The potential of artificial freshwater habitats in supporting ecology of native fishes

Stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) are becoming more common in urban landscapes globally to assist with the contaminants runoff control, flood mitigation and water storage.

As availability of freshwater habitats may be limited in urban areas, wildlife such as birds, fish, insects and amphibians are likely to establish themselves in these artificial habitats, even though the quality of the habitat may be poor.

When an SWMP becomes non-operational or decommissioned, it creates an opportunity to improve biodiversity if the habitat is rehabilitated to explicitly support aquatic wildlife. While the practice is uncommon, a team of researchers at Carleton University partnered with the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority in Ottawa, Canada to determine if the rehabilitation of a decommissioned SWMP – now called Foster Pond – was successful in providing effective habitat for the local fish community.

The research team, led by Jessica Reid and Dr Steven Cooke, focused on assessing if connectivity had been successfully established between Foster Pond and the Jock River when the SWMP was re-connected to the river. Using passive integrated transponder technology, the movements of over 800 fish were tracked across the summer months.

Their findings, published in Water Biology and Security, indicate that the rehabilitation efforts provided at least 16 native fish species with habitat for feeding, growth and spawning activities. Individuals were able to freely move between the river and pond even if there was abundant submerged vegetation in the channel. Adult and juvenile northern pike (Esox lucius) were captured in the pond, indicating this area could be important spawning grounds for the species.

This research is an exciting validation of local conservation efforts, as the rehabilitation of the SWMP was not monitored before or after construction. Unfortunately, this is commonplace in the field of freshwater restoration, where efforts are usually underfunded and underprioritized.

Nonetheless, as development continues along the Jock River, these findings are important in demonstrating the value of monitoring and having specific, species-based goals to guide rehabilitation efforts. The creation of these ponds can promote freshwater biodiversity, increase habitat diversity and restore critical floodplain habitat in urban areas.

Contact author:

Jessica Reid, Canadian Science Publishing, jessicareid116@gmail.com

Funder:

This work was supported by grants from the Ottawa Field Naturalist's Club and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunter's (OFAH) Zone F. Jessica Reid was supported by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the NSERC FishCAST program. Steven Cooke was supported by the NSERC Discovery Grant program. The PIT telemetry system was funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation through RAEON.

Conflict of interest:

Steven J. Cooke is an editorial board member for Water Biology and Security and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article.

See the article:

Do fish in an urban river system use a rehabilitated and reconnected stormwater pond during the summer?  Steven J. Cooke, et al. doi: 10.1016/j.watbs.2024.100333