From Ocean to River: Investigating Factors of American Eel Recruitment in Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador – Habitat Stewardship Program
The Habitat Stewardship Program for Aquatic Species at Risk is a partnered project with Nature Newfoundland and Labrador and Fishing For Success. This project is focused on the development of an American Eel recruitment protocol for Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador and increase stewardship efforts of aquatic species at risk.
We will be working on the Quidi Vidi watershed for two years and then our team will be shifting gears to work on the Petty Harbour River to test our developed protocol and methods in a different system for an additional project year.
This project stacks upon our past American Eel work on the same watershed with SEM Ltd. In 2023 and 2024, we studied the silver-phase American Eel seaward migration and yellow-phase American Eel to determine a resident population estimate in the Quidi Vidi – Rennie’s Mill River – Long Pond system under contract with SEM Ltd. Our current American Eel project on this watershed aims to complement this past project to cover the migration of another life phase of the American Eel – elvers and glass eels.
Aquatic Connectivity Assessment Project (ACA) – DFO
Aquatic Conservation Iniative is currently working with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on the Aquatic Connectivity Assessment project. The goal of this project is to assess connectivity in fish-bearing watercourses, with a focus on salmonid species.
Connectivity assessments are focused on points along waterways that have potentially impacted aquatic connectivity by culverts, bridges, and physical barriers on fish bearing watercourses. Connectivity Assessments were completed along provincial roads, municipal roads, resource roads, transmission lines, and along the NL T’Railway.
Connectivity assessments were completed across 73 sites across the Baie de Verde Peninsula.
Habitat Stewardship Program for Aquatic Species at Risk (HSP) – SEM Ltd. & DFO & Fluvarium
The Habitat Stewardship Prohram for Aquatic Species at Risk is a partnered project with The Fluvarium and SEM Ltd. a multidisciplinary consulting firm based in Newfoundland and Labrador. This project aims to address knowledge gaps in North American Eel populations in Newfoundland and better understand habitat use and life phase assessments of urban populations of American eel.
American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) is currently listed as a threatened species by the Commitee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC, 2012). The habitat use of the american eels is exceptionally complex as the species resides in oceanic, coastal, estuarine, and freshwater environments during different life stages of the species. The American Eel plays an important ecological role in aquatic ecosystems as a major predatory fish in both freshwaters and marine systems and thus a vector for nutrient transport between these different ecosystems.
In 2023, we researched elver recruitment, yellow-phase resident eel population estimates, and silver eel migration in the St. John’s region along Rennies River and Quidi Vidi Lake for the first time ever. In 2024, our team will work continue this work through radio tagging eels, tracking eels, and completing habitat assessments in the St. John’s region.
