood Yacht Club, Anglers Association, local citizens, and the Collingwood Harbour Master.
4. Fill Quality Guidlines for Lakefilling in Ontario, OMOEE. The Ministry of Environment and Energy was consulted concerning the nature of materials used for all projects. No concern was expressed under the Lakefilling Guidelines. As far as the Environmental Assessment Act was concerned, Ontario Reegulation 205 8(2) (h), gives habitat projects an exemption.
8. Criteria
Northern pike prefer to spawn in heavily vegetated areas in marshes and bays of larger lakes (Scott and Crossman 1973).
The results from the 1993 Collingwood Harbour Habitat Assessment and Fish Inventory (Collis and Proud 1993; Ferguson 1986) indicated that a greater number of juvenile fish were captured in areas where an abundance of aquatic vegetation occurred.
9. Project Design
The wetland "pods" were constructed with re-bar welded together to form panels (1.5 ¥ 2.4 m). Each "pod" required 12 panels which were wired together on site and enclosed with galvanized chicken wire. This resulted in a "pod" 4.8 m long 4.8 m wide. (Refer to Figure 1). Water depth at the "pod" site varied from 0.5 m to 1 m. Cattail (Typha latifolia), bulrush (Scirpus validus), water lilies (Nymphaceae), pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata), arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), and cabbage weed are examples of the types of aquatic vegetation planted within the "pods". The original concept of these "pods" was taken from a similar project implemented by the Hamilton Harbour RAP.
The galvanized wire has a mesh size of 5 cm which effectively
prevents carp from disturbing
the transplanted vegetation, yet still allows access to various
juvenile fish species and
cyprinids (minnows).
The northern pike channels are similar to the design used by Hamilton Harbour RAP for the Grindstone Creek Pike Spawning Project. The channels are 2-3 m wide and 0.75 m deep. Beaded pools, 5 m diameter and 1 m deep were incorporated into the channels which provide deep water refuge for juvenile pike. Beaded areas were planted with various aquatic emergent vegetation such as bur-reed (Sparganium eurycarpum), sedge (Carex sp.) water lilies, and bulrush (Klots 1966).
Each of the species that were planted in the "pods"
and channels were chosen based on their
merits as indicated below.
Arrowhead: Offers cover for juvenile fish. Dragonflies frequently visit the flowers while snails eat the petals.
Bulrush: Offers cover for juvenile fish. This plant is
also important for nutrient uptake in
nutrient enriched areas.
Bur-reed: Provides an excellent food source for water fowl and song birds.
Cabbage Weed: Offers cover for various juvenile and adult fish species
Cattail: Provide a rich food source for insects which in turn also provide birds with food. The roots and fresh shoots are eaten by muskrats.
Pickerel Weed: Offers cover for juvenile fish from predators
such as the great blue heron and
the tern.
Sedge: Provides northern pike with substrate for spawning. It is also and excellent food source for waterfowl.
Water Lily: Offers excellent cover from predators for juvenile fish as well as provide an important food supply for muskrats. The leaves are also used as basking platforms for amphibians.
Wild Rice: Provides habitat for adult and juvenile fish. It is also one of the most desirable food source for waterfowl.
10. Implementation
All of the vegetation that was planted within the "pods" and channels came in the form of transplants from various donor sites in the Collingwood area, with the exception of wild rice (Zizania aquatica). The majority of planting occurred during a 10-week period, starting in mid-June through to August, while plants were at their peak/healthiest.
Several methods were used in transplanting vegetation. The white water lily (Nymphaea tuberosa), yellow water lily (Nuphar advena), pickerel weed and arrowhead were moved by placing a section of the tuber (still attached to the leaves) and a portion of the donor site soil inside a small burlap bag. Three small cuts were made in the bag which would allow the roots to grow and spread into soil of the new site. The top of the bag was loosely tied with twine to prevent the soil and tuber from escaping the bag before roots have been established.
During transportation, the leaves of the plants were kept moist and covered to prevent dehydration and ensure the health of the plant. Once on site, the bags were placed on the lake bottom inside the "pod" or in beaded area of the pike channel.
The following is a list of advantages for this method:
a) The indigenous soil provides the plant with the organic material to ensure its health and increase transplanting success.
b) The soil also helps to weigh down the tuber to help establish roots at the new site.
c) The burlap sack prevents animals, such as muskrats from eating the tubers before the plants have had a chance to reestablish themselves.
d) The weight of the sack (soil and tuber) facilitates the ease of planting since no digging is required.
Cattail, bur-reed, bulrush and sedge were planted by digging up the entire plant (roots, tuber, stem and leaves) and replanting it into the lake bottom. The sedge and bulrush were obtained by using a tool that is similar to a golf course cup cutter. Designed by J. Collis and constructed with re-bar, the cutter has a long handle attached to a barrel-like cylinder which has a sharp edge. (Refer to Figure 2). The edge is driven into the soil and pushed down to obtain as much root mass as possible. When the cutter is lifted out of the soil, a plug containing the soil, roots and stem of the plant remains in the barrel. With a gentle tug, the plug is removed from the barrel and placed on trays to be transported to the new site and replanted.
Wild rice is extremely fragile and great care was taken during the collection and transplanting stage to minimize plant damage. The plants were collected by dragging a rake along the bottom of the lake. As the rake was dragged through the muck, the roots were loosened until the entire plant (stem and root) floated to the surface. The wild rice was then placed in a 95 L garbage can half filled with water for transport.
