A research centre has found that water levels could be affecting an endangered species in our waters.
This spring Eastern Charlotte Waterways studied spawning streams of the Lake Utopia Rainbow Smelt pairs. They found the dwarf sized fish’s water is of high quality, but water fluctuating water levels could be affecting their population.
Project manager Emma Hebb tells CHSJ news the water fluctuations go up and down by half a meter, which is concerning, since the eggs are laid when the water is up, but when the levels go down the eggs are exposed to the air.
Hebbs adds they’re looking at maintaining the rare fish population. The small smelt fish only exist in Lake Utopia and inhabits the waters with a longer smelt breed without becoming one species.
They’ll do the study again next year to see if it’s gotten worse or better.
For more information on the breed, click here.
