Biotactic has been performing videographic surveys of fish passage at the Maple Hill dam fishway as well as within Otter Creek since 2018. Seasonal surveys are conducted using BRAVO M2 systems (info here) and the species, direction of movement, time, and condition of each unique fish is transcribed from recorded video. Surveys are part of a long-term multi-component BACI study designed to measure the benefits conferred by removing the Truax dam in Walkerton, Ontario for increasing fish passage, biomass and production throughout the watershed.

Baseline phases of this study were conducted in Spring and Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 and the Truax dam was removed in August 2019 as part of a fisheries offset and compensation project. The first post-dam-removal phase of this study was initiated in Fall 2019 and to-date staff have observed a significant increase in the number of fish able to pass the Maple Hill dam and utilizing Otter Creek, the first coldwater tributary upstream of the Truax dam footprint. Videographic surveys are scheduled to continue until 2026.

Find additional details regarding the fisheries offset and compensation project here, the radiotelemetry component of this project here, the biomass electrofishing survey component here, and the redd count survey component here.

A summary of all project findings to-date can be found here.