2018 Long Lake – Walleye Enhancement Project
Long Lake is located in Central Frontenac Township, just north of Parham, Ontario, a small village along Hwy 38, in Frontenac County. While the lake reaches depths of over 13 meters, the average depth is about 6 meters. The lake has a perimeter of 16.8 km and a surface area of 301 hectares. Long Lake is home to a cool water fishery that includes walleye, small & largemouth bass, northern pike and perch. There is a public beach, boat launch area on east end, owned and operated by the Central Frontenac Township. Long Lake has a very active Property Owner’s Association on the lake, which made organizing and completing this walleye spawning bed enhancement project very enjoyable.
After several discussions, it was decided that we would execute a winter spawning bed enhancement. Long Lake was a perfect candidate for this technique because it has very little flow and ice movement in the spring. We decided that we would ask volunteers to bring snowmobiles, ATVs, tractors, sleds and trailers to transport the washed river stone 1.5 km across the ice to the spawning beds. Volunteers would then dump and spread out the rock on top of the ice, where it would then drop into place in the spring once the ice melted. The project would take place once the ice was safe for heavy vehicle traffic.
During the cold month of January, the hired contractor and volunteers observed the ice and weather conditions and kept a road plowed to the spawning beds. It was decided that the project would commence on the morning of February 2nd, 2019, with the week leading up to it busy with plowing out the road and two spawning bed sites. Washed river stone was also delivered and tarped on the public beach and access site. The Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation were contacted and invited to participate in the enhancement and the 1st Drummond Scouts volunteered to help spread rock on the beds.
Over 50 volunteers convened the morning of February 2nd with ATVs, snowmobiles, trailers, tractors and sleds. And one at a time the excavator loaded the washed stone and the volunteers transported it to the spawning beds and waiting volunteers, who dumped and spread out the stone according to the plan.
Completed Long Lake Walleye Spawning bed – Northern Island.
Completed Long Lake Walleye Spawning Bed – Northern Island May 2019.
This entire project would not have been possible without the support of the many partners and volunteers who made it successful. It was a combined effort involving the Long Lake Property Owner’s Association, Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, 1st Drummond Scouts, Nedow Constr. Ltd., LUSH Cosmetics, and Watersheds Canada. Special thanks to Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program for the financial support in the competition of the Long Lake Walleye Spawning Beds Enhancement Project.
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/
Thanks to:
Long Lake Property Owners’ Association
