Fisheries Program

Our Fisheries Program supports and enhances conservation activities that retain the diversity and abundance of fish populations and communities, and the biological processes and habitats that support them. The program informs and supports ASRD in the development and implementation of management plans for priority species and the management of consumptive and non-consumptive uses. The Fisheries Program is thus designed to support fishing as a recreational use by Alberta anglers while enhancing the sustainability of Alberta fish populations through effective and credible science-based conservation.

Program activities are organized into five areas:

• Aeration
• Enhanced Fish Stocking (EFS)
• Riparian Conservation
• Lentic (standing water bodies e.g., lakes)
• Lotic (running water bodies e.g., rivers and streams) inventory and monitoring

Activities under the lentic and lotic themes are complementary. They include inventory and monitoring of priority fish species and associated sport fisheries to provide information on population structure, abundance, angler use and harvest and associated demographics in priority waters.

Riparian conservation activities are designed to enhance, maintain and protect priority riparian habitat through collaboration with private landowners, government, industry and other stakeholders.

Aeration projects are designed to help develop and maintain lake habitats that promote year-round survival of sport fish, thereby creating or enhancing recreational angling opportunities. Similarly, the EFS Program stocks 20-cm rainbow trout into put-and-take lakes to provide angling opportunities in areas of the province where such fishing opportunities would not have existed otherwise.

The Fisheries Program also manages and delivers the rivers and lakes sampling sub-program under the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Inventory (ABMI) aquatic program.