Lake Aeration

We use lake aeration as a fisheries management technique to provide Albertans with diverse recreational angling opportunities in areas of the province where such opportunities would be otherwise limited. Aerated waterbodies are typically shallow, eutrophic, experience prolonged ice cover, and are prone to summer and winter fish kills. Using aeration, we maintained dissolved oxygen levels above 3 mg/L to promote year-round survival and availability of larger fish to anglers. In 2022/23, we aerated 23 waterbodies across the province, all of which successfully overwintered stocked trout without any reported fish kills. We conducted monthly summer dissolved oxygen and temperature monitoring at Beaver, Birch, Fiesta, and Winchell lakes, and Kerbes Pond. This year, we expanded the aeration project by the addition of Little Bear Lake and upgraded electrical infrastructure at Millers Lake. We added two subsurface diffusers to the existing open water aeration system at Kerbes Pond to increase effectiveness. We replaced the windmill-driven summertime diffusers at Hansens Reservoir with a more efficient electrically powered diffusers to mitigate recent summer algal blooms and fish kills. We completed bathymetric mapping for Kerbes Pond and Mitchell Lake.

Partnerships

Alberta Fish & Game Association, Aquality Environmental Consulting Ltd., Clear Hills County, County of Barrhead, County of Northern Lights, Edmonton Trout Fishing Club, Government of Alberta, Mercer Peace River Pulp Ltd., Mountain View County, Municipal District of Bonnyville, Municipal District of Greenview No. 16, Northern Lights Fly Fishers – Trout Unlimited Canada, Northern Sunrise County, Parkland County, Saddle Hills County, Thorhild County, West Fraser – Edson Forest Products

Annual Summaries

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