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Water temperature is considered a key ecosystem driver in freshwater ponds and streams of PEI National Park. American eel and Eastern Brook trout have been chosen for evaluating pond and stream temperature conditions as they are a common residents in most Atlantic Canada water bodies. Eastern brook trout are intolerant of warm water conditions. Stream temperature and brook trout growth are important factors that can directly influence survival, growth and distribution.

PEI National Park samples Chlorophyll-a to measure aquatic productivity in four freshwater ponds. The sampling is carried out on an hourly basis between May-October each year using YSI sonde data loggers. In PEINP, all freshwater ponds are shallow (maximum depth is 4.5 m) and non-stratifying. Chlorophyll-a is used to assess primary productivity in freshwater ponds at PEI National Park.

Odonata monitoring is conducted in four shallow water ponds within the wetland ecosystems of PEI National Park. Park staff collect exuviae (the remains of aquatic larval stage exoskeleton) of metamorphosed larvae from the order odonata twice per year: in the early summer (June) and late summer (August) during peak emergence periods. The objective of the measure is to acquire baseline data on the species diversity and relative abundance of dragonflies and damselflies within wetlands of the national park. Taxonomic diversity and abundance are compared against historical levels to assess ecological integrity.

What? Lake fish health is being monitored in five lakes throughout Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Freshwater Lake, Warren Lake, Broad Cove Mountain Lake, Branch Pond, and Benjie’s Lake). Data collected is used to determine species presence, CPUE (catch per unit effort), and body condition. When?

This collection presents data associated with the following report:

Cairns, D.K. 2020. Landings, abundance indicators, and biological data for a potential range-wide American eel stock assessment. Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Science.

Both native and non-native fish inhabit many lakes and ponds across Jasper National Park. Prior to stocking practices in the past, many lakes in Jasper National Park did not have fish or had a low diversity fish assemblage. These past stocking practices have altered fish communities today. Introduced non-native fish may outcompete some native fish populations and the stocking of historical natural fishless lakes may affect their food webs.

The park monitors angling stress in several ponds (lakes) in Terra Nova with Fyke nets. Angling stress is assesed against calculated values of fish biomass and fish condition (Fulton’s condition factor, K).

Lakes and ponds are a significant aquatic feature in Waterton Lakes National Park. Due to the extreme topography, many of these water bodies were fishless prior to historic stocking. Historic stocking practices have highly altered fish
communities. In many locations the presence of nonnative fish is putting native fish populations in jeopardy.

Stream benthic invertebrates are important indicators of aquatic health and have been monitored in PEI National Park to assess community diversity as well as abundance of pollution tolerant and intolerant taxa in streams. Benthic invertebrates are collected on an annual basis using the sampling methods developed by Environment Canada for the "CABIN" stream monitoring network. Samples are sorted and invertebrates are classified to the lowest possible taxomonic classification to determine abundance and biodiversity in these aquatic ecosystems. Community biodiversity is assessed using the Simpson’s reciprocal index (D).

Wapusk National Park (WNP), protects a vast landscape of coastal salt marshes, countless ponds, and a diversity of boreal-tundra interface habitats, and serves as staging areas for migrating birds, including the Lesser Snow Goose (LSGO). Over the last few decades LSGO populations have increased exponentially due to multiple factors the LSGO is now considered hyper-abundant. Grazing LSGO create large disturbed and barren areas altering vegetation, soil, and ponds, and affecting the ecological integrity of the parks terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. To assess goose impacts and their spatial expansion, thirty (30) ponds were selected to form a coarse grid covering the area north of the Broad River and east of Nestor Two camp.