Welcome to the HHOA Summary Page

Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association

The HHOA Summary Page

2000

Summary

The Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association (HHOA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1992. Today, the HHOA has 370 members. The membership is a diverse group of permanent and seasonal residents of the Haliburton Highlands who come from across the Province of Ontario and the United States. This dynamic group of people is committed to the sustainable management of natural resources. Their goals include:

§ Promoting the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing;

§ Working toward improving wildlife and fish habitat in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and with private landowners; and

§ Educating its members and the public about game and fish management and on the wise use and conservation of our natural resources.

In order to achieve its goals, the HHOA has undertaken a number of initiatives.

Ų In partnership with the Haliburton Highlands Secondary School (HHSS), the HHOA supports the ELM (Energy, Lifestyle & Matter) Project. The HHOA is assisting the HHSS with its Walleye Habitat Improvement Program on the Drag River and assisted with the Forage Fish Inventory on the Kashagawigamog lake chain;

Ų Walleye spawning shoal rehabilitation of Head Lake;

Ų Lake access point clean-up program on 80 county lakes;

Ų Deer feeding program: $2,500 - $3,000 is spent annually;

Ų Operating a lost dog program during hunting season;

Ų Completed "Walleye Watch" program on the 5-lake Kashagawigamog chain, as well as Loon, and Green (Grass) lakes;

Ų Completed 1998/9 winter creel survey on the eastern basin of Lake Kashagawigamog and Head Lake;

Ų Completed lake trout spawning shoal rehabilitation projects on Kennisis, Kashagawigamog, Mountain, Big Hawk, Glamor and Gull lakes in partnership with affiliated cottagers and property owners associations;

Ų Partnership with the education sector: by developing educational opportunities that include public tours and encouraging student and community involvement on fisheries management by offering volunteer and work placement opportunities.

Ų Established the Haliburton Fish Hatchery - Successfully raised and stocked:

§ 26,400 rainbow trout and 12,400 lake trout -1998

§ 25,800 rainbow trout and 4,300 lake trout -1999

MOVING FORWARD:

Haliburton Fish Hatchery

The HHOA purchased a property south of Haliburton on County Rd #1 that had previously been the site of a commercial fish hatchery. A review of the HHOA's Haliburton Fish Hatchery operation in 1998 concluded that the present facility needed to be upgraded and developed to realize its full potential. The Ministry of Natural Resources affirmed its support for the HHOA and its fish hatchery project by providing a $162,000 Fish and Wildlife Protection and Enhancement grant to construct a new hatchery building. The new hatchery building construction has begun and is expected to be in full operation by the end of 1999. A Visitor's Centre and Educational Facility are proposed to complement the hatchery and funding is presently being sought to cover these costs.

Goals of the Haliburton Fish Hatchery

ō to preserve, culture and develop the Haliburton lake trout strain;

ō to increase public awareness of natural resource management;

ō to promote community involvement in sustaining local fisheries.

The Haliburton Fish Hatchery is operated by a group of approximately 50 volunteers. They perform daily fish culture duties including fish feeding, water quality assessment, and data recording. These people are vital to the operation and success of the Haliburton Fish Hatchery.

Ų Developed the Lake Trout Enhancement Program: (recently renamed)

"The Haliburton Lake Trout Project"

Haliburton Lake Trout Project

The Haliburton Lake Trout Project (HLTP) is the most significant community-based project that the HHOA has participated in to date. In October 1997, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association (HHOA), the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), and local residents and anglers met in a public forum to discuss their concerns about the declining lake trout fisheries, and the decreased quality of angling in the Haliburton Highlands. A partnership between the MNR, the HHOA, and the OFAH was formed to facilitate the development and implementation of the Haliburton Lake Trout Project. The objective of the project is to enhance lake trout fisheries through a fish-stocking program while protecting natural populations. This fish-stocking program involves the culture and development of a particular strain of lake trout called the Haliburton lake trout.

History of the Haliburton Lake Trout

Geologists tell us that 100,000 to 10,000 years ago most of Canada was covered by a vast sheet of ice some 2 - 4 km thick. Pre-glacial fish populations were either destroyed or pushed into ice-free areas called refuges located at the southern edges of the ice sheet.

As the earth warmed and the glaciers retreated fresh water fish re-invaded the large, newly formed glacial lakes.

An exciting discovery has recently been made. A unique stain of lake trout distinct from other lake trout in Ontario and thought to be a glacial relict has been found in at least 4 lakes located in the Heart of the Haliburton Highlands.

This lake trout has been named the "Haliburton Lake Trout".

Dr. John Casselman, a senior scientist with the MNR, has been studying the Haliburton strain of natural lake trout for many years, and has done much historical work on this glacial relict. Dr. Casselman's findings have discovered that it appears to be one of the oldest and purest strains of lake trout in the world. Therefore, it is extremely important to protect its genetic integrity. The Haliburton strain of lake trout is well known for its torpedo shape, compact size, strong fighting ability and excellent taste. Other unique characteristics of this strain include rapid growth and early maturity. Some of these attributes allow them to withstand more fishing pressure and higher harvest levels than other strains of lake trout.

The MNR is very interested in the potential this strain may have for culture and stocking initiatives and will be tested as a product for supplemental rehabilitation and put grow and take stocking in local lakes. The MNR has identified the Haliburton Lake Trout Project as a "Pilot Project" and is committed to a long-term partnership arrangement with the HHOA and the OFAH. The HHOA has the primary role of culturing and developing the Haliburton lake trout at the Haliburton Fish Hatchery. In the fall of 1998 the HHOA and the MNR conducted a wild egg collection from Halls Lake. Eggs were obtained from fourteen female lake trout, fertilized and transported to the Haliburton Fish Hatchery. The wild egg collection inaugurates the development of the Haliburton lake trout strain. The Haliburton lake trout will be raised at the hatchery until the spring of the year 2000. The stocking of this glacial relict will be a significant achievement for the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association and for the community and partners that inspired the development and implementation of the Haliburton Lake Trout Project.

The HHOA will not only culture and develop the Haliburton lake trout, but it will continue to complement the MNR's fish stocking program by rearing put-grow & take fish to stock in Crown water bodies. The Haliburton Fish Hatchery is a unique educational venue for the community in the preservation of a glacial survivor and in the subsequent enhancement of local fisheries.

Because the HHOA is a non-profit organization and the hatchery is a non-commercial operation, operational costs to date have been realized through the financial commitment of the HHOA and through the support of community, corporate and government sponsors. A business plan has been developed for the Haliburton Fish Hatchery and will assist in the solicitation of funding. The Haliburton Lake Trout Project steering committee is in the process of developing a business plan for the (HLTP), and will be finalized by the end of 1999.

The Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association's Haliburton Fish Hatchery is one of Haliburton County's prime community-based projects and is an exemplary model for other volunteer organizations to emulate. The project has and will continue to contribute, to the social, environmental and economic well being of the Haliburton Highlands, and ultimately the Province of Ontario. It is with the support of the community, its partners, and the public that the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association will achieve its success in the preservation of the Haliburton lake trout, the subsequent enhancement of lake trout fisheries, and the education of the public on sustainable natural resource management.