2025 Big Clear Lake Walleye Spawning Bed Enhancement Project
On February 6, 2025, members of Watersheds Canada’s Fish Habitat team met with 16 volunteers from local groups to undertake the final stage of the restoration of a walleye spawning bed on Big Clear Lake, Ontario.
In partnership with Big Clear Lake Association, Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, and G.E. Matson and Sons Construction, 17 tonnes of washed river rock were moved overtop the historic walleye spawning bed. Come spring, the ice will melt and the rock will fall through and settle at the bottom. Walleye need a spawning bed made of a hardened surface and that has large spaces between the rock to lay their eggs, and this community-led project ensured both of these are now available for local walleye.
This restoration project follows a prior one that took place in fall of 2023, in which the Watersheds Canada team cleared off silt from the spawning bed using water pumps. This entire restoration action was first prompted by David Preskey, lake steward of the Big Clear Lake Association. After the project was completed, volunteers and Watersheds Canada staff gathered at Branch 334 of the Royal Canadian Legion to warm up and debrief. Thank you to the Legion for their generous hospitality.
This project was funded by the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund. All Watersheds Canada fish habitat projects are completed with applicable permits and approval by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
In partnership with grassroots organizations and local volunteers, Watersheds Canada has completed many fish habitat restoration projects across Eastern and Central Ontario over the past ten years, including walleye spawning bed enhancements, cold-water creek enhancements, trout spawning bed enhancements, and in-water habitat enhancements through the deployment of brush piles (woody debris). If you think your Ontario waterfront community could benefit from a fish habitat enhancement project, please check out the free Fish Habitat Enhancement Toolkit: Watersheds.ca/download-the-fish-habitat-enhancement-toolkit/
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