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What? Juvenile salmonid densities are being monitored in various rivers within Cape Breton Highlands National Park using electrofishing surveys. When? Monitoring frequency occurs annually in the late summer/early fall once water temperatures have dropped below thermal stress thresholds for salmonids (<20oC) and water levels have started to rise above summer lows.

Stream thermal regime has important consequences for aquatic organisms, and is sensitive to climate and land use. The Park is monitoring thermal regimes at 10 sites annually from spring to fall using temperature loggers. The water temperature is recorded hourly and these data used to assess the suitability of the thermal environment of streams for Brook Trout.

This dataset covers electrofishing efforts in 11 streams or rivers in Forillon National Park since 2008. The abundance, size structure and condition of the fish in a brook trout population are sensitive to changes in the environment, specifically those caused by the presence of an invasive alien species, pollution or climate change, making this measure a good indicator of the health of the aquatic ecosystem. Fish, mainly brook trout, are harvested using electrofishing equipment in a closed 100-square-metre stretch of stream. Three fishing sessions, or passages, are carried out.

Since 2009, up to nine (9) streams (White River, Willow River, Oiseau Creek, White Gravel River, North Swallow River, Swallow River, Cascade River, Tagouche Creek and Imogene Creek) are monitored with stream temperature HOBO loggers to assess thermal suitability for Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). In 2016 and 2017, a second logger was deployed at each of the streams. Loggers are deployed in each stream during the summer, between Lake Superior and the first barrier. Data from the two loggers are analyzed separately for each week and the lower maximum weekly trimean temperature from each stream is used.

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.

Brook trout are top predators in aquatic ecosystems at Kejimkujik that integrate the effects of stressors throughout the aquatic trophic structure. They are sensitive to a variety of stressors, including acidification, changes in water quality, climate change, fishing pressure, exotic species introductions, trophic structure alterations, land use change, and watershed fragmentation. The monitoring program tracks Brook trout population status, as assessed by relative abundance and trout condition at two watersheds in Kejimkujik. Volunteer anglers record morphometric and catch per unit effort data during the months of April, May and June for 3 years in a row every 5 years.

This program is used to determine juvenile salmonid population status and trends for Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Surveys occur annually during the first two weeks of August and are focused on Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii). Data are derived from in-stream salmon fry sampling by use of minnow trap at select streams in the Long Beach and West Coast Trail units of the Park with historical runs of salmon. Salmonid fishes act as an ecological process vector, connecting and transporting energy and nutrients between the freshwater environments, coastal forests and marine ecosystems.

What? Adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations are being monitored in the Clyburn River in Cape Breton Highlands National Park during the fall salmon run. When? Monitoring frequency is annually during the adult Atlantic salmon fall run in the Clyburn River.

In eastern Canada, Harlequin ducks are uncommon and are listed by COSEWIC as a species of special concern. Resident of fast flowing-rivers and streams during the breeding season, their presence and abundance reflects the health of these ecosystems. The park censuses harlequin ducks on four rivers and streams of Gros Morne National Park; the Spring breeding survey is done in 1 day of helicopter surveys, every 5 years in May.

This data set provides pesticide sample analyses results for finfish (brook and rainbow trout) and shellfish (mussels and soft shell clams) for the province’s Pesticide Monitoring Program. The sampling includes a total of nine rivers that are tested across PEI, with three of the rivers being sampled each year. Finfish are collected from the river by electrofishing or rod and reel. Shellfish are collected from the same river systems manually, as close to the finfish sampling as possible.