Parks Canada staff have not noticed an increase in the volume of aquatic vegetation on the Trent-Severn Waterway or the number of requests for permits for vegetation management from property owners so far this year.
“Aquatic vegetation appears consistent with previous years,” Ontario Waterways Communications and Media Relations Officer Valerie de Winter wrote in an email.
That may not be the case, however, for the entire stretch of the 386-kilometre route connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to Georgian Bay, Lake Huron at Port Severn, according to observations from those wetting their lines.
Angler & Hunter Television host Mike Miller observed more underwater flora while fishing Simcoe, Lake Scugog, and Rice and Sturgeon Lakes so far this year.
Cabbage weeds, curly pondweed and milfoil beds all seem to have grown fast. They had reached the surface and were “extremely thick” by June 20, he said.
“However shallow water weeds like pencil reeds, arrowhead, and even lillies seem to be just blooming now,” Miller wrote in a June 26 email, pointing out that shallow water had been void of cover through the bass spawning season earlier this month.
Shore anglers on the Scugog River in Lindsay have been surprised by the amount of vegetation there, particularly with the later arrival of summer-like weather.
Growth also looks more like what one might see by late July on Canal Lake and the Talbot River near Bolsover, closer to Lake Simcoe.
STARRY STONEWORT !!! Perhaps you are seeing this invasive species of Macro Algea (non-native Chara) that the government hasn’t seen fit to put on the invasive species list. Its in much of the Trent Severn (10yrs) and Scugog systems, and this summer was discovered in a closed lake, Big Cedar . It destroys fish habitat and spawning areas, by being so thick and monolithic. We can’t even paddle through it on our lake. It can double in 2-3 days. Spreads by fragmentation when you boat through.
https://www.lsrca.on.ca/Pages/Starry-Stonewort.aspx
CLEAN, DRAIN and DRY! Trailers, Bilges, Live wells, gear,and anything it can catch on.
Lobby your lake, fishing associations as well as local, provincial and federal governments.
Please come and look at Canal Lake now. There is a huge huge invasive weed problem there, and people just spending hours pulling out their lakefront issues is not solving any of the problem. We need government help in getting control of this lake that was once so beautiful and full of fish etc. but is now so weedy that the fish and turtles are getting caught and not surviving. We are down wind in a corner by the curved Centennial Park bridge and see exactly what the wind blows in. Pictures from people who have lived on this lake for long periods of time, have proof of what it was, and what it has turned into ….. and we sure know what is ahead if nothing continues to be done. We have only been there 9 years, and we even see a huge huge problem that has developed.
Please, just send a crew kayaking on the lake/shore fronts and have a look …talk to any boater on the trent and ask them first hand about each lake …… we all think it is time to investigate and start caring about our lakes. Our waterfront taxes and the increase cost goes where ???????
So so frustrating going from beautiful to what we have now ……… please, somebody start caring with us !!!!!!
Thank you for reaching out, Marj. Ontario OUT of DOORS is a fishing, hunting, and outdoors magazine and it sounds like your inquiry would best be answered by the local conservation authority (Kawartha Conservation, which I know is aware of the challenges, which are apparent in this video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1954014314756262 ) and/or the natural resources ministry. Personally, I understand what you are going through – my family has a cottage on Canal Lake and we overheated our outboard about a month ago from catching too many weeds. Take care.