Operational Plan for the Restoration of Diadromous Fishes to the ...

(early life stages were weighted more than later life stages) or the reliability of the
parameter. A weighted rank (weighted sum of each parameter divided by the sum of
the weights) was developed for each waterbody and classified into low, medium and
high potential northern pike habitat.
The waterway model used a variation of that proposed by Inskip (1982) and used only
stream and river hydraulic characteristics. Hydraulic-geometry relationships (Dudley
2004 and Wright et al. 2008) were used to approximate waterway channel
characteristics for the low flow period (average velocity, depth and gradient) for each
stream or river in the watershed. The classification was completed for stream or river
segments or reaches to allow for more continuous classification along the length of a
particular waterway (see Wright et al. 2008). A habitat suitability index was calculated
from four parameters in Table 5. Three of the parameters (parameters 10-12) were
exclusionary (either present or absent). Stream gradient (parameter 12) was assigned
five values ranging from 0 (not suitable) to 1 (most suitable). A habitat suitable index
(HSI) was developed for each waterway segment by multiplying each of the parameter
values. The HSI was assigned a value from 0 (not suitable) to 1 (most suitable) for all
the classified waterway segments.
Results
The results for the waterbody and waterway models should be viewed as only indicators
of the northern pike population-habitat relationships with their primary value being to
improve decision-making in a structured approach. The models are only one aspect of
identifying the risk of northern pike introductions and should not be relied upon solely for
decision making.
1. Two ponds ranked high (Towne Pond and Oak Knoll Bog) with each pond being
less than 8 HA in area (20 acres). High ranked waterbodies accounted for about
1 percent of all the lakes and ponds.
2. Ninety-four waterbodies ranked as medium potential and ranged from 2 to 582
HA. About 90 percent were less than 40 HA (about 100 acres). The five largest
waterbodies ranked as medium potential include: Endless Lake, Ebeemee Lake,
Burden Pond, Second and Third Branch Ponds, and Shirley Bog. Medium
ranked waterbodies accounted for 48 percent of all the lakes and ponds. Of
these, only Ebeemee and Endless will be accessible. All others are above
Sebec Dams (Burden), waterfalls (second and third WB Ponds) or Dover.
3. One hundred waterbodies ranked as low potential and ranged from 2 to 2,841
HA. They accounted for about 51 percent of all the lakes and ponds. About 66
percent were less than 40 HA (about 100 acres). The five largest waterbodies
ranked as low potential were: Schoodic Lake, Sebec Lake, Seboeis Lake, Lower
Wilson Pond and Lake Onawa.
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