2003 Artificial Reef Monitoring Program at Snap Lake
Principal Investigator: LeDrew, Kevin (2)
Licence Number: 13513
Organization: De Beers Canada Mining Inc.
Licensed Year(s): 2003
Issued: Jul 24, 2003
Project Team: Dr. Richar

Objective(s): De Beers Canada Mining constructed an artificial reef in Snap Lake to compensate for habitat loss in an inland lake and its outlet stream during advanced exploration. The reef was constructed in the late winter of 2001 using a mixture of angular and round rock with diameters of 5-25 cm in a configuration 20 m long, 5 m wide and 1 m high. The reef is resting on a broad shelf of bare bedrock in water approximately 1-6 m deep. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Authorization for the project outlined requirements for a three-year monitoring program for the reef. The primary goal of the monitoring program is to determine the success of the reef as lake trout spawning habitat. Success is defined by the presence of lake trout on the reef. This will be determined by documenting spawning by lake trout (egg counts), presence of minnows, temperature, and sediment accumulation on the artificial reef and at one natural spawning site. Bathymetric data and physical measurements of the reef will also be collected.