Andrew R Drake

• University of Toronto

Abundance estimates are lacking for many imperilled fishes, which imposes uncertainty on the assessment and recovery processes. This limitation exists for Redside Dace (Clinostomus elongatus), an Endangered species in Canada that has experienced extirpations due to widespread urbanization within its range. We developed N-mixture models to generate...

Monitoring imperilled species provides critical information for decision-making, but the effort needed to detect significant changes in the occurrence of rare species often requires substantial resources. To address this challenge, we developed a sampling design that reduced the effort needed to detect proportional reductions in Silver Shiner (Notr...

ABSTRACT: Targeted sampling for Eastern Sand Darter, (Ammocrypta pellucida;), a species listed as Threatened (Southwestern Ontario population) under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, was undertaken in the Grand River, Ontario, in 2022. To determine the species’ density in preferred habitat, random points were generated throughout the known distribution...

Climate matching, a tool for predicting non‐native species survival in target (recipient) regions, is commonly used in invasive species frameworks such as horizon scanning and screening‐level risk assessment protocols. Screening‐level risk assessments often require the analysis of many species with limited resources, and climate matching can be adv...

Point Pelee National Park (PPNP) contains several fish species listed under the Species at Risk Act(Lake Chubsucker [Erimyzon succetta]; Grass Pickerel [Esox americanus vermiculatus]; Spotted Gar [Lepisosteus oculatus]; Warmouth [Lepomis gulosus]; Channel Darter [Percina copelandi]), but fish community sampling has occurred infrequently. In August...

Silver Shiner (Notropis photogenis), listed as Threatened under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, is known to occur in only five drainages in Canada (Sixteen Mile Creek, Bronte Creek, Grand River, Thames River, and Saugeen River, Ontario). Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted five targeted sampling events at six reaches in Sixteen Mile Creek: July 201...

Species distribution information is essential for conservation. However, sampling the full range of a species’ potential distribution is rarely feasible, necessitating the development of models to predict distributions, as well as relevant environmental and biotic drivers. We applied a novel approach to model the distribution of a species at risk i...

Anthropogenic stressors such as agriculture and urbanization can increase river turbidity, which can negatively impact fish gill morphology and growth due to reduced oxygen in the benthic environment. We assessed the gill morphology, field metabolic rate (FMR), and two hypoxia tolerance metrics (oxygen partial pressure at loss of equilibrium, PO2 a...

Habitat sensitivity is a consideration for decision-making under environmental laws in many jurisdictions. However, habitat sensitivity has been variously defined and there is no consistent approach to its quantification, which limits our understanding of how habitat sensitivity varies among systems and in response to different pressures. We review...

Fish populations rely on complex environmental conditions involving physical, chemical, and biological factors. Understanding the factors that control population persistence and productivity is essential for species management. We assessed the distribution and associated habitat features of a species at risk in Canada, Silver Shiner (Notropis photo...

Barnucz, J., Gáspárdy, R.C., Colm, J.E., and Drake, D.A.R. 2024. Targeted sampling for Silver Shiner (Notropis photogenis) in the Saugeen River, Ontario, 2021. Can. Data Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 1359: vii + 28 p. In July 2021, Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted targeted sampling to better understand the distribution of Silver Shiner (Notropis pho...

Silver Shiner (Notropis photogenis) is a freshwater fish species listed as Threatened under Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA). A species-specific monitoring protocol was developed for adult Silver Shiner in Sixteen Mile Creek (Oakville, Ontario) with sampling conducted in 2022 to act as a baseline for future comparisons. Habitat and fish sampling...

Monitoring for species listed under the Species at Risk Act often does not begin until a suspected decline in abundance or distribution has occurred, leading to challenges for documenting trends. Here, simulations were performed to evaluate the power and precision of single-season occupancy and N-mixture models to detect proportional reductions in...

