Town’s fish ladder longest in province
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/07/2021 (1768 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The longest fish ladder in Manitoba is in Minnedosa.
Roughly 600 feet long, the fish ladder is located directly below the Minnedosa Spillway. It has 22 pools and riffle structures.
Various species of fish travel from Little Saskatchewan River into Lake Minnedosa and further up the chain of lakes. Spawning season sees different species of fish swimming up the ladder. They include walleye, northern pike and white suckers.
The ladder is accessed on a gravel road going toward the Minnedosa cemetery and provides a spectacular view of Lake Minnedosa.
Dams and weirs may block the movement of fish from downstream to upstream areas and deny fish species that formerly moved past the dam/weir site, access to upstream areas suitable for spawning, rearing and or feeding, a spokesperson from the town said.
“They can also affect the genetics of fish populations by preventing gene flow from downstream to upstream areas.”
Installing an appropriate fish ladder can assist in resolving these concerns by allowing at least some fish to move upstream past the obstruction.
Invasive fish species can move upstream and will impact watercourses, the spokesperson said.
“In some cases, we might even want to block passage of certain fish species. The carp gates at Delta Marsh are an example of where we do this, where we deliberately exclude large carp on a seasonal basis to improve the overall health of the marsh.”
The fish ladder is mostly used in the spring, after the ice comes off the river, when fish are undertaking their spring migrations.
“Anglers are not allowed to fish within 23 metres of the downstream entrance to the fish ladder, and visitors should not harass fish that are in the fish ladder,” they said.
Disturbing the fish can cause them to head back down the ladder, and swim back up the fish ladder later if they don’t abandon swimming up the ladder entirely.
The fish ladder is but one tourist attraction to this busy little town of 2,500, just north of Brandon on Highway 10.
Mayor Pat Skatch is enthusiastic about Minnedosa’s economic growth and active tourism industry.
“I feel excited and passionate about the future of the town,” she said.
» kkielley@brandonsun.com