Partnership in Steelhead Research
During the 1980's, anglers noted that adult steelhead were smaller in size and fewer in number. Over-harvest by recreational fishing was thought to be the most likely cause. From 1991 to 1994, a steelhead assessment study was conducted on the Canadian tributaries of Lake Superior. Portage Creek was found to have an adult steelhead population that showed all the signs of over-fishing. In the spring of 1994, the lower reaches of Portage Creek, including the waterfall, were posted as private property, thereby limiting access to the creek, and effectively closing the fishery. This created a unique opportunity to monitor the steelhead population and determine if it could recover. A partnership was formed with the land owner and the North Shore Steelhead Association (NSSA) to conduct a long-term research study.
Main objectives of the Portage Creek research project
- Quantitatively describe the fluctuations of an adult steelhead population in the Canadian waters of Lake Superior.
- Illustrate the effects of environmental variables (e.g. weather) on wild steelhead.
- Use the Portage Creek data set as a reference population to describe and compare the sustainability and health of other Black Bay steelhead populations.
- Demonstrate the value of angler-gathered data and partnerships in fisheries management.
- Identify and document resident and migratory (coaster) brook trout life history strategies.
