| Summary: | Scientists and managers are pressed to conserve biodiversity in landscapes altered by human activities, especially agricultural changes in land cover, which can affect biodiversity dramatically. I tested whether Grass Pickerel Esox americanus vermiculatus in Beaver Creek, an agricultural drain near Fort Erie, ON, displayed restricted versus migratory movements. Grass Pickerel is a fish listed as Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Its movement ecology is poorly understood. Dredging of agricultural drains is a possible source of habitat fragmentation and loss. Most Grass Pickerel were sedentary from late spring to early autumn. Long distance movements occurred infrequently, varied seasonally, were made by larger individuals in better body condition, and were dispersive rather than migratory in nature. The movement ecology of listed Grass Pickerel appears similar to that of common stream fishes, which should aid in the development of practices to minimize the effects of drain maintenance on fishes. Friends of Fort Erie Creeks Department of Fisheries and Oceans Town of Fort Erie
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