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Fish Tracking Web Site Unveiled by Ducks Unlimited Canada 
OAK HAMMOCK MARSH, MAN., JULY 19, 1999- Ducks Unlimited Canada's Web site now features Walleye Tracker, designed to allow people to view the movement of individual carp and walleye, also known as pickerel, through Delta Marsh on Lake Manitoba. The information for Walleye Tracker is generated from a three-year study to monitor the marsh's water quality, fish and vegetation.
This spring, twenty-two walleye and six carp were implanted with radio transmitters. The transmitters send signals that allow biologists to track the fish as they move through the marsh and enter the lake. Visitors to Walleye Tracker can use a simulated fish finder to see where their selected fish have travelled. The site is updated as the study progresses.
The study, being led by Dr. Dale Wrubleski, a biologist with DUC's Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research (IWWR), aims to better understand why Delta Marsh's wildlife habitats have been declining. Also supporting the study are the Delta Waterfowl Foundation, the University of Manitoba Field Station and the province of Manitoba.
"There have been ongoing concerns about Delta Marsh since about the beginning of the '60s. Things have been changing," Wrubleski said. "This isn't unusual, because all wetlands do change, especially on the Prairies. They go through wet and dry cycles but in the case of Delta Marsh, there seems to be a directional change."
The marsh is one of North America's largest freshwater wetlands but is becoming more lake like in its features. Open water areas are increasing in size and cattail dominate the marsh vegetation that once included a variety of plants. Fish-eating birds, like pelicans, have replaced once common species of waterfowl.
Biologists believe there are two causes contributing to the changes in Delta Marsh. Control of water levels on Lake Manitoba prevents flooding of farmland and cottages in the area but it has also disrupted fluctuating water levels that have sustained the marsh. In addition, carp, a fish not native to North America, have disrupted wetland habitats by uprooting wetland vegetation and stirring up sediment in water that was once clear.
"By tracking the movements of both carp and walleye, we can get a better understanding of the habitats being used by each species," Wrubleski said. This research will help determine how to best manage water levels to retain the marsh habitat. The intent is to reverse declining waterfowl populations without harming commercial and recreational fish stocks.
Walleye Tracker can be accessed through DUC's Web site at www.ducks.ca.
Ducks Unlimited Canada is a private, nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated
to conserving wetlands and associated habitats for the benefit of North America's
waterfowl, which in turn provide healthy environments for wildlife and people.
