Toronto Harbor Fish Habitat Assessment
Project Title
A community-level approach to assessing fish movements and habitat restoration in the Toronto Harbour
Project Code
THFHA
Project Duration
June 2010 - June 2028
Project Description
Great Lakes coastal embayments provide critical habitats for warmwater fishes, yet many have experienced severe habitat degradation. Millions of dollars are being spent on habitat restoration, yet biotic responses are poorly understood. An acoustic telemetry study is currently underway in Toronto Harbour, examining responses to habitat restoration by key warmwater (Largemouth Bass) and coolwater (Northern Pike, Walleye) predators, invasive species (Common Carp), and other members of the fish community (e.g., Yellow Perch, White Sucker, Brown Bullhead). This study monitors broad-scale movements throughout the harbour in all seasons, including winter. By monitoring habitat changes associated with rehabilitation efforts and habitat selection over time, we will improve understanding of recovery lag times and the effectiveness of different habitat modifications, which can inform future habitat rehabilitation decisions.
Objectives
Identify key macrohabitats where study species congregate in each season, as potential sites for placement of fine-scale positioning arrays
Evaluate fish movements in relation to carp gates to ascertain their effectiveness at passing native fishes and excluding Common Carp from restored habitats.
Assess fish-community response to habitat creation and rehabilitation projects, and examine ontogenic and temporal shifts in fish-community habitat needs.
Assess habitat use metrics in White Sucker that predict exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Management Benefits
The information obtained from this project will allow managers to:
Identify the timing of seasonal transitions between habitats, and the degree of seasonal macrohabitat partitioning among species
Protect and enhance native-fish populations
Evaluate the efficacy of carp gates to protect restored wetlands
Investigators
Jon Midwood (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) - jon.midwood@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Steven Cooke (Carleton University) Susan Doka (Fisheries And Oceans Canada) Silviya Ivanova (University Of Windsor - Great Lakes Institute For Environmental Research) Sarah Larocque (University Of Windsor - Great Lakes Institute For Environmental Research) Jacob Brownscombe (Fisheries And Oceans Canada) Morgan Piczak (Fisheries And Oceans Canada) Melanie Croft-White (Fisheries And Oceans Canada) Emily Yeung (Carleton University - Fish Ecology And Conservation Physiology Lab)
Participating Organizations
Carleton University Fisheries and Oceans Canada Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Aquatic Habitat Toronto University of Toronto
Funding
Great Lakes Sustainability Fund Toronto Region Remedial Action Plan Great Lakes Fishery Commission Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Great Lakes Action Plan
Publications
Piczak, M. L., Theis, S., Portiss, R., Ruppert, J. L. W., Midwood, J. D. and Cooke, S.J. 2024. Assessing efficacy of ecological restoration for freshwater fishes in Toronto Harbour. Science of the Total Environment 953:176088.
Piczak, M. L., Berhe, S., Knag, A. C., Lennox, R. J., Vollset, K. W., Portiss, R., Midwood, J. D. and Cooke, S. J. 2024. Evaluating ecological restoration in urban ecosystems with acoustic telemetry: marine and freshwater case studies. Urban Ecosystems, 27(): 2135-2150.
Piczak, M.L., Theÿsmeÿer, T., Doka, S.E., Midwood, J.D., and Cooke, S.J. 2023. Knowledge of spawning phenology may enhance selective barrier passage for wetland obligate fishes. Wetlands 43(6):72.
Brownscombe, J.W., Midwood, J.D., Doka, S.E., and Cooke, S.J. 2023. Telemetry-based spatial-temporal fish habitat models for fishes in an urban freshwater harbour. Hydrobiologia 850(8):1779-1800.
Piczak, M. L., Brooks, J. L., Boston, C., Doka, S. E., Portiss, R., Lapointe N. W. R., Midwood, J. D. and Cooke, S. J. 2022. Spatial ecology of non-native common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Lake Ontario with implications for management. Aquatic Sciences, 85(1), 20.
Piczak, M. L., Anderton, R., Cartwright, L. A., Little, D., MacPherson, G., Matos, L., McDonald, K., Portiss, R., Riehl, M., Sciscione, T., Valere, B., Wallace, A. M., Young, N., Doka, S. E., Midwood, J.D., and Cooke, S. J. 2022. Towards effective ecological restoration: Investigating knowledge co-production on fish–habitat relationships with Aquatic Habitat Toronto. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 3, e12187
Brownscombe, J, Midwood, J.D., and Cooke, S.J. Modeling fish habitat – model tuning, fit metrics, and applications. Aquatic Sciences. 83:1-14.
Rous, A.M., J.D. Midwood, L.F.G. Gutowsky, N.W.R. Lapointe, R. Portiss, T. Sciscione, M.G. Wells, S.E. Doka, and S.J. Cooke. 2017. Telemetry-determined habitat use informs multi-species habitat management in an urban harbour. Environmental Management 59: 118-128.
Veilleux, M.A.N., Midwood, J.D., Boston, C., Lapointe, N.W.R., Portiss, R., Wells, M., Doka, S.E., and Cooke, S.J. Assessing occupancy of freshwater fishes in urban boat slips of Toronto Harbour. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management. 21(3):331-341
Peat, T.B., L.F.G. Gutowsky, S.E. Doka, J.D. Midwood, N.W.R. Lapointe, B. Hlevca, M.G. Wells, R. Portiss, and S.J. Cooke. 2016. Comparative thermal biology and depth distribution of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and northern pike (Esox lucius) in an urban harbour of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Canadian Journal of Zoology 94: 767-776.
Midwood, J.D., Gutowsky, L.F.G., Hlveca, B., Portiss, R., Doka, S., Wells, M.G., and Cooke, S.J. Bowfin (Amia calva) acoustic telemetry: insight into the ecology of a living fossil. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. 27: 225-236.
Larocque, S., Boston, C.M., Midwood, J.D. 2020. Seasonal daily depth use patterns of acoustically tagged freshwater fishes informs nearshore fish community sampling protocols. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3409: viii 38 p.
Midwood, J.D., Rous, A.M., Doka, S.E., and Cooke, S.J. 2019. Acoustic telemetry in Toronto Harbour: assessing residency, habitat selection, and within-harbour movements of fishes over a five-year period. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3331: xx 174 p.
