Recovery Potential Modelling of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Opeongo, Canada

Abstract

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has assessed the Lake Opeongo species pair (DU 13 and 14) of Lake Whitefish (LWF, Coregonus clupeaformis) in Canada as Threatened. Population modelling is presented to assess the impacts of harm and determine abundance and habitat recovery targets in support of a recovery potential assessment (RPA). This analysis demonstrated that LWF populations of both DUs were most sensitive to perturbations to adult survival. Population viability analysis was used to identify potential recovery targets. Demographic sustainability (i.e., a self-sustaining population over the long term) can be achieved with adult female population sizes of ~450 to ~2,300 for the large bodied DU or ~1,300 to ~8,700 for the small-bodied DU depending on catastrophe frequency and desired persistence probability. Lake Opeongo has sufficient habitat for populations of both DUs.