ST. PAUL – Turning the tide on declining fish populations, members from St. Paul Fish and Game Association (SPFGA) volunteered to transfer thousands of yellow perch to Frenchman Lake on Aug. 15, aiming to rejuvenate a once-abundant fishing ground in Northeastern Alberta.
The Manatokan-Frenchman Yellow Perch Transfer Project was coordinated by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.
Ray Makowecki, a volunteer fisheries biologist in the region, said 3,723 perch were transferred to Frenchman Lake from Manatokan within three days.
Makowecki said the initiative is part of the broader Fish Habitat Restoration Project aimed at revitalizing fish populations in lakes that have suffered from declining water levels and unsuitable winter habitats, largely coordinated by the Northeastern Alberta Fish and Game Association (NEAFGA).
St. Paul Fish and Game is a member of NEAFGA.
Over the past five years, NEAFGA conducted extensive winter monitoring of various lakes in northeast and central Alberta to determine their suitability for fish reintroduction.
“Several lakes provided excellent fish habitat and fish production prior to the decline in water levels, which resulted in unsuitable fish habitat,” reads the 2023-24 winter habitat monitoring report from the Fish Habitat Restoration Project.
According to the report, fish habitats in about 30 lakes in northeast and central Alberta, including some that were used for commercial fishing, were lost due to water level decline, as a result of dry conditions for many years.
But recently, with increased water levels, the fish habitat is expected to recover in some lakes, while fish habitat restoration could be conducted in others, such as through fish transplants or fish stocking.
This would lead to increased angling opportunities and increased fish production in the province, according to the report.
The winter habitat monitoring, which began in 2019, also identified several other lakes in the Lakeland region that could benefit from similar fish reintroduction programs like the Manatokan-Frenchman Yellow Perch Transfer Project.
Lakes such as Upper Mann, Lower Mann, Cache, and Chickenhill Lake have been deemed suitable for fish transplants.
Others may require additional measures like aeration to improve habitat conditions, such as Bonnie Lake, Lac Delorme, and Minnie Lake.
The St. Paul Trout Pond was also monitored, and the winter aeration device present was deemed effective and recommended to be continued.