Abstract
Winter is an ecologically challenging time for freshwater fishes in temperate regions. In aquatic systems that experience annual winter water-level drawdowns, the pressures that fish already face during winter can be exacerbated. The Rideau Canal, a 202 km waterway located in eastern Ontario, Canada, is one such freshwater system that encounters these challenges. The 8.3 km “Eccolands Reach,” near Ottawa, experiences a considerable annual drawdown from mid-October to mid-May of 1.79–2.13 m and is home to a self-sustaining, urban muskellunge population. Because the Eccolands Reach is relatively shallow and narrow, the drawdown may significantly reduce overwintering habitat. We used acoustic telemetry and hydraulic measurements to evaluate connectivity, critical winter habitats, and residency patterns of muskellunge (N = 23) over two drawdown seasons (2020–2021; 2021–2022) in the Eccolands Reach. Our results revealed that most muskellunge overwinter in a central portion of the reach with distinct, contiguous deeper sections and that the drawdown functionally fragments the river in several areas, eliminating connectivity to adjacent habitats, by creating shallow-water barriers and high-velocity currents in riverine constrictions. Additionally, we documented potential spring spawning movements and discuss implications of reproduction prior to system refill. Our work provides insights into connectivity and winter habitats of muskellunge in a regulated waterway.
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Data availability
The datasets generated and/or analysed for the current study are available from the corresponding author (J.N. Bergman) upon reasonable request. Discharge data provided by Parks Canada is federally protected.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Ottawa Chapter of Muskies Canada Inc. for providing financial assistance, and our sincerest appreciation goes out to the many angling volunteers. Additionally, we thank John Anderson and Danny Cawley for organizing the Musky Trader Symposium that provided partial funding for this project. Equipment funding was also supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Strategic Project Grant focused on the Rideau Canal. Acoustic telemetry equipment was provided by the Real-time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON), funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Science. JNB, JRB, and KLN are funded by NSERC. We thank Jacob Douma (Wageningen University) for support in statistical analysis, and the heritage researcher and author Ken Watson for providing permissions to use his maps of the Rideau Canal as a template for Fig. 1. Finally, we sincerely appreciate the thoughtful and constructive reviews from two anonymous reviewers.
Funding
This study was funded by the Muskies Canada Inc. Ottawa Chapter, the Musky Trader Symposium, and through a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Strategic Partnership Grant (Grant No. STPGP 506352 - 17).
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JNB, SJC, DMG, and SJL conceived and designed the study. JNB, DMG, LEL, and SJL performed field work. JNB and JRB analyzed data. JCV, CDR, and KLN performed substrate field work. KLN and CDR performed hydraulic field work, provided and analyzed drawdown and velocity data for the study, and co-developed Fig. 2. JNB wrote the original draft; review and editing provided by all co-authors.
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Bergman, J.N., Neigel, K.L., Landsman, S.J. et al. Multi-year evaluation of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) spatial ecology during winter drawdowns in a regulated, urban waterway in Canada. Hydrobiologia 850, 417–439 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-05085-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-05085-3