Climate change mitigation and adaptation: fisheries changes from phasing out coal-generated electricity

加拿大通过了一项国家气候变化战略，将在2030年前消除燃煤发电。用更清洁的能源替代煤炭将带来涟漪反应，包括失业、新的布朗菲尔德以及娱乐机会的潜在意外变化。萨斯喀彻温省埃斯特万附近的边界坝电站（BDPS）是一座燃煤电站，由于其碳捕获和储存计划，在气候变化背景下在全球范围内众所周知。在区域上，BDPS是众所周知的，因为它释放温水污水到附近的边界水库，创造合适的条件，举办一个独特的休闲渔业。这座水库是萨斯喀彻温省唯一拥有大嘴鲈鱼的地方，大嘴鲈鱼是一种非常受欢迎的温水运动鱼，它是北美最北端的种群之一。因此，边界水库已成为一个经济上重要的渔业，也是一个重要的旅游景点。关闭BDPS将消除热废水，人们对这种独特渔业的命运非常担忧。我们的工业合作伙伴SaskPower目前缺乏必要的生态数据，无法了解关闭BDPS对水生生物群落的潜在变化，也无法解决利益相关者对渔业的担忧。该研究项目将提供关于边界坝水库生态的关键数据，以帮助SaskPower解决关键信息缺口，并将提供对可能有利于鲈鱼持久性的管理方案的见解。具体而言，我们将研究的分布，相对丰度，和条件的捕食性游鱼（大口鲈鱼，海象，北方派克）在边界水库，并评估与热污水的栖息地的重要性。我们还将确定食物网的结构，并评估猎物的多样性和身份，以及捕食性鱼类之间的生态位重叠。该项目是计划中的长期伙伴关系的第一阶段。总体目标是为管理干预措施建立知情的选择，例如改变掠食性鱼类的相对丰度或增加食物网（例如，栖息地改善，改变占有限制，放养计划）。

Canada has adopted a national climate change strategy that will eliminate coal-fueled electricity generation by 2030. The replacement of coal with cleaner sources of energy will involve ripple effects caused by job loss, new brownfield sites, and potentially unexpected changes to recreational opportunities. Boundary Dam Power Station (BDPS) near Estevan, Saskatchewan, is a coal-fired power station that is well known worldwide in a climate change context because of its carbon capture and storage program. Regionally, the BDPS is well known because it releases warm water effluent into nearby Boundary Reservoir, creating suitable conditions to host a unique recreational fishery. This reservoir is the only location in Saskatchewan that has largemouth bass, a highly desirable warm-water sport fish, and it is one of the most northerly populations of this species in North America. As a result, Boundary Reservoir has become an economically important fishery, and an important draw for tourism. Shutting down the BDPS will eliminate thermal effluent, and there is a lot of concern about the fate of the unique fishery. Our industrial partner, SaskPower, currently lacks the ecological data necessary to understand potential changes to the aquatic community associated with shutting the BDPS down, and is unable to address stakeholder concerns about the fishery. This research project will provide critical data on the ecology of Boundary Dam Reservoir to help SaskPower address key information gaps, and will provide insight into management options that may favor persistence of bass. Specifically, we will examine the distribution, relative abundance, and condition of predatory sportfish (largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike) in Boundary Reservoir, and assess the importance of habitat associated with thermal effluent. We will also determine the structure of the food web and assess prey diversity and identity, as well as niche overlap among the predatory fish species. This project is phase 1 of a planned longer-term partnership. The over-arching goal is to establish informed options for management interventions, such as changes to relative abundance of predatory fish or augmentation of the food web (e.g., habitat enhancement, altered possession limits, stocking programs).