Lake and Brook Trout Monitoring Program
A long-term population assessment from 2005-2025.
Project Details
Since 2005, the Beauchene Wilderness Lodge has conducted annual Lake and Brook Trout collections using Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags. This long-term dataset allows fisheries managers to detect stock changes, adjust harvest limits to support population health, and estimate the size and diversity of the fishery.
The Data At a Glance
20 Years of Continuous Monitoring
Year over year, Mark and a select team would work at Beauchene Wilderness Lodge to collect, tag, and release trout under a special collection license. Monitoring of Brook Trout began in 1997. Monitoring using microchips in Lake Trout and Brook Trout began in 2005.
1,755 Unique Lake Trout Tagged
All Brook Trout are captured by angling. Most Lake Trout are captured also by angling, but in some years, we worked closely with Quebec Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) using short-set gill nets.
Two Primary Study Lakes
Brook Trout are monitored in Taggart Lake, and Lake Trout are monitored in Lac Beauchene.
Monitoring Health
The team tracks total length, weight, and body condition over decades to determine overall growth and health of each population.
Assess Growth
Recapturing tagged fish in subsequent years allows for precise growth information.
Wild Egg Collection
The team supports government-led recovery of the Lake Kipawa Lake Trout population by assisting with wild fish collections.
Wild egg collections are used to support ongoing research into the effectiveness of artificial incubation in a lake environment.
