Non-Lethal Sampling Methods for Assessing Environmental Impacts Using a Small-Bodied Sentinel Fish Species

Abstract Under the Canadian Fisheries Act, pulp and paper mills and metal mines must conduct a cyclical monitoring program for potential environmental effects that includes a fish survey. Study designs for the fish survey have been evolving over the past few years, and there has been increased emphasis on the use of small-bodied fish species. Increasing concerns about the potential impacts of sampling programs on the fish populations in smaller receiving waters have led us to develop non-lethal sampling methodologies that will satisfy the information requirements for the environmental effects monitoring program. This manuscript outlines the use of a non-lethal sampling program to collect information on age distributions, growth rates, reproductive performance and fish condition in populations of slimy sculpin inhabiting forested and agricultural sections of a small New Brunswick river.