Aim We assess climate similarity among global freshwater and terrestrial ecoregions under historical and future climate scenarios to determine where climate change will impact the climate filter of invasion process. Location Global. Methods We used the Climatch algorithm to conduct a climate‐match analysis to quantify the climate similarity betwe...

Bighead Carp currently threatens to invade the Laurentian Great Lakes from the Mississippi River, but the novel climatic conditions it will encounter by expanding northwards could affect its population performance. Bighead Carp in colder climates exhibits slower growth and matures later, with later maturation typically leading to larger adult size...

Aim We employed a climate‐matching method to evaluate potential source regions of freshwater invasive species to an introduced region and their potential secondary spread under historical and future climates. Location Global source regions, with primary introductions to the Laurentian Great Lakes and secondary introductions throughout North Americ...

Redside Dace (Clinostomus elongatus) is a small minnow with a limited distribution in southern Ontario and is listed as Endangered under the Species at Risk Act. The draft federal recovery strategy for Redside Dace outlines the need to develop a monitoring program to quantify the abundance and distribution of the species in Canada. A repeat-survey...

For freshwater fishes and mussels listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), a federal recovery strategy or management plan identifies recovery measures for best achieving population and distribution objectives. Recovery strategies and management plans for SARA-listed freshwater fish and mussel species often identify conservation translocation, s...

Metabolic rate and hypoxia tolerance are highly variable among individual fish in a stable environment. Understanding the variability of these measures in wild fish populations is critical for assessing adaptive potential and determining local extinction risks as a result of climate-induced fluctuations in temperature and hypoxic conditions. We ass...

ABSTRACT: The Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pellucida) is listed as Threatened (Ontario Designatable Unit) under Canada’s Species at Risk Act and was last observed in Big Otter Creek, a tributary of Lake Erie, in 1955. In 2020, Fisheries and Oceans Canada sampled Big Otter Creek to determine the suitability of aquatic habitat for a possible Easte...

Quantitative information on the number, size, and spatial distribution of riverine habitat features (e.g., riffles, runs, pools) can improve monitoring efficiency and refine population estimates for freshwater fishes listed under the Species at Risk Act. Here, fluvial channel morphometric data collected in 2019 and 2020 from Gully Creek and Unknown...

Continued urban development is inevitable with ongoing human population growth. Urbanization has profound negative impacts on aquatic environments and the organisms that occupy those environments. Urbanization results in habitat stressors including sedimentation, alterations to flow, increases in water temperature, changes in riparian habitat, and...

The young-of-year (YOY) habitat of many fishes listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) is poorly described, yet identifying critical habitat is essential to ensure species recovery. Past research on the Endangered spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus Winchell, 1864) in Canada has focused on the habitat use of adults and juveniles, but little is kn...

The reproductive period is a critical part of a species’ life history. Estimating species-specific fecundity can improve demographic models aimed at developing recovery targets for imperilled species. We provide egg diameter and fecundity estimates and develop a length–fecundity relationship for silver shiner, Notropis photogenis (Cope, 1865), a sm...

Freshwater biodiversity is in a state of crisis. The recent development of a global emergency recovery plan to “bend the curve” for freshwater biodiversity lacks the necessary details for implementation in a regional context. Using Canada as an example, we describe a toolbox intended to equip decision-makers and practitioners with evidence-based to...

Stage‐specific abiotic and biotic associations are often poorly described for imperilled freshwater fishes, including Silver Shiner (Notropis photogenis; Threatened), which may limit species protection and recovery efforts. Here, we used fish and habitat sampling data from an urban drainage in southern Ontario, Canada to quantify abiotic and biotic...

Freshwater biodiversity is declining from impacts associated with anthropogenic stressors. Here, we use carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) stable isotopes to assess food web effects following a coal mine spill that displaced biota and altered biophysical stream characteristics. We compared isotopic niche metrics of benthic macroinvertebrates and the...

Sampling method decisions are critical for the effective monitoring and management of fisheries. Deploying the most effective sampling methodologies is particularly important when responding to new invasive species, where early response efforts have the best chances for eradication. In the Laurentian Great Lakes, the invasive Grass Carp Ctenopharyn...

