Fisheries Stewardship Council Initiates Bass Nest Creation Project

(How to build a Bass Nest)

The Georgian Bay – North Channel Fisheries Stewardship Council (GBNCFSC) has generated a lot of interest in fisheries habitat enhancement with local cottage associations this past summer.  This year, as part of the Stewardship Councils mandate to rehabilitate and enhance the local fisheries, the Council embarked on a wide scale smallmouth bass nest creation project.  This project involved conducting workshops and the distribution of handouts that demonstrated simple ways of creating enhanced bass habitat out of local naturally occurring materials.  Cottagers were shown how to enhance this species reproductive success by constructing bass nests directly in front of their properties. Through their actions, cottagers are able to help nature by enhancing their local aquatic environment.  In turn, they will be provided with future opportunities of observing bass go through their full reproductive cycle, right in front of their cottages.

The Council feels that this is a good first step in making the public aware of the aquatic environment.  As well, it will help to demonstrate the limitations of nature and how sometimes with a little help we can enhance the populations of locally important species such as smallmouth bass.  The basic principle of stewardship is getting the community involved in taking care of their local lands and waters.  An old saying goes like this; “if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you”, and the same holds true for our waters.

The Stewardship Council is a community based organization supported by The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and is comprised of volunteer members from a wide variety of groups concerned about the sustainability of the fisheries around the eastern Georgian Bay and the North Channel areas of Lake Huron. Their main focus is the rehabilitation, enhancement and protection of the fisheries that are ecologically and socio-economically important to the communities of the area.

The Council would like to thank the cottage associations on Healy Lake, Honey Harbor, and Woods Bay, the Iron City Fishing Club, the Georgian Bay Association and the Tim Hortons Childrens Camp on Lorimer Lake for their involvement with this important project. A special, thanks goes out to all those businesses that donated pea gravel for this project and/or allowed the storage of gravel for distribution to project participants.  These were Hall Construction of Parry Sound, Hutchinson Sand and Gravel of Huntsville, Lafontaine Sand and Gravel of Penetanguishene, Healey Lake Lodge, Jim Grisdales Marina on Woods Bay and Jack Legault’s Georgian Bay Landing and Marina near Honey Harbor. 

Due to the positive response and feedback garnered from many of the areas cottagers involved with this project, the Council expects that this bass nest project will expand in the future.  They would also like the public to know, that the Council will be embarking on additional fisheries rehabilitation and enhancement initiatives in the near future.  For more information on the Council, to get involved or to get information on the fact sheets entitled “Attracting Bass to Your Shorelines” check out their website at www.helpourfisheries.com or contact the Council at council@helpourfisheries.com.