Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre
755 Wallace Rd P1A 0E7 North Bay, ON, Canada

Fish fact Friday Have you ever seen a gar? These ancient fish are armored with thick scales and have long snouts full of sharp teeth. Gar can survive low oxygen environments thanks to their lung-like swim bladder and ability to gulp for air at the water's surface. In Ontario we have two species of gar: the spotted gar (first photo) and longnose gar (second photo). While both species have spots, the longnose gar has a much longer and narrower snout. Swipe to the third picture... to see their snouts side by side. There are only a few populations of spotted gar in Ontario, all of which are in coastal wetlands along the north shore of Lake Erie. Listed as Endangered, pollution and destruction of coastal wetland habitat are the biggest threats to spotted gar. A/OFRC technician Lucas recently travelled to Long Point, Lake Erie to tag gar with the help of local fishermen. By tagging fish, we can see where these fish move to and better understand how they use their environment. As always, if you catch a tagged fish of any species, please let us know! #aofrc #fishfactfriday #fisheriesassessment #fisheriesresearch @ Long Point, Lake Erie

Researchers in Sudbury are investigating the accumulation of mercury, arsenic, and chromium in northern Ontario fish populations. While fish are a very healthy food, when eaten in large amounts they can be a source of toxins in our diet. Take a listen to the interview with Post Doctoral researcher Gretchen Lescord on Morning North (link in article). https://www.cbc.ca//fish-chromium-arsenic-mercury-1.5675585

The American eel (bimisi in Anishinaabemowin) is a very unique fish in Ontario. With a long, snake-like body, it is hard to confuse an eel with any other fish in our waters, except the invasive sea lamprey. All American eels start their life in the Sargasso Sea, a sea located entirely within the Atlantic Ocean. The Sargasso Sea is bounded not by land but by four ocean currents. As larva, American eels migrate up the Atlantic coast and enter freshwater systems to mature. Ame...rican eels will remain in freshwater for up to 25 years, before returning to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die. Once an abundant fish in Lake Ontario, their numbers have plummeted in large part because of dams in the St. Lawrence River system. Dams prevent the movement of eels upstream to freshwater feeding areas and can kill eels as they pass through hydro-electric turbines on their downstream spawning migration. American eels are listed as Endangered in Ontario, meaning that they are still found in the wild but are facing imminent extinction or extirpation. Artwork by Steve Trudeau.

Can you believe this little 2 cm fish is a lake sturgeon? Sturgeon (or nme in Anishinaabemowin) is the largest and longest-lived fish species in Ontario - they can grow to over 150 lbs! Due to historic over-harvest, dams, and habitat loss, this ancient species of fish is listed as Endangered in the Great Lakes region. #lakesturgeon #aofrc #fisheriesassessment

Aireal, one of our Fisheries Technicians, is holding an acoustic telemetry receiver that is ready to be deployed. This receiver will stay at the bottom of the water for a year, recording any tagged fish that swim by. I wonder what fish we'll detect! #acoustictelemetry #fisheriesresearch #glatos #aofrc

Ever wonder what lake sturgeon are up to in the winter? We use acoustic telemetry to track their movements under the ice. Telemetry involves two main parts: transmitters and receivers. A fish is implanted with a transmitter tag that sends out signals through the water. When a tagged fish swims near a receiver, the receiver 'hears' the signal and records the date, time and unique identification of the fish. By using telemetry, we can learn where and when a fish moves through a water body. This week we are picking up receivers that have been at the bottom of the St. Marys River tracking fish movements for over a year. I wonder what we'll learn! Nme (sturgeon) art by Steve Trudeau. @ Garden River First Nation