Reproductive phenology and the length of the growing season vary in response to interannual environmental variability, with implications for population dynamics of freshwater fishes. Understanding the reproductive phenology of imperilled species in relation to environmental conditions is needed to better evaluate potential responses to changing env...

Habitat associations are needed to inform the description of critical habitat for species listed under the Species at Risk Act. Often, species-habitat associations are derived from species occurrences in relation to site-level habitat features. The objectives of this study were to identify geophysical variables associated with the occurrence of Red...

Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) is listed as Endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act owing to a limited Canadian distribution and numerous threats related to the removal or degradation of aquatic vegetation. Limited information is available regarding the early life history and habitat associations of larval Spotted Gar. Using information f...

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) conducts sampling at long-term index stations throughout southern Ontario to monitor changes in the distribution and abundance of native freshwater mussel populations, including those listed under the Species at Risk Act(SARA). As freshwater mussels rely on host fishes to achieve successful reproduction, knowledge...

Effective conservation requires that species recovery measures are informed by rigorous scientific research. For imperilled freshwater fishes and mussels in Canada, numerous research gaps exist, in part owing to the need for specialized research methods. The Canadian Freshwater Species at Risk Research Network (SARNET) was formed and identified or...

More than 15 years have passed since Canada’s Species at Risk Act was enacted. To evaluate scientific progress in support of the Act, we identified research accomplishments up to 2017 for imperilled aquatic species in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River basin based on recovery documents and an expert survey, spanning 1182 activities across 68 rese...

Aquatic biota often face multiple anthropogenic threats such as river fragmentation and climate change that can contribute to high rates of aquatic species imperilment world-wide. Temperature-induced hypoxia is one under-explored mechanism that can threaten aquatic species in fragmented rivers with reduced flows. We applied ecosystem metabolism mod...

Reintroduction is an increasingly common conservation tool used to recover populations of imperilled species, but its success depends on the suitability of the introduced animals’ phenotype for their new habitat. For fishes, thermal tolerance may be a key trait in urbanized habitats. We compared thermal tolerance (CTmax) among three lineages (weste...

Captive breeding programs are widely applied by conservation practitioners as a means of conserving, reintroducing, and supplementing populations of imperilled freshwater fishes and mussels. We conducted a systematic map to provide an overview of the existing literature on the effectiveness of captive breeding and release programs. A key finding is...

The use of translocations to recover populations requires a sufficiently large number of individuals from source populations, but removing too many individuals could lead to source population collapse. To understand the trade-off between the probabilities of source population extirpation and translocation success, matrix population models that inco...

Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) has invaded high diversity tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes, including those supporting multiple species of conservation concern. The extent and magnitude of ecological impacts on benthic riverine fishes is poorly understood, especially changes in diet overlap and feeding strategy. We used a before-after...

We project how human population change (2018 to 2046) and aquatic invasive species (AIS) establishment events of bigheaded carps (Hypophthalmichthys spp.) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) might combine to affect future Canadian recreational fishing activity for the Laurentian Great Lakes. Human population change is expected to affect the to...

Organisms living in environments with oscillating temperatures may rely on plastic traits to sustain thermal tolerance during high temperature periods. Phenotypic plasticity in critical thermal maximum (CTmax) is a powerful thermoregulative strategy that enables organisms to adjust CTmax when ambient temperatures do not match thermal preference. Gi...

Abstract Predicting the spatial and temporal dynamics of invasive species is critical for successful management intervention, yet substantial uncertainty exists about how species will interact with human pathways when introduced to new ecosystems. We demonstrate a novel approach for quantifying uncertainty when predicting the uptake, movement, and...

The movement of ballast water is a prominent pathway for the dispersal of harmful aquatic species. As a continuous effort to better prevent invasions via this high-risk pathway, the current management strategy of ballast water exchange (BWE) will be gradually replaced by the International Maritime Organization’s D-2 ballast water performance sta...

