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Monster turtle turns up in net CASSELMAN | If Hollywood ever needs in- spiration for a Canadian“face” for the next Ninja Turtles movie, producers need look no farther than Eastern Ontario. weighed-in at 37 pounds and six ounces, making him the biggest snapping turtle on record in the South Nation River watershed since SNC began its high-pro"le Totally Tur- tles habitat protection and enhancement program in 2006.
and woodlands. The eel measured 565 millimetres and weighed 454 grams. Canadian Wildlife Fed- eration biologists will review the data on its capture to determine if this eel might be one of 400 which were released in the Ot- tawa River above the Carillon Dam. “The eel didn’t have a tag,” said Duncan, “which would indicate whether it is resident in the South Nation River system.” Data from the SNC monitoring programs helps the regional conservation agency with management strategies for local "sh and wildlife.
Philip Duncan, a "sheries technician for the South Nation Conservation Authority (SNC) enjoyed two rare "nds while out on a recent hoop-netting expedition in the Lemieux Reach area of the watershed, lo- cated between Casselman and Plantagenet. Duncan found a rare American eel fol- lowing one pass of the hoop net as part of his monitoring work that day. But the eel wasn’t the only surprise “catch” waiting for him. There was also a record-size snap- ping turtle, almost big enough to be a ninja turtle stand-in for Leonard or Michelangelo, or at least old enough to be on "rst-name terms with their mentor, Splinter the Rat. “A (snapping) turtle that large has to be 80 to 100 years old,”Duncan said. “This is an important "nd because snapping turtles, as do other turtle species in the watershed, are heavily impacted due to habitat degrada- tion and road mortality.” The male snapper Duncan found
The snapping turtle is listed as a species at risk in Ontario but it is on the “special concern”list, and is one of seven indigenous turtle species that the SNC Totally Turtles program targets. During Duncan’s monitor- ing survey, he came across two more snap- ping turtles and a pair of painted turtles. With each turtle a marking notch was made in the creature’s shell before it was released back into the wild so that it could be identi- "ed if ever caught again as part of the moni- toring program. The American eel that showed up in the monitoring net is one of 18 di#erent "sh species captured and examined before re- leased back into the water. Data on it and all the other "sh collected help create a long- term record of the changing diversity of the South Nation watershed habitats through- out its 4200-square-kilometres of streams
Photos SNC
Philip Duncan presents (above) the biggest ever known and recorded snapping tur- tle found in the South Nation River watershed. Also showing up in the study nets was a wriggling example (top of page) of the rare American eel.
2014 Prescott-Russell
27 et 28 septembre - 10 h à 17 h September 27 and 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tournée des arts et des ateliers / Art and Studio Tour Rencontrez les artistes dans un cadre intimiste et chaleureux. Voyez-les à l’oeuvre dans leur environnement. Meet the artists and see them at work in a relaxed and warm setting.
www.artour.ca Pour tous les détails concernant la tournée des studios, consultez / For more details about the Studio Tour go to:
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