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| Delta
Marsh, on the south shore of Lake Manitoba,
is one of the largest and well known freshwater
marshes in North America. Delta is also widely
recognized as an important habitat for waterfowl
and other wildlife in Manitoba. The 22,000
ha marsh was designated an internationally
important wetland under the Ramsar Convention
in 1982, and a Manitoba Heritage Marsh in
1988. However, recently stabilized water levels
on Lake Manitoba have raised concerns about
the health of the marsh and its ability to
support wildlife populations. There is also
interest in how fish use the marsh. Delta
has been suggested to be important to the
commercial fisheries of the lake. Quantitative
information about the current fish community
in the marsh is very limited.
Fig. 1- Map of Delta Marsh
The marsh consists of
a mixture of large and small bays, isolated
ponds, and channels. The channels are
remnants of the Assiniboine River when
it flowed into Lake Manitoba approximately
4,500 to 2,000 years ago. The marsh is
separated from Lake Manitoba by a forested
beach ridge. This barrier beach was formed
from reworked coarse sediments deposited
by the Assiniboine River in Lake Manitoba.
The beach is dynamic and has formed and
reformed depending on the actions of wind
and water. At present there are four openings
(Clandeboye and Delta Channels, Deep and
Cram Creeks) between the lake and the
marsh. The channels and creeks permit
the exchange of water between the lake
and the marsh, particularly in the spring
when water is flowing into the marsh from
spring runoff to the south. During the
remainder of the year, wind setup or seiches
on Lake Manitoba cause continual exchanges
of water between the lake and the marsh.
Fig. 2- Aerial photo of Delta Marsh
Fig. 3- Aerial photo of Clandeboye Channel
The
fish of Delta Marsh
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| ducks.ca
>Walleye
Tracker 2000 > About
Delta Marsh |
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