We reviewed agency watch lists, invasive species databases, published reports, and primary literature to identify and compile information on 73 fishes, 66 invertebrates, and 67 plants that have been identified as current or potential aquatic invasive species (AIS) to the Laurentian Great Lakes region. Nearly three quarters of the species are indige...

Understanding recreational demand in aquatic ecosystems is necessary to relate ongoing environmental change to anthropogenic factors. We investigated whether factors influencing patterns of boating activity by recreational fishers (boat fishers) differed from those of other recreational boaters at Ontario, Canada lakes. Count data from aerial rovin...

Several factors, including: (1) on-going difficulties of cost-effectively managing invasive species; (2) recent successes in using recombinant genetics to suppress mosquito populations; and, (3) developments in gene-drive technology, have re-invigorated interest in using genetic biotechnology to manage the impacts of invasive species. However, the...

For more than two decades the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has sought tactics to complement, and potentially replace, the use of barriers and lampricides to control sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Great Lakes, but thus far without success. This paper examines the potential of modern genetic technology to suppress these invasive population...

Thermal habitat suitability significantly influences the distribution and ecological effects of non-indigenous fishes throughout the Great Lakes region, including in Ontario. We compiled information to derive 9 thermal metrics describing requirements for survival, growth, and reproduction for 73 fish species that have invaded or are identified as p...

Models have been well developed describing human movements as vectors of the spread of non-indigenous species (NIS). However, to be maximally useful, predictions need to be integrated with management models of how different policies change human behaviour and lead to concurrent changes in invasion risk. Using the dispersal of freshwater organisms b...

A model-based assessment was conducted to estimate the ecological risk of recreational boating as a pathway for the secondary spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) in the Great Lakes basin (GLB). Boater-mediated spread was quantified based on the number, type, and spatial distribution of recreational boating trips in the GLB, the infestation of...

The National Aquatic Invasive Species Committee (NAISC), a federal-provincial-territorial committee that reports to the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (CCFAM), submitted a request to DFO Science for science advice related to the potential risk that the recreational boating vector poses to freshwater and marine systems in Ca...

Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), is a large, herbivorous fish that was first introduced to North America in 1963 for aquatic macrophyte control. It has since escaped from where it was stocked and entered rivers of the central United States and has dispersed through the Mississippi River basin towards the Great Lakes. Commerce is also another s...

Management agencies need to understand the factors that influence fishing license purchases. While traits such as gender can influence the decisions of recreational fishers, a gap remains in understanding the influence of catch-related fishing quality on these decisions. We evaluated the use of fish biomass density as a proxy for catch-related fish...

Understanding the functional relationship between the sample size and the performance of species richness estimators is necessary to optimize limited sampling resources against estimation error. Nonparametric estimators such as Chao and Jackknife demonstrate strong performances, but consensus is lacking as to which estimator performs better under c...

Estimates of propagule pressure in invasion biology are often unavailable due to widespread use of proxy variables, leading to uncertainty in absolute introduction effort of marine non-indigenous species (NIS). We present a first estimate of absolute propagule pressure (probability distributions of the total number of individuals introduced per rel...

The Asian fish tapeworm, _Schyzocotyle_ (formerly _Bothriocephalus_) _acheilognathi_, was surveyed in fishes from the lower Great Lakes, surrounding waters, and St. Lawrence River between 2009 and 2015. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1, 5.8S, ITS-2) and the barcode gene cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) are provided, confirming id...

Species invasions depend on the abundance and rate at which organisms are introduced to new localities, known as propagule pressure. Due to the challenges of measuring propagule pressure, proxy variables are often used; however, untested proxy variables may obscure the role of propagule pressure vs. ecological factors that facilitate invasion, lead...

Understanding the implications of different management strategies is necessary to identify best conservation trajectories for ecosystems exposed to anthropogenic stressors. For example , science-based risk assessments at large scales are needed to understand efficacy of different vector management approaches aimed at preventing biological invasions...

