A place to thrive
Bluefish power plant creates new fish spawning areas
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation has inadvertently created a new place for fish to spawn.
This photo of spawning whitefish, taken downstream from the Bluefish power plant, demonstrates that fish are thriving in the area. Matthew Miller with Northwest Territories Power Corporation said ongoing studies have shown that whitefish, lake trout and ciscoes are using the power plant's outflow areas as new spawning grounds. - photos courtesy of Paul Vecsei |
The Bluefish power plant, on Yellowknife River between Bluefish and Prosperous Lakes, has created new spawning grounds for whitefish, lake trout and ciscoes, according to studies.
Matthew Miller, environmental licensing specialist with power corp., said the corporation goes out of its way to make sure its facilities do not negatively affect the environment. The power corp. was studying the habitat to monitor any negative affects on fish and said, to their surprise, the power plant and its outflows have created a unique and more productive area for fish to spawn.
The water monitoring program began in 2012 when Bluefish plant was still under construction. He said the power corp. initiated a water monitoring program at Bluefish as part of the regulation process involving the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board. The program takes into account things like fisheries, aquatic habitat, high-density spawning and flow monitoring.
"The study pinpointed some areas downstream from our facilities that are very important spawning habitat for lake trout and whitefish from Prosperous Lake and ciscoes from Great Slave Lake," Miller said, adding researchers have also observed lake trout spawning in flowing water such as streams and rivers.
That only occurs in Northern regions and is much less understood than other forms of lake trout that spawn in lake ecosystems.
Miller said the power corp. has been careful to make sure operations do not set back this newly created spawning area.
He said this includes the timing of their shutdowns, when they release water through the spillway and anything to do with operating before and during the time of spawning, which takes place in the fall.
"Anywhere from the beginning of September right into November," he said. "The spawning of the three species is different based on triggers that we are learning more about ... Type of bottom, flow, depth, air temperature, water temperature are all things that have an impact on when the fish spawn."
Miller added areas upstream and downstream from all hydro facilities are closed to the public for safety reasons.
The Yellowknife River downstream from the Bluefish facility all the way to Prosperous Lake is closed to all fishing from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 to protect these spawning fish.
