Environment
Our deep connection to the bay is rooted in sparkling blue waters, granite shorelines, windswept pines and various other flora and fauna indigenous to our region. Our job is to sustain this connection for future generations through mindful stewardship of our natural environment.
Township of the Archipelago Forest Health Report 2015
There are concerns over a range of invasive forest pests threatening our local forests including the emerald ash borer, Asian long-horned beetle, beech bark disease, and hemlock wooly adelgid. This report provides an overview of forest pests in the Parry Sound-Muskoka...
PaBIA Forest Health Report Spring 2015
Here is a link to the Forest Health Report included in the 2015 yearbook. Forest Health 2015
Invasive Phragmites (2015 Yearbook Article)
I wrote an article warning of the spread of this invasive terrestrial in the 2012 yearbook. That article was a bit premature but this year, we need to watch out for and eradicate any new stands of this nasty reed in our area. This will help to reduce the number of new...
Educational Fact – illegal to attempt to catch fish for which the season is closed
We would like to point out one interesting fact a year so we all can become better sportsmen. Here is our 2015 interesting fact from the 2015 Regulations: “It is illegal to attempt to catch fish for which the season is closed, even if you are going to release them....
What To Do When You Catch A Tagged Fish
Rob Ludwig of Norwalk, Ohio recently caught a Walleye with an MNR tag on it. In contacting the MNR we got this answer on what to do. “ Over the next two years there will be a substantial number of tagged walleye in the area. We have developed a process for...
Round Goby – History & What You Can Do To Help
The round goby is a small, bottom-dwelling invasive fish. Native to the Black and Caspian seas in Eastern Europe, it was first found in North America in 1990 in the St. Clair River north of Windsor, Ontario. Researchers believe the fish was brought to North America in...
Black Spots On Fish – What Are They and Are They Harmful to You or the Fish?
Black spot is one of the most frequently observed parasites of fish. It appears as small black spots or cysts in the skin, fins and flesh of fish. In the black spot life cycle, fish-eating birds such as herons and kingfishers eat an infected fish. The larval stage,...
How You Clean A Fish May Have An Impact On Contaminant Consumption
We were doing research on how to reduce the consumption of mercury and other contaminants when eating fish and found it interesting that how you clean fish has a big impact. Here is some information you may find interesting. PCBs, pesticides and dioxins concentrate to...
How Old Is This 23.5 Lbs Northern Pike?
In early spring I caught the largest fish of my life up in the bay. It was 43 inches long and weighed 23.5 lbs. During the evening a group had a debate on how old it might be. We did some research and there are many factors but found this interesting study done in...
Low Water Blues – Results of the Mowat Study
The Mowat Centre has released their study on the economic impact of future low water levels in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The full study can be found here. http://mowatcentre.ca/low-water-blues/