Species-at-Risk Fish & Habitat Monitoring
The Upper St. Lawrence River is home to a number of species-at-risk fish, including 3 minnow species, the pugnose shiner, cutlip minnow, and bridle shiner. In 2023 the River Institute launched a project to monitor the distribution of these at-risk species, assess the status of key threats, raise awareness, and conduct habitat restoration to support their recovery. The project builds on monitoring conducted by a previous project focused on recovery actions for the pugnose shiner, as well as the larger FINS project. This work has provided some of the best available documentation of the population distribution of this species in the St. Lawrence Rive. It has demonstrated hopeful signs of pugnose shiner recovery and identified key areas for habitat restoration activities.
Quick Links:
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StoryMaps: Pugnose Shiner
Project Contact
mwindle[at]riverinstitute.ca
Objectives
- Restore habitat for aquatic species-at-risk
- Evaluate the impacts of restoration projects
- Assess the status of key threats to aquatic species-at-risk
- Better understand the distribution of aquatic species-at-risk populations
- Promote actions to support aquatic species-at-risk recovery
Partners & Collaborators
- Queen’s University
- Mohawk Council of Akwesasne
- Watersheds Canada
- City of Cornwall
- Lawrence Parks Commission
- Lawrence College
Funders
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Ontario Power Generation
- Trottier Family Foundation
Publications
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE
Preferential incorporation of dark, coloured materials into nests by a mound-nesting stream cyprinid
YouTube
Presentation: Observations of Species at Risk Fishes over 10 years of nearshore monitoring on the USLR
Observations of Species at Risk Fishes over 10 years of nearshore monitoring on the USLR
Photo Gallery
