Humber River Fisheries Management Plan - Ontario Streams

1 Humber River A cooperative resource Management plan developed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority October 2004 FFFiiissshhheeerrriiieeesss MMMaaannnaaagggeeemmmeeennnttt PPPlllaaannn i Correct citation for this publication: Clayton, J., Hayes K., Heaton, M. G. and, Lawrie, D. 2004. Humber River Fisheries Management plan . Published by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. ii PREFACE A number of federal, provincial and regional strategies exist to guide watershed Management and habitat protection and rehabilitation. At a federal level, the Toronto and Region Remedial Action plan (RAP) was established in accordance with the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and identified the Toronto and Region Area of Concern (AOCs) as one of 43 AOCs around the Great Lakes.

2 The Stage I RAP document identifies types and sources of water pollution problems, and outlines goals, remedial actions, agencies, costs, timetables and monitoring programs. Stage II provides a framework for guiding more local initiatives, such as Fisheries rehabilitation. The Humber River Fisheries Management plan (FMP) provides direction on three RAP goals and actions: Goal 2a) a self sustaining fishery Goal 2b) rehabilitation of fish and wildlife habitat Action 21) protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat Implementation of RAP recommendations, in conjunction with the recommendations of watershed based rehabilitation plans, will eventually lead to the delisting of watersheds within the Toronto and Region Area of Concern. Provincial Fisheries Management plans that set the context for the Humber River Fisheries Management plan include the Strategic plan for Ontario Fisheries (SPOF II) and the Maple District Fisheries Management plan .

3 SPOF II was prepared in consultation with the public and provides a basis for actions involving the public and private sectors. The overall goal of SPOF II is to achieve: "Healthy aquatic ecosystems that provide sustainable benefits, contributing to society's present and future requirements for a high-quality environment, wholesome food, employment and income, recreational activity and cultural heritage." SPOF II also provides objectives, guiding principles and strategic Management actions to help resolve important issues. The Maple District Fisheries Management plan (MDFMP) prepared by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources also sets a context for the Humber River Watershed Fisheries Management plan . Through the MDFMP, general strategies and tactics to achieve specific district goals are outlined. The Humber River Fisheries Management plan establishes Fisheries Management direction consistent with federal and provincial objectives but provides additional details regarding specific project locatios, priorities and species Management targets at a subwatershed level.

4 Development of the Humber River FMP was guided by a steering committee made up of representatives from government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs) and the public as well as comments from two rounds of public meetings. At the first round of public meetings many concerns and opportunities were expressed with regard to allowing increased access for migratory species into the watershed from Lake Ontario . These opinions were summarized and grouped into 12 categories which were then used as criteria to evaluate Management options. iii These Management options ranged from doing nothing to unrestricted access for all species. Following discussions with the Steering Committee a short list of options was developed. Using the decision criteria and an understanding of the fundamental characteristics and historic functions of the watershed, a preferred Management option was selected. The preferred Management option was presented to the public during the Round 2 public meetings and included the following: mitigation of the Old Mill dam north of Bloor Street in Toronto to allow jumping species access upstream; the removal/mitigation of dams upstream from the Old Mill dam to north of Regional Road 7 (formerly Highway 7) in Woodbridge; and the mitigation of the Board of Trade Golf Course barrier in Woodbridge to selectively allow native and naturalized species access to the headwaters of the upper Humber River .

5 Between 1998 and 2002, four dams have been completely modified and provide passage for all species of fish while six barriers have been partially modified. These partial modifications are considered short-term solutions that improve access for species capable of jumping over obstacles, with longer term objectives being aimed at passage of all species to upstream habitats. The mitigation of additional upstream barriers, on-line ponds, and the implementation of other projects such as the revegetation of stream corridors and improvement of aquatic habitat forms the basis of this plan . iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The need for a watershed based Fisheries Management plan was recognized early in the development of Legacy: A Strategy for a Healthy Humber , 1997 (MTRCA). This Fisheries Management plan is a resource document to be used to develop and implement rehabilitation projects and as a tool to guide and influence where development occurs.

