Lake Fish Health Monitoring in Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Lake fish health is monitored annually in five lakes within Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Data includes species presence, catch per unit effort (CPUE), and body condition measurements for salmonid species like brook trout.

Use Cases

• Analyze catch per unit effort (CPUE) trends across five monitored lakes to assess fish population changes.
• Model body condition metrics of salmonid species against environmental factors like water temperature.
• Study species presence data to evaluate community structure and the impact of sport fish harvesting.

Strengths

• Monitoring follows a standardized protocol using 10 fyke nets over 50 trap nights per survey.
• Data collection targets specific salmonid species, including brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis).
• Surveys are conducted annually with each of the five lakes monitored once every five years.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to five specific lakes within a single national park.
• Data collection occurs only in spring under specific water temperature conditions (6-20°C).
• The dataset likely contains only salmonid species data, excluding other fish families.

Provenance

Source

Parks Canada

Collection Method

Field sampling using fyke nets set along lake shorelines, checked daily for five consecutive days.

Time Range

Annual spring monitoring post-snowmelt, typically by June 15th.

Freshness

Annual monitoring with each lake surveyed once every five years.

Geography

Five lakes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada: Freshwater Lake, Warren Lake, Broad Cove Mountain Lake, Branch Pond, and Benjie’s Lake.