Since wild rice does not have a large root mass that can be easily replanted, the following method was devised. A piece of steel wire, approximately 10 cm long was coiled around the bottom of the stem (where the roots begin), while a 5-cm nail was coiled around the wire's free end. The entire length of the nail was then driven into the lake bottom, submerging the roots at the same time. The nail also acted as a weight to keep the plants from floating to the surface. Smaller plants would be clumped together so that two or three could be planted at the same time.
As stated at the beginning of this section, wild rice is also the only aquatic plant that has been seeded. Filter cloth was wrapped around the entire outside of the wetland "pod" (top to bottom), to prevent the seeds from drifting out of the enclosed area. The cloth also reduces the amount of wave action which will encourage germination. The seeds were scattered over the top of the "pod" to cover its entire surface. The seeds will float for some time before they sink to the bottom.
11. Degree of Environmental Intervention
The aquatic vegetation that was used to plant both the wetland "pods" and the northern pike channels are of the same genotype as existing vegetation and were obtained from local donor sites within the Collingwood area.
The donor sites experienced minimal negative impacts since they were chosen for their easy access and overabundance of desired plant species. These two factors prevent stock depletion and reduces disturbance to the plants remaining at the donor sites.
To reduce impacts during pike channel construction, the channels were dug in the winter when the ground was frozen and aquatic vegetation dormant. As a result, Collingwood Harbour Wetland experienced minimal impacts during pike channel construction. Ditch spoils were left on the sides of the channels which created amphibian and reptile habitats. During the removal of one ditch spoil in June, the most effected plant species was purple loosestrife. Since it is a nuisance plant, it was beneficial to rid a portion of the loosestrife from the wetland to allow the re-establishment of several aquatic vegetation species.
12. Cost
Labour: $2 738.75
Materials: $2 287.52
Equipment: $1 950.00
Total: $6 976.27
NOTE: To reduce costs, construction of the wetland "pods" was done in-house rather than tendered or contracted to a third party.
13. Biological Assessment
In 1993, Collingwood Harbour RAP completed an assessment of the Harbour which helped to determine the type and scope of rehabilitation projects. Existing aquatic and terrestrial vegetation, temperature profiles and turbidity readings are examples of the parameters used for this assessment.
Seine netting, larval fish trawls, trap netting, gill netting, smallmouth bass spawning surveys, and electrofishing were the methods used to determine the type of fish species which currently exist in the Harbour, their numbers, changes in frequency and optimum locations for spawning. This assessment provided baseline data which will help to determine the level of success for the various rehabilitation projects implemented this year and subsequent years.
It is the intention of the RAP to continue monitoring the rehabilitation projects within the Collingwood Harbour Wetland, particularly the wetland "pods" and pike channels using the methods mentioned above. Other methods include:
a) Visual Encounter Surveys (VES). Following the methodology outlined by Heyer et al. (1994), this is a survey that determines the species richness, compiles a species list, and estimates the relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles in the wetland.
b) Habitat Surveys to determine the type and number of avian species which inhabit and utilize the wetland.
14. Measures of Success
Because the habitat rehabilitation projects in the harbour have yet to complete their first full year, we do not have pre/post rehabilitation data sets. The success of the wetland "pods" and the pike channels will be determined next year through various monitoring techniques discussed in the previous section. If the plants have been able to reestablish themselves and can survive without the aid of the wetland "pod", the transplanting will prove successful, and can continue to further increase the amount of vegetation within the Harbour. The projects will also prove successful if there is a marked increase in the number of juvenile fish which have seen a decline in recent years, such as smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and northern pike. The number of spawning adults for the pike and bass species will also be indicators of success.
The success of shoreline diversity can be measured by the increase in the number of avian, amphibian, and reptile species which inhabit the Harbour area. This will ensure that the biotic integrity is indeed increasing and can improve with successive transplanting projects.
Success Rating: 1
15. Key References
Collingwood Harbour Remedial Action Plan Stage 2 Report: A Strategy for Restoring the Collingwood Harbour Ecosystem and Delisting Collingwood Harbour as an Area of Concern. 1992. Prepared by the Collingwood Harbour RAP team, in consultation with the Public Advisory Committee.
Collis, J., and Proud, J. 1993. Collingwood Harbour Habitat Assessment and Fish Inventory, Collingwood, Ontario.
Ferguson, M.S. 1986. Collingwood Harbour Fish Habitat and Inventory Study. Ministry of Natural Resources, Huronia District.
Heyer W.R., Donnelly, M.A., McDiarmid, R.W., Hayek, L.C., and Foster, M.S. 1994. Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity - Standard Methods for Amphibians. ISBN 1-56098-284-5.
Klots, E.B. 1966. The New Field Book of Freshwater Life. G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, NY.
Scott, W.B., and Crossman, E.J. 1973. Freshwater Fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 184.
Correct citation for this contribution:
Grillmayer, R. 1995. Transplanting aquatic vegetation in Collingwood Harbour, p. 73-81. In J.R.M. Kelso and J.H. Hartig [editors]. Methods of modifying habitat to benefit the Great Lakes ecosystem. CISTI (Can. Inst. Sci. Tech. Inf.) Occas. Pap. No. 1.