Walleye and goldeye fisheries investigations in the Peace-Athabasca Delta – 1975

• Main Authors: Kristensen, J., Ott, B. S., Sekerak, A. D.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 1976
• Subjects: Oil Sands; Peace-Athabasca Delta; Surveys; Alberta; AOSERP; Fish; AOSERP AF 4.1.1; Tar Sands; Canada; Lake Claire; Little Rapids; Mamawi Lake; Weir; Lake Athabasca
• Online Access: https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/9fdea349-73ae-4e0a-8fb3-994a5e4a4163; https://doi.org/10.7939/R3MW28F66

The following report presents the results of- investigations on walleye and goldeye in the Peace-Athabasca Delta in 1975. The report is divided into four main sections that concern the following topics: (1) walleye in the Richardson Lake – Lake Athabasca system; (2) goldeye in the Lake Claire – Mamawi Lake system; (3) field observations of the completed Little Rapids weir on Riviere des Rochers; (4) assessment of field trials of the feasibility of marking fish with acrylic dye. Spawning success, movement, distribution, age structure, and several other biological characteristics of walleye and goldeye in the Peace-Athabasca Delta are discussed. The results of fisheries investigations in 1975 were generally incomplete because of the late initiation (mid-July) of the field work, and must therefore be interpreted carefully. BACKGROUND AND PERSPECTIVE The study on walleye and goldeye in the Peace-Athabasca Delta was sponsored by the Aquatic Fauna Technical Research Committee of AOSERP, in cooperation with the Peace Athabasca Delta Monitoring Group. This group is a multidisciplinary committee composed of representatives from governments of Alberta. Saskatchewan and Canada, and charged with the responsibility of monitoring the effects of remedial measures taken to restore water levels in the delta region. AOSERP funded the investigation in order to gain insight into baseline conditions with respect to walleye and goldeye in the Peace-Athabasca Delta. Walleye Investigations The primary objectives of this study were to delimit fry production in Richardson Lake during 1975 and to obtain the current age structure of the Lake Athabasca walleye population. A secondary objective was to obtain length-weight, age-length relationships and to determine sex ratios for the Lake Athabasca walleye. Studies on walleye fry numbers in the Delta region, surveys of some Saskatchewan streams along the south shore of Lake Athabasca and studies on life history and population dynamics of walleye in the delta have provided evidence that ...