In a presentation to city council yesterday, the Ministry of Environment and two local businesses lobbied the city to help jump-start an industry to harvest Mysis Relicta – a tiny, shrimp-like zooplankton – from Okanagan Lake. Steve Matthews, with the Ministry of Environment, said the introduction of the non-indigenous species into B.C. lakes “was a huge mistake”, but may lead to an economic windfall for the area if a fishery is developed. The mysis shrimp were originally introduced into Okanagan Lake in 1966 to provide a supplemental food source for Kokanee but were actually partly responsible for the drop in Kokanee numbers from a pre-1970 level of more than two million to as low as 10,000 fish. “It was thought to be a good thing so (the mysis shrimp) was dropped into a huge number of lakes but we soon discovered that it is a major competitor for food,” said Matthews. Matthews added that the level of mysis needs to drop by 50 per cent before it will benefit the Kokanee; something he said could happen if the fishery is expanded. Two local businesses are already harvesting the mysis shrimp from the lake, and said they are poised for a rapid
expansion as the demand for products derived from the zooplankton grows. The mysis contains high levels of Omega 3 oils and proteins, making it a versatile product with wide-ranging applications. “The mysis are taken straight out of the lake, flash-frozen and bagged. This system puts us with the top in the world for tropical pet food,” said Nuri Fisher, managing director of Piscine Energetics. Fisher said the company employs 20 people, of whom the majority are from Vernon. Vince McGee, president of Canadian Lake Plankton, added that, once a processing plant was in place, more than 740 potential jobs could be created. However, Matthews said that before the fishery could reach its potential, there needed to be improved waterfront access, something hard to find on Okanagan Lake. “It‘s been a bit of a challenge to find a place. There might be an area under the jurisdiction of local government that might be a fit for this.” Council said they would look into it, however Coun. Barry Beardsell noted that perhaps the Ministry of the Environment should find the cash for a site from their own budget. “You created the problem, I thought putting the hammer over the head of your ministry would have a better chance,” said Beardsell.----------------
http://www.livinglandscapes.bc.ca/thomp-ok/kokanee-salmon/fishery.html
Mysis relicta. Mysis relicta, commonly referred to as opossum or mysis shrimp, was introduced into Okanagan Lake in 1966. These organisms were introduced in hopes of boosting the productivity of the lake, providing extra forage for game fish and enhancing the fisheries industry. Decisions for the introduction were based on several other North American and northern European lakes that observed increased productivity within a few years after the introduction of Mysis relicta. In the beginning , fish populations rose variably for the lakes, but then began to collapse. Scientists discovered that Mysis relicta is a good prey item for large Kokanee, but not for Kokanee aged less than one year. The shrimps are too large for small Kokanee to handle. The major food source for young Kokanee in Okanagan Lake is a small zooplankton species called Daphnia, otherwise termed the "water flea." Unfortunately, Daphnia is also the pref erred food item for Mysis relicta. This leads to competition for the same food source, but the shrimps are more efficient predators than the Kokanee. They feed during the night, whereas the Kokanee do not, and they have a rapid generation time. The shrimps have few predators and normally inhabit different zones of the lake than the Kokanee. It is unknown if Mysis relicta populations have stabilized in Okanagan Lake. If they continue to rise, the Kokanee population will continue to drop.
No comments:
Post a Comment