How a major mapping project can help keep P.E.I.'s waterways healthy

The mapping project can help conservation efforts to protect rivers and streams on Prince Edward Island, which tend to be colder and higher in alkalinity than others in the region.

NCC analyzed thousands of freshwater rivers and streams in eastern Canada and the United States

Shane Ross · CBC News · Posted: Mar 26, 2018 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 26, 2018

This map by the Nature Conservancy of Canada shows the location of waterways on P.E.I. (Nature Conservancy of Canada)

Rivers and streams on Prince Edward Island tend to be colder and higher in alkalinity than others in the region, according to research by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

After collecting information for the past 18 months, the NCC has unveiled a major mapping project on thousands of freshwater rivers and streams in eastern Canada and the United States.

Josh Noseworthy, is the group's director of conservation science, said P.E.I. stood out for high values of alkalinity — the ability for a stream or river to neutralize acid.

"That's generally a good thing," he said on CBC Radio's Island Morning. "Not too many places in the Maritimes have that. And in some places, the water is so acidic that certain fish species can't even live there. But P.E.I., because of your beautiful red soils, has a very high alkalinity value so that was quite unique."

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Prince Edward Island's cold water streams and rivers are ideal for brook trout, says Josh Noseworthy, a director of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. (Sean Landsman)

Noseworthy also said there's another reason why some fish love Island streams and rivers.

"Species like brook trout really love cold water and they can be found right across the Island," he said.

Noseworthy said the information will help a number of different groups and organizations throughout the region.

Species like brook trout really love cold water and they can be found right across the Island.— Josh Noseworthy

"I think watershed groups will be able to take this information and they'll be able to see what types of aquatic habitat are rare or unique. And from that information they could figure out if there's some conservation measures that could strengthen and protect those rare and unique areas."

It could also be used to create a "connectivity analysis," he said, to figure out where fish are seeing barriers to passage.

"You can connect habitats to ensure that, let's say salmon, can get to their spawning grounds."

Updated over time

The map and information are available online. The NCC said it is a baseline for monitoring freshwater health, which could be impacted by climate change in the future.

"We shouldn't assume that everything is exactly right," Noseworthy said. "We will be updating this over time. If people find something they know is incorrect they can let us know and we will update it over time. So this will be strengthened as time goes on."

The next stage of the three-year project will document the ecological health of streams and rivers.