Ontario’s Nottawasaga river is getting a renewed lease on life thanks to massive community effort

Known simply as the “Notty” among locals, southern Ontario’s Nottawasaga River, with its plentiful twists, turns and deep pools, is a prime destination for anglers drawn to its renowned trout and salmon runs. With these wild fish reaching many of the river’s tributaries—a watershed that drains more than 3,000 square kilometres just north of Toronto—it would appear to be a self-sustaining fish factory, effortlessly replenishing itself.

With mounting pressures from surrounding urban development and agricultural activity, however, some argue leaving the Notty to fend for itself is a risky move, particularly with Ontario’s growing demand for more housing.

“We’re seeing very aggressive rates of urban development in the watershed,” says Fred Dobbs, senior fisheries biologist and manager of stewardship services at the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA). “I think if you look at our proximity to Toronto and the northward fringe of development…it’s going to skip protected green lands and basically kind of land in our lap. We still have a lot of pristine habitat, but not much time.”

Enter the Nottawasaga River Restoration Program (NRRP), coordinated by the NVCA and Nottawasaga Futures/South Simcoe Streams Network, a community service organization.

RESTORATION WORK

Now in its sixth year, the NRRP aims to restore 10 kilometres of the famed river across multiple locations with the help of public and private funding, as well as the support of rural landowners and dedicated volunteers. The plan entails improving the Nottawasaga’s water quality and enhancing the sportfishery by restoring trout habitat between the village of Hockley and the outskirts of Alliston.

The NVCA calls it one of the largest trout habitat restoration initiatives in southern Ontario, with the work now extended to also include tributaries such as Sheldon Creek, and the Pine and Mad Rivers. The restoration includes shoring up eroded banks, installing in-stream habitat, constructing floodplains, erecting livestock fencing and planting trees. Already, many sections of the river previously impacted by rural land use practices are now looking like places where fish can grow and thrive.

“One thing that sets the program apart is, instead of trying to build something really good from scratch, we already have high-quality stream habitats coming out of the Niagara Escarpment,” says the NVCA’s Dobbs. The key, he explains, is to extend as much of the cool water from the river’s upper reaches further downstream through restoration, expanding the amount of good habitat for rainbow trout and chinook salmon.

This approach will also benefit resident brown trout, Dobbs adds, as well as two species at risk. Along with providing significant inland spawning habitat for lake sturgeon, the Nottawasaga also supports the northern brook lamprey, a non-parasitic native fish. As a result, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has long been contributing funds to the NRRP.

Other benefactors providing financial support include Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s, the World Wildlife Fund and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, among others. The funding helps cover project costs for machinery, materials and staff, while volunteers donate their time to give the watershed some TLC. Last year, for example, volunteers planted 2,200 trees along the banks of restored areas, which will stabilize the ground and provide the river with cooling shade.

SIGNS OF SUCCESS

Since the NRRP work got underway in 2019, a quarter of the 10-kilometre restoration has so far been completed. With the plan slated to end in 2031, the full impact will take time to materialize, but the preliminary data is promising. In the areas that have been restored, for example, wild yearling rainbow trout and juvenile chinook salmon numbers have increased by 70 and 100 per cent, respectively.

According to Dobbs, those numbers are a good indicator of future recruitment into the sportfishery. “I wouldn’t take this to the bank and do a scientific paper at this point,” he says, “but it’s safe to say that there’s some positive indicators.”

That’s certainly good news for people such as Jesse Wright, a veteran fishing guide of 20 years who’s spent the last five on the Nottawasaga. To him, the river’s allure comes down to its wild trout population. “A measure of a good steelhead fishery is the number of repeat spawners in the system, as well as a diversity of year class,” he says. “Over the past five years, I have seen a very good representation of both.”

Nonetheless, Wright remains vigilant. “From what I understand, the fishery is quite healthy,” he says, “but that’s not to say it is not under threat.” Whatever lies ahead, the good news is, the Notty is sure to have plenty of ongoing help from its friends.

Freelance writer Lou Piacentini has been fishing on the Nottawasaga River for 28 years.

Learn more about the NVCA and NRRP at www.nvca.on.ca.