Habitat Losses Tar, Calumet And Josyln Rivers – Horizon Fisheries and Aquatics Monitoring

Between 2005 and 2009, Canadian Natural conducted fisheries and aquatic monitoring to assess fish populations, habitat productivity, and ecological function. The goal was to ensure no net loss of productive capacity, using a 2:1 compensation ratio, and to gather baseline data to guide future habitat design. The results will determine whether the compensation lake meets ecological standards before advancing to Phase 2 of the project.

The conclusion of the Horizon Project’s monitoring program indicates that to meet the required 2:1 compensation ratio for habitat loss, approximately 2,600,000 g/year of fish production must be generated in the compensation habitats. The actual production per unit area will depend on the final size of these habitats across both project phases. The mean estimated production loss is 1,270,900 g/year, but the wide confidence interval (ranging from 288,497 to 4,405,020 g/year) highlights significant uncertainty. This variability stems mainly from limitations in fish abundance data and aging of forage fish, which affect growth models. To improve confidence in these estimates, targeted field studies addressing these uncertainties are recommended.