Delisting Targets developed by RAP Teams

Degraded Fish and Wildlife Populations

*Please note: it is not in the IJC’s jurisdiction to endorse specific delisting targets.
*The IJC would like to encourage RAP Teams to submit estabnlished delisting targets to us. Please send them to the International Joint Commission

Canada

Severn Sound, Ontario
* To protect and rehabilitate fish and wildlife habitat.
* To restore a balanced, self-sustaining fish community by restoring top-level predators including walleye, northern pike, large and smallmouth bass and muskellunge to levels similar to the early 1970's, with these species forming at least 20-30% of the total predator catch, and walleye forming at least 10% of trapnet results.
* To maintain a natural diverse fish community, to discourage the introduction of exotic species and to prevent the extinction of native or desirable species.
* To maintain a self-sustaining diverse community of colonial waterbirds which currently nest in and near the Sound.
* As part of the Matchedash Bay project of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) to produce 2450 waterfowl including 880 Mallard, 210 Black Duck and 1360 other waterfowl of various species.
* Wildlife populations will be maintained at levels sufficient to provide recreational and economic benefits, ensure environmental quality and ecosystem integrity and ensure public safety.
* To re-introduce a self-sustained population of Trumpeter Swans in the Severn Sound area.
* To find no significant toxicity from water column or sediment contaminants in fish and wildlife bioassays.
Hamilton Harbour, Ontario
The fish community has the following structure:
* Shift from a fish community indicative of eutrophic environments, such as white perch, alewife, bullheads, and carp to a self sustaining community more representative of a mesotrophic environment, containing pike, bass, yellow perch, and sunfish.
* Attain a littoral fish biomass of 200-250 kg/ha.
* Increase the species richness from 4 species to 6-7 species per transect.
* Increase the native species biomass from 37% to 80-90% of the total biomass.
* Reduce the spatial variability in fish biomass within the harbour.
* Proposed nearshore fish community includes biomass of 40-60 kg/ha for pike/bass, 70-100 kg/ha for insectivores such as pumpkinheads, yellow perch, and 30-90 kg/ha for omnivores such as carp and brown bullheads.

Self sustaining mixed community of colonial waterbirds, with an increase of the rarer species and a reduction in the number of ringbilled gulls, including:
* 5,000 pairs of ring-billed gulls
* > 600 pairs of common terns
* 350 pairs of herring gulls
* > 200 pairs of caspian terns
* 200 pairs of double-crested cormorants
* 200 pairs of black-crowned night herons
Toronto & Region, Ontario
* Tests on fish confirm that ambient waters and sediments do not cause death or long-term health or reproductive effects.
* Biomass of resident, fish-eating fish species increased to levels above 20% of total resident biomass; biomass of specialist fishes increased to at least 40% of total biomass.
* Formerly abundant fish populations are rehabilitated where locally depressed or extinct.
* Proportion of native species is increased towards 100% of total fish community.
* Specific targets contained in watershed plans should be used. Where not plans exist they should be developed.
* In cold water fisheries areas, sufficient stormwater controls are established to control run-off from rainfall events of at least 25 mm daily precipitation; buffer zones of 30m or more separate developed lands from receiving streams and lakes; temperature impacts should be mitigated.
* In warm water fisheries area, sufficient stormwater controls are established to control run-off from rainfall events of at least 25 mm daily precipitation; buffer zones of 15 m or more separate developed lands from receiving streams and lakes.
Bay of Quinte, Ontario
Restore the Bay of Quinte ecosystem to conditions capable of supporting a more diverse and stable community structure including a top-level predator assemblage of northern pike, smallmouth bass and walleye that existed prior to the onset of hyper-eutrophic conditions in the bay.
St. Lawrence River, Ontario
* Increase in relative abundance of American coot, least bittern, sort, redhead and yellow perch breeding populations; sufficient to make the populations sustainable. Minimum number of confirmed breeding pairs should be 25 for Virginia rail and American coot; 10 for sort, redhead and least bittern.
* Presence of successfully reproducing osprey in the AOC for a minimum of 5 years.
* Adopt habitat and species targets from the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture 5 Counties Wetlands and Waterfowl Management Plan, once available.
* A return to the sustainable perch population and fishery of the late 1970's-early 1980s.
* For muskellunge, sturgeon, and walleye, the acceptance for implementation of restoration plans by the responsible agencies.
* For tributary communities, the return of a fish community similar to typical non-degraded streams along the St. Lawrence River (Hacek Creek).
Niagara River, Ontario
* Monitoring program indicates healthy, contaminant free, self-sustaining populations (incl. Welland River and tribs).
* To reduce sedimentation on fish spawning beds and to ensure all life levels of desirable fish species are unimpeded, identify and correct high erosion areas, so that non-storm suspended solids are less than 80 mg/L (Welland River and tribs only).
St. Mary's River, Ontario
* Complete a Canadian Wildlife Survey assessment of common tern and black tern populations for the entire St. Marys River.
* Analyze contaminant levels in eggs from herring gull, black tern, and common tern nests in the AOC.
* Virtually eliminate all persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants from industrial and municipal discharge.
* Monitor receiving water every three years at St. Marys Paper Ltd. to document response of fish communities to improved effluent quality as mill upgrades and process improvements are implemented.
* A monitoring program should be developed to assess change in fish and wildlife populations in the AOC in response to habitat enhancement efforts.
* Continue with St. Marys River Fishery Task Group efforts to develop a 10 year assessment program for the river.
* Continue to support sea lamprey control efforts.
Nipigon Bay, Ontario
* A normal fish community of native fish species should be able to live in the waters of Nipigon Bay.
* Fish species and habitats should be sustained to allow natural reproduction.
* Water levels should allow natural reproduction.
* Species introductions should not be allowed without an environmental impact study.
Jackfish Bay, Ontario
The Blackbird Creek/Jackfish Bay fishery must form part of a balanced and healthy aquatic community.
Peninsula Harbour, Ontario
* Promote self-sustaining population of indigenous species.
* Prevent invasion of foreign organisms.
* Fish and wildlife populations should not differ from surrounding area.

