ARIELLE GODBOUT Enlarge Image

Dave Watson.

Dozens of rocks piled atop the ice along the Seine River have been drawing plenty of stares lately.

But come the spring thaw, those rocks will play an important part in improving the conditions for fish in the river by creating spawning shoals, or gravel areas where fish can lay their eggs.

"It’s such a murky river, a lot of people don’t even know there’s fish in it, because you can’t really see them," said Dave Watson, president of the water stewardship group Save Our Seine.

"Because it’s a clay bottom, some species would actually prefer their eggs fall in gravel or rock, where they’re protected from the river a bit.

"It gives them a chance, essentially, to get out of the current."

The shoals project is one aspect of the Manitoba Floodway Authority’s fish habitat compensation program.

Ronuk Modha, the authority’s communications director, said before moving ahead on the floodway expansion a few years ago, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans determined the construction would have a negative impact on some fish species.

"In order to get authorization to proceed with that project, what DFO requires is essentially a way to compensate for that potential impact by allowing the proponent — in this case, the Floodway Authority — to undertake other measures to enhance fish habitat," Modha explained.

Part of the compensation project involves planting 35,000 trees and shrubs along riverbanks — the technical name being riparian zones — across the city, including Maple Grove Park in St. Vital, Omand’s Creek and Sturgeon Creek.

"Riparian area tree plantings essentially help fish species because, by planting the trees along the riverbank, you create habitat for fish. It’s protection for the fish species," Modha explained.

The planting began last fall and will continue this spring and summer, he said, adding the DFO does not require the compensation projects to be directly related to the floodway expansions.

"Wherever you make enhancements is benefiting the environment as a whole," he explained.

Still, the Seine River’s proximity to the floodway — it actually intersects underneath the site— was one reason the waterway was chosen for the shoals project, Modha said.

He said the authority has also developed a good working relationship with Save Our Seine, which factored into the decision.

While the shoals will likely have a positive effects on all species of fish, white sucker and walleye are expected to benefit in particular.

Two of the shoals are located In St. Vital — one at Creek Bend Road and John Bruce Park.

A third is situated at  Morier Park in St. Boniface, and two more are south of the Perimeter Highway at Prairie Grove Road.

"The work was undertaken in the winter time to limit the impact on riverbanks because of construction," Modha added, explaining once the ice melts, the stones will drop into place.

Watson added some species of fish that live in the Red River actually swim up the Seine to spawn, meaning the benefits of the shoal project are wide reaching.

And while he said the fish populations in the Seine are not troubled, Watson said he’s pleased to see their habitat enhanced.

"It’s just a sign indicative of a healthy ecosystem. If you have fish in your river, you know it’s probably a good healthy river," he said.

arielle.godbout@canstarnews.com