Impact of logging and natural fires on fish communities of Laurentian Shield lakes

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine if natural fires and logging have a significant impact on abundance, growth, and size structure of fish populations in 38 lakes of the Laurentian Shield (Québec, Canada). The watersheds of nine of these lakes underwent logging and nine underwent natural fires, while the 20 remaining lakes were used as references. No significant differences were found among the three lake groups in the catch per unit of effort of the most abundant species: white sucker (Catostomus commersoni), northern pike (Esox lucius), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), fallfish (Semotilus corporalis), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), and burbot (Lota lota). No significant difference was found among control, burned, and logged lakes in the back-calculated length of yellow perch, for which age determinations were made. However, we found that the proportions of small yellow perch and white sucker were significantly lower in populations of impacted lakes (burned and logged lakes pooled). The influence of logging and fires remained significant when a series of biotic and abiotic variables on watershed and lake characteristics were accounted for in multiple regression analyses. The lower proportion of small fish in impacted lakes could be due to an increase in postemergence mortality or to a shift of individuals to the pelagic zone.