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GRANTED
Exploring and Solving Problems with Funded Fish Research ► by Mary McIntyre
Each year, Alberta Conservation Association’s Research Grants fund high quality research projects on wildlife, fish and habitat which inform the effective management of wildlife, fish populations, and habitat in Alberta. The following three studies are examples of research that has been completed with a focus on Alberta fish.
photo: ACA, Brad Downey
Testing anglers’ BELIEFS with DATA “If we don’t reduce walleye numbers, won’t they stunt growth or create an ecological imbalance?” This question was repeatedly brought forward at Government of Alberta fisheries management open house events. Fisheries officials were gathering feedback from anglers on current management practices throughout the province. This took place under the direction of Alberta Environment and Parks Minister, Jason Nixon, between January and February 2020. Many anglers voiced a belief that small or skinny walleye was evidence for the fish being slow-growing or stunted, presumably because of an oversupply of fish, which then eat themselves out of house and home. An Alberta researcher and graduate student also attended many of the events, but for different reasons. They volunteered their time at these gatherings to listen and talk to anglers so they could better understand the issues anglers face. These conversations lead Dr. John R. Post, professor at the University of Calgary
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(U of C), and Christopher Cahill, PhD candidate, also at the U of C, to investigate if the size of a walleye population influenced its growth rate. “They had good reason to be concerned about it. This phenomenon occurs regularly in fish populations around the world,” said Cahill. Post and Cahill spent two years combing through Alberta data to determine if this phenomenon was occurring in Alberta's walleye lakes, assessing nearly 40,000 walleye from over 100 lakes, and spanning 20 years in the process. Using state-of-the-art spatial-temporal statistics, they found that walleye growth rates did not decrease from 2000 to 2018. Follow-up research in 2019/20 led them to their key finding: walleye population size did not appear to influence fish growth rates. Cahill noted that this new information does not mean anglers are wrong: “It is possible that something else might be responsible for anglers' observations.” So, keep on sharing those observations, Alberta anglers! And for more fish research, check out Dr. Post’s research at John R. Post Fisheries Lab, U of C, at www.jrpostfisherieslab.wixsite.com/postlab.
