{"id":124911,"date":"2016-05-27T15:33:59","date_gmt":"2016-05-27T15:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muskies.kracmedia.com\/egg-collection-week-4\/"},"modified":"2016-05-27T15:33:59","modified_gmt":"2016-05-27T15:33:59","slug":"egg-collection-week-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muskies.kracmedia.com\/fr\/egg-collection-week-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Egg Collection – Week 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wil Wegman
\n<\u00b0))))><
\nResource Management Technician
\nOntario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
\nAurora District- 905-713-7730<\/p>\n

May 13, 2016<\/p>\n

Slowly but surely the 2016 trapnetting crews on Gloucester Pool are gaining confidence that they will\u00a0 reach their goals of capturing muskie and collecting 3 families worth of eggs for the hatcheries.\u00a0 This confidence however has not come easily, as crews have experienced a very trying season on the Pool thus far. \u00a0As ardent muskie anglers love to say \u2018This is the fish of a thousand casts\u2019<\/em> <\/strong>\u2026 and so too are the crews on Gloucester now saying \u201cthis is the fish of a thousand net sets\u2019\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n

To date we have maximized our efforts since Monday April 18 when we deployed 6 trap nets during a 23C heat wave, only to fish those same nets a week later when temps had fallen 23 degrees during a significant snow storm. \u00a0We then experienced crazy formations of green filamentous algae that covered some of our nets, and made our jobs doubly difficult and messy.<\/p>\n

This net above was our worst case scenario situated in a proven muskie spot we like to call ol stumpy. It and others have since been cleaned-up.<\/strong> \"trapnetting_023\"<\/p>\n

Most filamentous algae prefer stagnant, nutrient rich, warm waters.\u00a0Spirogyra<\/em>\u00a0however, is one species that flourishes more in cooler spring and fall months. They are found to dominate the littoral zones where we put our nets (the shallow, near-shore area where sunlight can penetrate to the bottom allowing aquatic plants to grow). During other years, we seldom have more than a few days when water temps remained in the single digits but this year, we had almost two weeks\u2019 worth \u2026 optimizing the conditions for this algae to flourish. \u00a0Thankfully, during week four, as water temperatures finally began to rise \u2013 pushing 14 C, much of the algae began to die off, and crews spent extra time cleaning off the nets.<\/p>\n

\"trapnetting_022\"<\/p>\n

The beginning of week 4, began with Muskies Canada volunteer Terry Barrett who witnessed some tremendous channel cat catches like the one he holds here. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Week 4 began with Mel and Wil opening the nets on a chilly Sunday, followed by a day of low catches the following Monday.\u00a0 Muskies Canada volunteer Terry Barrett however sill enjoyed himself and witnessed some great channel cat catches in a couple of our nets.\u00a0 On Tuesday, we saw another (or the same individual as last week) bald eagle which we figured had to be a good omen and was, as the very next day we captured our very first muskie of the season \u2013 a ripe male.<\/p>\n

This individual muskie was getting on in years and was one we had used for a muskie egg collection in 2006 when it was also sampled, tagged and released. Interestingly enough, it was originally caught at the site # 3 and was also recaptured at site # 3. In 2006 it measured 1050mm \u00a0and weighed 11kg \u2026 but on Tuesday, 10 years later it measured 1090mm and weighed about 8.2kg (based on length girth formula). \u00a0The fish was in good shape so he was held overnight in the hopes that on Thursday, our last day to collect eggs for the hatcheries this week, would supply a ripe female from one of our six nets.\u00a0 Alas \u2026 this was not to be, so the tagged muskie was set free to possibly contribute another day to our worthy cause.<\/p>\n

\"trapnetting_021\"<\/p>\n

This old male muskie was our first lunge of the 2016 trapnetting season. Pictured, Brent Shirley (Midhurst MNRF) \u00a0left, Adam Chalice (Aurora MNRF) and Kate Gee (Midhurst)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This week we also saw our very first Musk \u2026 or \u2018Stinkpot\u2019 Turtle. We definitely don\u2019t see as many of these \u201cSpecies of Special Concern\u2019 turtles as we do of the more common Northern Maps, so they are always cool to see \u2026 and even smell \u2013 as their musky odor does have a certain, shall we say \u2018 Je ne sais quoi\u2019<\/em> odor to them. It was only fitting that Aurora District biologist Carolyn Hann was on the muskie trapnetting boat the day the stinkpot was captured.<\/p>\n

She has acquired a wealth of turtle knowledge in her career spending many years volunteering for Turtle S.H.E.L.L Tortue helping to rehabilitate injured turtles, install turtle crossing signs, and providing education and outreach on our native turtle populations and habitat. She has continued by working on various Species At Risk \u00a0projects including Wood Turtle Research in Nova Scotia, and helping Biologist in Kejimkujik National Park with their Blanding\u2019s Turtle Research.<\/p>\n

Biologist Carolyn Hann with her special catch \u2026 A Stinkpot Turtle<\/strong><\/p>\n

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So \u2026 to learn even more about this fascinating turtle, turtle aficionado Carolyn Hann provided us with the following:<\/p>\n

Stinkpot Fun Facts<\/strong><\/p>\n