White Lake In-Water Fish Structures
Existing fish habitat sites, suitable for the addition of woody debris (10 foot brush bundles, tied and anchored to cinder blocks) were carefully selected so that they would not interfere with boaters, which was an important consideration given White Lake, Ontario has a mean depth of 10 feet and has heavy boating traffic. A volunteer work party was organized by Watersheds Canada and held at the Cedar Cove Resort, who graciously housed the brush bundle building and deployment onto White Lake. Through the hard work of community volunteers, White Lake Preservation Project, Arnprior Fish & Game Club, Lou Laventure’s team and Cedar Cove Resort staff, we were able to build and anchor 16 bundles and 19 recycled Christmas trees (donated by Home Hardware in Perth) for 19 sites on White Lake.
Loaded down with brush and volunteers, a caravan of boats and towable pontoons traversed the lake, using depth finders, underwater cameras and knowledge of local Outfitter, Adam Pugh.
” I felt privileged to be a part of such a fantastic project happening on White Lake! It’s great to see conservation in action and what can be accomplished by hard working and passionate individuals. Can’t wait to see the results!” said Adam Pugh, Cedar Cove Resort & Adam’s Outfitting.
Watersheds Canada would like to thank everyone for helping improve the fishery of White Lake.
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 nine 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/
Special Thanks to Fisheries and Oceans Canada for their generous funding support through their Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program.
