Southern Ontario hot bed of rare, endangered fish

Southern Ontario wetlands continue to house some of the rarest fish in Canada, say biologists roaming the region this week.

Jason Barnuczhas been hopping from one wetland to the next with a team of researchers, studying fish populations from Lake Henry on Pelee Island to the Long Point National Wildlife Area.

A research biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Barnuczand histeam gaugethe health of ecosystems by focusing largely on the abundance of fish.

Having already visited the southern shores of Lake St. Clair, Wheatley Provincial Park and Lake Henry, theswampteam found 30-40 different species a day.Some wetlands alone have more than 50 species in them.

"These wetlands are some of the most diverse systems anywhere in Canada," Barnucz said. "Some of the rarest fish in Canada can only be found in some of these places.

Protecting rare species

The latest research tour is apartnership with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ontario'sMinistry of Natural Resources and the University of Toronto.

The group is particularly looking at rare species of fish.Barnucz cites examples like the spotted gar as one of the rare species found in the wetlands, whichhis team discovered in Rondeau Bay.

The researchers would also like to catch sight of a lake chubsucker, which is a rare fish in Canada, but found in a lot of southern Ontario wetlands.

Stable populations

Barnucz has not noticed a depletion of fishpopulations in the wetlands over the past decade. He did a similar tour of these sites back in 2002, so this time around is a bit of a nostalgic experience.

He attributes the wetland stability to stewardship programs by groups like Ontario Parks, Parks Canada and the Essex Region Conservation Authority.

"A lot of these areas have a good level of protection and, because of that, we've been very successful at conserving and protecting these areas," he said.

Over next few weeks, the team plans to also visitSt. Clair National Wildlife Area, Long point National Wildlife Area and Hillman Marsh.

One of the more difficult parts of the research is dealing with snapping turtles, which are drawn to the nets when they're full of fish.

Barnucz has been recording several of his experiences with the turtles, saying the video has been captured on "turtle cam."