6 The initial task for the Fisheries Management plan was to establish baseline information on the condition of the fish community based upon historical conditions. Fish sampling records from as far back as 1948 as well as anecdotal information from historical references were compiled. In all, over 360 stations and more than 900 individual surveys were entered into a database. Seventy four species have been found in the watershed historically including species such as Atlantic salmon (extirpated), redside dace (provincially threatened and federally a species of special concern), largemouth bass and rainbow darter. Ten of the 74 historic species are introduced and exotic. In 2001, 43 fish species were captured including brook trout, rainbow trout, northern pike, common carp, pumpkinseed and mottled sculpin. Forty of the species captured are native. Analyses of the recent data indicates that the aquatic habitats in the rural areas of the Upper Main, East and West Humber River subwatersheds are generally in good condition while the more urbanized Black Creek and Lower Main Humber River subwatersheds are more degraded.

7 The best and worst habitats are found in the smaller tributaries, suggesting these watercourses are more easily impacted than the larger tributaries. Further analysis indicates that the fish communities in many areas of the watershed lack fish-eating fish and sensitive species, suggesting degraded conditions. The distributions of the sensitive coldwater species found in the watershed, which include brook trout and mottled sculpin, are restricted to the Upper Main Humber River subwatershed and portions of the East and West Humber River subwatersheds. The physical conditions in the watershed vary from the headwaters on the Niagara Escarpment and Oak Ridges Moraine to the mouth on the Iroquois shoreline. Streams with no tributaries, or first order Streams , make up almost half of the 1300 km of watercourses in the watershed. At the mouth, the Humber River is a sixth order stream with a drainage area of 908 km2.

8 Stream slopes range from the almost flat River mouth area to some slopes greater than 5% in the headwaters. The coarse sands and gravels in the Niagara Escarpment area and the Oak Ridges Moraine allow little surface run-off and substantial groundwater discharge to many headwater Streams , keeping water temperatures cold and flows stable. The clay soils found in the middle sections of the watershed have a much higher run-off potential and as a result stream temperatures and flows fluctuate more significantly throughout the year. The result of the variation in physical characteristics is a diversity of aquatic communities across the watershed. Over 20 large lakes and ponds and more than 600 smaller waterbodies are found throughout the watershed. The larger waterbodies, especially the deep kettle lakes, are oxygen deprived in the lower depths for part of the year. Many waterbodies are also high in nutrients and suspended particulates.

9 Countless artificial ponds created as dugouts or by damming of a watercourse exist in the watershed. On-line ponds negatively impact the watercourse on which they are situated by allowing the water to warm excessively, halt the transport of sediment downstream by trapping it in the pond and obstructing fish movement. v Over 110 instream barriers such as dams or weirs have been identified in the watershed, though many more exist. They have implications for water temperatures, River hydrology, flood control, bank erosion and fish passage. In the case of the Old Mill dam north of Bloor Street in Toronto, it also blocks the upstream migration of sea lamprey, an undesireable parasite that feeds on fish. Some of the dams built in the 1800 s also have a cultural significance due to their historical role associated with early European settlement. To date, fish barriers between Bloor and Dundas Streets and Raymore Park north of Eglinton Avenue in Toronto, and Doctors McLean Park and the Board of Trade Golf Course, both in Woodbridge, have been mitigated with the result that rainbow trout are now able to migrate from Lake Ontario into the East Humber River and its tributaries.

10 Prior to these barrier mitigation projects, migratory salmon had been excluded from the East Humber River for more than 100 years. Furthermore, the McFall dam in Bolton and the Palgrave dam have been mitigated to allow fish passage for resident species. Barrier mitigation is a priority action for the rehabilitation of this watershed. Stream corridor vegetation, in the form of trees and shrubs, serves to shade watercourses which keeps them from warming, helps to contribute organic matter and woody material for cover, and stabilizes River banks. Overall, slightly more than 40% of the watercourses in the watershed have woody vegetation within the riparian zone. The Upper Main Humber River subwatershed has the most riparian vegetation while the West Humber River subwatershed has the least. As a result, watercourses in the West Humber River subwatershed warm more quickly, are often turbid and lack instream woody cover.