Eels are not normally a creature people enjoy encountering, but they are still an important part of the ecosystem. A conservation organization that monitors the Ottawa River now wants Hydro-Québec to make it easier for the American Eels to travel up and down the river.
Ottawa Riverkeeper Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Laura Reinsborough has written an open letter to the Chair of the Board of Directors of Hydro-Québec Manon Brouillette requesting the electrical utility install an eel ladder at the Carillon hydroelectric dam so the long, slithery fish can easily travel upstream.
“Over the past four decades, the American eel population in the Ottawa River has plummeted by a staggering 99 per cent. While various factors contribute to this decline, hydroelectric dams pose one of the greatest threats to this iconic species,” wrote Reinsborough.
Ottawa Riverkeeper wants Hydro-Québec to add the eel ladder as part of its ongoing renovation project at the Carillon station. Reinsborough wrote that Ottawa Riverkeeper first suggested the installation of the ladder more than two years ago when the utility announced the renovation project but has not received any answers indicating if a ladder will be installed, or not.
“Regrettably, we are still awaiting confirmation of the inclusion of an eel ladder at the Carillon dam to facilitate the migration of the American eel,” remarked Reinsborough.
In the letter, Reinsborough noted Hydro-Québec installed an eel ladder at its Beauharnois hydroelectric station near Salaberry-de-Valleyfield in 2002 which allows about 50,000 eels to migrate each year, upstream on the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario.
“The Ottawa River, as the largest tributary of the St. Lawrence River, plays an irreplaceable role as a vital habitat for the American eel. The Ottawa River’s sprawling 3,700 square kilometre expanse, compared to the Upper St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario’s combined 5,800 square kilometres, makes it a critical habitat for this species,” explained Reinsborough.
Ottawa Riverkeeper contends Hydro-Québec has a responsibility to ensure the prosperity of the eel population on the Ottawa River because of the large size of the Carillon dam and generating station.