Recent studies have recognized the importance of propagule pressure (number of individuals) and colonization pressure (number of species) for explaining establishment success of nonindigenous species. However, the International Ballast Water Management Convention, when ratified, will require ships to satisfy a numeric discharge standard that focuse...

Canadian freshwater fisheries provide vital economic, social, and cultural value. Maintaining the viability and sustainability of freshwater fisheries lies at the heart of the intersection between fisheries science, management, and policy. Even so, Canadian freshwater fisheries have been fraught with challenges since their earliest days. Fisheries...

To highlight some ecological and socioeconomic factors about fish invasions, we describe a recent invasion whose uncertain outcomes, winners, and losers are common across North America. Due to ecological stochasticity and varied resource use by stakeholders, invasions transform fisheries with changes that are rarely uniform; therefore, failing to p...

Canada has a multitude of vibrant and productive commercial freshwater fisheries, which are characterized by relatively localized harvest and collective ecological and socioeconomic value. Baitfish harvest, which has long-standing history in Canada, experiences annual harvest of 100 million fishes in Ontario alone, with landing values approaching t...

Long implicated in the invasion process, live-bait anglers are highly mobile species vectors with frequent overland transport of fishes. To test hypotheses about the role of anglers in propagule transport, we developed a social-ecological model quantifying the opportunity for species transport beyond the invaded range resulting from bycatch during...

The use of live baitfish is a cultural norm in many jurisdictions across North America. Because baitfish are often harvested from mixed stocks in the wild, the potential for bycatch exists, leading to the inadvertent relocation of nontarget species via distribution networks and anglers; therefore, like many fisheries, core issues revolve around sel...

The spread and impact of alien species among freshwater ecosystems has increased with global trade and human movement; therefore, quantifying the role of anthropogenic and ecological factors that increase the risk of invasion is an important conservation goal. Two factors considered as null models when assessing the potential for invasion are colon...

A primary goal of ecosystem-based fishery management is to reduce non-target stock impacts, such as incidental harvest, during targeted fisheries. Quantifying incidental harvest has generally incorporated fishery-dependent catch data, yet such data may be biased by gear non-retention, observation difficulties, and non-random harvest patterns that c...

Ballast water has been identified as a major vector for introduction of aquatic nonindigenous species (NIS) into and within Canada, although a series of regulatory changes enacted in the past decade may have slowed the rate of ballast-mediated invasions. We conducted a national risk assessment to better understand the relative invasion risk posed b...

Managing risky human behaviour involving invasive species, such as unauthorized stocking or the release of pets to the wild, is difficult because the rationale for risk taking is often unknown. To identify factors that increase the likelihood of risky behaviour, we conducted social surveys and analyzed perceptions about invasive species, natural re...

Effective management of fishery resources is an activity often limited by poor data availability, particularly with regards to uncertainties in stock distribution and fishing effort. Despite such uncertainties, quantifying the spatiotemporal distribution of bycatch is critical to assess the likelihood of incidental harvest, possible impacts, and ef...

Human-mediated dispersal among aquatic ecosystems often results in biotic transfer between drainage basins. Such activities may circumvent biogeographic factors, with considerable ecological, evolutionary, and economic implications. However, the efficacy of predictions concerning community changes following inter-basin movements are limited, often...

Quantifying the probability of bycatch from fisheries is a critical first step to assess potential risk to incidentally-captured species. Freshwater fisheries are underrepresented within bycatch literature despite economically and ecologically significant commercial fisheries throughout North American freshwaters. Baitfish harvesting is one of many...

Environmental factors affecting growth of the threatened eastern sand darter (Ammocrypta pellucida (Putnam, 1863)) were examined using specimens sampled from the northern edge of its range to determine the species critical habitat. Length-at-age increments were determined from scale samples as surrogates for growth rates based on back-calculated le...