Juvenile Fish Ecology in Georgian Bay: Movement, Predation, and the Influence of Aquaculture Net-Pen Operations
01/04/2026 - 31/03/2031
This project will study how juvenile fish use habitats around aquaculture net-pens in Parry Sound and compare their movements to those in nearby natural nursery areas, including sheltered embayments and wetland shorelines. Using acoustic telemetry tags, researchers will track young fish for two years to determine where they spend their time, when they move, and whether net-pens influence their risk of predation. By focusing on juvenile fish, this work addresses a knowledge gap about how human activities shape Georgian Bay’s fish communities.
Major Environmental Issue
The effects of aquaculture net-pens on juvenile fish
Rainbow trout aquaculture net-pens are currently found in 8 locations across Georgian Bay, including in Parry Sound. Market analysis has estimated that the farmed rainbow trout sector could triple supply in 5 years (Rosenstein and Drost, 2023). As such, net-pens are becoming a feature across Georgian Bay, including operations led by First Nations communities. As aquaculture continues to play a growing role in the local economy and broader food systems, there is a shared interest among communities, conservation organizations, and managers in understanding how these activities interact with overall ecosystem health. Generating clear, place-based information can support informed stewardship and long-term planning that directly helps keep Georgian Bay healthy and thriving for the future.
Project Objectives
To improve understanding of movement, habitat use, connectivity, and predation risk of wild juvenile Lake Trout and Smallmouth Bass in Georgian Bay, using Parry Sound as a focal area, and to evaluate whether aquaculture net-pen operations are associated with patterns of juvenile fish activity and predation risk.
Sustainability & Long-Term Impact
1
Long-Term Stewardship Plan
This project will contribute to long-term stewardship of Georgian Bay by generating foundational information on juvenile Lake Trout movement, habitat use, connectivity, and predation risk that can inform future planning and decision-making. By using Parry Sound as a focal area and leveraging existing monitoring infrastructure, the project will produce place-based insights that are transferable to other areas of Georgian Bay where similar ecological conditions and aquaculture activities occur. Results will help identify habitats and movement pathways important to juvenile fish and provide context for evaluating how expanding aquaculture activities intersect with native species ecology, supporting informed, long-term stewardship of the Bay.
2
Maintenance/Monitoring Commitments
This project does not involve the installation of new permanent infrastructure requiring long-term maintenance. Acoustic telemetry monitoring will primarily rely on existing receiver arrays and infrastructure already deployed in Parry Sound and the broader Georgian Bay region.
Any short-term equipment used specifically for this project will be maintained and removed according to established protocols. Data generated through the project will be archived and managed following standard scientific practices, allowing results to be used in future research and stewardship efforts.
3
Capacity-Building/Knowledge Transfer
The project will build capacity by strengthening expertise in juvenile fish telemetry and nearshore ecology within the Georgian Bay region. Graduate and/or technical personnel involved in the project will receive training in fish capture, tagging, telemetry data management, and ecological analysis.
Knowledge transfer will occur through collaboration with resource managers and conservation partners, as well as through dissemination of findings via reports, presentations, and plain-language summaries. By contributing new data on juvenile Lake Trout ecology, the project will enhance the collective knowledge base available to researchers, managers, and stewardship organizations working in Georgian Bay.
Expected Outcomes
01
Improved understanding of how aquaculture netpens influence young fish. The project will provide clear and quantitative evidence of how juvenile fish use habitats near net-pens, including whether these structures attract young fish, alter their movements, or change their vulnerability to predators.
02
Identification of habitats and movement corridors for ecologically important juvenile fishes. Results will highlight key habitats and movement pathways used by juvenile fish in Parry Sound, including natural shoreline and sheltered embayments that support early life stages. These patterns are transferable across Georgian Bay.
03
Improved understanding of food-web pathways associated with aquaculture net-pens. Stable isotope analysis will determine whether juvenile Lake Trout and Smallmouth Bass incorporate aquaculture-derived food resources into their diets, providing insight into how net-pen operations influence energy pathways and food-web dynamics in nearshore ecosystems of Georgian Bay
04
More informed stewardship and management decisions for juvenile fish in Georgian Bay, with an emphasis on Lake Trout and Smallmouth Bass, two species that differ fundamentally in habitat use, thermal preference, trophic ecology, and life history strategies. Results will help conservation organizations, managers, and communities understand potential trade-offs associated with netpen aquaculture and support informed decisions about monitoring, siting, and habitat protection.
05
Stronger collaboration and knowledge sharing around Georgian Bay. The project will strengthen partnerships with communities, local stakeholders, and conservation groups by sharing accessible results that support long-term stewardship of Georgian Bay’s aquatic ecosystems.
Goals in Line with Georgian Bay Forever's Mission
This project directly supports Georgian Bay Forever’s mission to protect and restore the ecological integrity of Georgian Bay by providing science-based information needed for effective stewardship. By focusing on the early life stages of a culturally and ecologically important native species, the project addresses a key knowledge gap relevant to long-term ecosystem health.
Placing aquaculture net-pen operations within a broader ecological framework allows the project to inform balanced stewardship approaches that consider both conservation of native species and evolving human uses of the Bay. The results will support GBF’s efforts to promote informed, place-based decision-making that helps ensure
Principle Investigator
Scott Colbourne
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