U.S.A.

River Raisin, Michigan
Improve and enhance the quality and quantity of fish in the Area of Concern.
Rochester Embayment, New York
Environmental conditions in the Area of COncern support healthy, self-sustaining communities of fish and wildlife, as indicated by:
1. Representative samples of water do not exceed NYSDEC ambient water quality standards for the protection of aquatic life and/or for protection of wildlife; AND
2. Water colum macroinvertebrate communities are "non-impacted" or "slightly impacted" according to NYSDEC indices (Bode et al., 1996); AND
3. Mink are present and are reproducing, or levels of PCBs, dioxins/furans, mirex and mercury measured in the tissue of resident prey are below those known to be associated with mink reproductive failure.
St. Mary's River, Michigan
1. Concentrations of persistent toxic substances in fish and wildlife will be below no observable adverse effect concentration (NOAEC) for reproductive, population, and teratogenic effects. Effects will be the same as control populations from unaffected areas which may include Lakes Superior and Huron.
2. Delisting criteria for sea lamprey control should be guided by Sea Lamprey Control Center goals and objectives for control of lamprey on the St. Mary's River.
3. A St. Mary fisheries management plan, compatible with both the Lake Huron Binational Initiative and the Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan, should be developed to protect, enhance, and restore habitat, fish communities, and native species. The plan should provide guidelines for the control of exotic species. The guiding principle should provide for sustainable use of this resource founded upon self-sustaining fish populations.
4. Wildlife management plans for resident and migratory species.
Saginaw River & Bay, Michigan
* Walleye-Increase abundance in the bay, ultimately through natural reproduction, such that growth rates approximate more closely statewide averages for this species and reflect improved use of available forage in the bay.
* Yellow Perch-A sustained annual harvest of 750,000 pounds per year with increasing abundance of larger, faster-growing individuals.
* Lake Sturgeon-Documented evidence of natural reproduction in the Saginaw River.
Kalamazoo River, Michigan
Remediate contaminated sediments, restore habitat for fish and wildlife, and control nonpoint source pollution to meet fish and wildlife management goals in the Kalamazoo River watershed. Reduce populations of undesirable exotic species and prevent introductions of new ones into the Kalamazoo River to restore and protect desirable native species
Muskegon Lake, Michigan
1. Communities will work coopoeratively to manage and maintain vegetative cover of native aquatic plant communities in Muskegon Lake to support a healthy fishery.
2. Communities will require that all shoreline and streamside developments blend in a "water's edge strip" landscaped with either low maintenance/no-input traditional, natural or native plantings. Each strip will provide adequate space for wildlife movement and connect isolated and fragmented habitat areas.
3. Exotic species, including Eurasian Water milfoil and Purple loosestrife will be eliminated or managed at levels that do not disrupt the sustainability of native, aquatic plant communities.
4. Fish and wildlife population assessment (for species of concern) will show an increase by 2008 (baseline data needed; assessment recommended every three years)
5. The cause of low levels of DO will be determined by 2006 in order to develop targets nad recommendations for restoration (assessments may include research on natural productivity, water movement, sediment and water column nutrient and toxicity concentration
White Lake, Michigan
1. Ensure community composition of fish species, along with the associate organisms within the food web, are establishing a sustainable fish production by 2006.
2. Documentation by Michigan Department of Natural Resources that diversity and/or richness indices exhibit a significant positive trend equivalent to the ecological health and a stable fisheries population by delisting request in 2010.
3. All tributaries in the immediate drainage basin of White Lake meet Total Maximum Daily Loads for 2 consecutive sampling regimes (scheduled sampling by DEQ in 2002 and 2008).
4. Recovery of wildlife populations, which are dependent on the White Lake food web, including bald eagles, osprey, and mink, by 2008.
Milwaukee Estuary, Wisconsin
Toxics: when sediment assessment byt the sediment quality triad at a sample site does not statistically differ from reference site(s) conditions.
Ecosystem: when environmental conditions support healthy, self-sustaining communities of desired fish and wildlfie at levels of abundance that would be expected from the amount and quality of suitable physical, chemical and biological habitat present.