Natural History Lake Winnipeg

1 natural history

1.1 fish
1.2 birds
1.3 list of protected areas on lake winnipeg
1.4 environmental issues

natural history
fish

the varying habitats found within lake support large number of fish species, more other lake in canada west of great lakes. sixty of seventy-nine native species found in manitoba present in lake. families represented include lampreys (petromyzontidae), sturgeon (acipenseridae), mooneyes (hiodontidae), minnows (cyprinidae), suckers (catostomidae), catfishes (ictaluridae), pikes (esocidae), trout , whitefish (salmonidae), troutperch (percopsidae), codfishes (gadidae), sticklebacks (gasterosteidae), sculpins (cottidae), sunfishes (centrarchidae), perch (percidae), , drums (sciaenidae).

two fish species present in lake considered @ risk. shortjaw cisco considered threatened species. bigmouth buffalo considered species of special concern.

rainbow trout , brown trout stocked in manitoba waters provincial fisheries part of put , take program support angling opportunities. neither species able sustain independently in manitoba. smallmouth bass first recorded lake in 2002, indicating populations introduced elsewhere in watershed present in lake. white bass first recorded lake in 1963, ten years after being introduced lake ashtabula in south dakota. common carp introduced lake through red river of north , firmly established.

birds

lake winnipeg provides feeding , nesting sites wide variety of birds associated water during summer months.

american white pelicans loaf near shore, hecla-grindstone provincial park

isolated, uninhabited islands provide nesting sites colonial nesting birds including pelicans, gulls , terns. large marshes, shores , shallows allow these birds feed , young. pipestone rocks considered globally significant site american white pelicans. in 1998, estimated 3.7% of world s population of bird @ time counted nesting on rocky outcrops. same site significant within north america numbers of colonial waterbirds using area, common terns. other globally significant nesting areas found @ gull island , sandhill island, little george island , louis island. birds nesting @ these sites include common , caspian terns, herring gull, ring-billed gull, double-crested cormorant , greater scaup.

lake winnipeg has 2 sites considered globally important in fall migration. large populations of waterfowl , shorebirds use sand bars east of riverton staging area fall migration. netley-libau marsh, red river enters lake winnipeg, used geese, ducks , swallows gather southward migration.

piping plovers, endangered species of shorebird, found in several locations around lake. gull bay spits, south of town of grand rapids considered nationally significant nesting sites species.

a list of protected areas on lake winnipeg

beaver creek provincial park
camp morton provincial park
elk island provincial park
fisher bay provincial park
grand beach provincial park
hecla-grindstone provincial park
hnausa beach provincial park
kinwow provincial park
patricia beach provincial park
sturgeon bay provincial park
winnipeg beach provincial park

environmental issues

lake winnipeg suffering many environmental issues such explosion in population of algae, caused excessive amounts of phosphorus seeping lake, therefore not absorbing enough nitrogen. phosphorus levels approaching point dangerous human health.

the global nature fund declared lake winnipeg threatened lake of year in 2013.

in 2015, there major explosion of zebra mussels in lake winnipeg, reduction of next impossible due lack of natural predators in lake. mussels devastating ecological opportunities of lake.