Ottawa's Rivers Could Face a Similar Threat
Ottawa may be hundreds of kilometres from Nova Scotia's Kejimkujik National Park, but a devastating ecological story unfolding there carries urgent lessons for anyone who fishes, paddles, or simply loves the waterways winding through our city and the surrounding region.
Parks Canada has announced it is pausing its annual brook trout census at Kejimkujik — one of Atlantic Canada's most beloved wilderness parks — because an invasive predator, the chain pickerel, has so thoroughly decimated the trout population that there is little left to count.
What Is Chain Pickerel and Why Does It Matter?
Chain pickerel (Esox niger) is an aggressive, fast-reproducing predatory fish native to eastern North America but outside its natural range in many Canadian park ecosystems. Once introduced — often accidentally through bait-bucket releases or irresponsible fish transfers — it can overwhelm native species with terrifying efficiency.
At Kejimkujik, the results have been catastrophic. Brook trout, a species that has inhabited the park's cold, clear lakes for thousands of years, have been functionally wiped out in affected areas. Parks Canada is now pivoting its efforts from counting fish to emergency containment and recovery planning.
A Warning for Ontario and Ottawa-Area Waters
Ontario is no stranger to invasive aquatic species. The Rideau River, Ottawa River, and the hundreds of smaller lakes and streams within a two-hour drive of the capital are all vulnerable to similar disruptions. Invasive species like round gobies, zebra mussels, and northern snakeheads have already altered ecosystems across the Great Lakes basin.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters has long warned that careless bait release and illegal fish transfers are among the biggest threats to the province's native fish populations. What happened at Kejimkujik is exactly the scenario conservationists fear could play out in Ontario's most sensitive waterways.
Local groups like the Ottawa Riverkeeper monitor these threats closely, but prevention ultimately depends on the habits of everyday anglers and boaters.
What Ottawa Anglers and Paddlers Can Do
Experts consistently point to a handful of simple actions that make a real difference:
- Never release live bait into a body of water it didn't come from
- Clean, drain, and dry your boat, kayak, or canoe before moving between waterways
- Report unusual fish sightings to the Ontario government's Invading Species Hotline (1-800-563-7711)
- Never transfer fish between lakes or rivers, even if they seem like the same species
These aren't bureaucratic box-ticking exercises — the Kejimkujik situation shows exactly what's at stake when these rules are ignored.
The Bigger Picture
Parks Canada's decision to pause the brook trout census is significant. It signals that the damage has crossed a threshold where routine monitoring is no longer the priority — stopping the bleeding is. Recovery efforts will likely take years, if they succeed at all.
For Ottawa residents who love spending summer weekends fishing the Gatineau hills or kayaking through Rideau-area lakes, the message is clear: the ecological systems we take for granted are fragile, and one invasive species introduction can unravel them within a generation.
Keep our waterways clean. The fish — and future anglers — are counting on it.
Source: CBC News (Nova Scotia). Original reporting by CBC.
