A new article in Aquatic Conservation from the Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory at Carleton University reports on research funded by the RLEF (Dusevic et al., 2024). Fish sanctuaries on Big Rideau Lake and two neighbouring lakes benefit a much wider range of wildlife than they were designed to protect. …
RLEF has been supporting research on lake fish populations, including that Dr. David Philipp and Dr. Steve Cooke for some time. Studies have shown that the Bass populations in Big and Upper Rideau Lakes was declining over time due to preseason catch and release fishing taking male bass away from their nests. Fisheries Conservation Foundation (FCF) is working on a…
From Dr. Steven Cooke, Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Lab, Carleton University One of the most common questions I get as a fisheries scientist is “How is our fishery doing?” When it comes to black bass populations in eastern Ontario, it is really difficult to know. Although the Ontario MNR does some sampling, the methods used are more appropriate for…
Small Grants for Scientific Research on and around the Rideau Lake
DEADLINE: January 31, 2026
To develop our understanding of the science that underpins our environmental activities, the RLEF has established a program of small grants to support research projects. We are interested in receiving proposals from scientific researchers working in any discipline that contributes to our knowledge of the flora, fauna, or environment of the Rideau Lakes.
Here is an update on getting a larger, new Bass Spawning Sanctuary Study up and running in the expanded group of bass lakes that make up our Coalition for Innovative Fisheries Conservation (CIFC). That all said, it became very clear that the study as we envision it, cannot get started until spring of 2027. Even if we could have had…
RLEF activities are featured in an article in the Westport Review-Mirror, September 18, 2025…
Restoring degraded aquatic habitat is one of the most appealing tools in freshwater conservation.
A study on Big Rideau Lake, published in 2024, tested one such intervention for smallmouth bass spawning habitat — and the results illustrate how difficult translating that logic into practice can be.
There’s a new “live” report up on Facebook from researchers at Carleton University, reporting on survey of showing a bass on a nest, and talking about ideal temperatures for bass spawning from May 2025. Hook wounds are a real indication of angling pressures.
Layer by layer, sediment cores reveal centuries of biological and chemical change in lake-bottom sediment. This study looked back more than 200 years — far enough to capture the disruption of canal construction beginning in 1828 — but the most striking finding concerns the past 25 to 30 years. Despite significant improvements in phosphorus levels since the 1970s, the lakes…
If so, please complete this survey for Dr. Steven J. Cooke, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Canadian Centre for Evidence-Informed Conservation Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Your knowledge of the state of bass populations in key lakes/rivers and perspectives on bass management will supplement traditional fisheries sampling conducted by MNR. Survey results will build an undertanding of current angler attitudes towards existing…
Did you know that even with “Catch and Release” taking a bass off his nest will likely result in the death of his brood? Bass spawning sanctuaries have proven successful in ensuring the survival of young by preventing all fishing in sensitive areas while fish are spawning. The Fisheries Conservation Foundation is exploring Innovative Solutions for Large mouth and Smallmouth…
RLEF President Hansen Downer was interviewed on 88.1 myFM (previously Lake 88.1) about Bass Spawning Sanctuaries. Listen to the recording.