Maritime-Maine Joint Partnership for Sustainable Border Fisheries

Located along the St. Croix international waterway between New Brunswick and Maine, East Grand Lake is critical to local communities and supports one of the region’s top sport fisheries. The lake contains a unique and diverse assemblage of cold-water species that support an economically and culturally important recreational fishery, however nearly all species are data deficient and of regional conservation concern. 

This project aims to construct a lake-wide acoustic receiver array in East Grand Lake to be owned, operated, and managed by the St. Croix International Waterway Commission (SCIWC). The receiver will support both Acadia University’s research to re-establish Lake Trout in the Great Lakes basins through the study of eastern Lake Trout, as well as the SCIWC’s objective of locating and studying Lake Trout spawning grounds to support dam operations and ensure ecologically sound water level management. While the primary incentive of the project is to accomplish Lake Trout research goals, the installation of a dedicated receiver array in East Grand Lake would have far reaching benefits for the lake, native fishes, and local communities in both New Brunswick and Maine. 

Acoustic fish tracking technologies and associated receiver networks help unite researchers, communities, managers, NGOs, and conservation organizations to ensure sustainable international fisheries and conservation. This project is an investment in the future management and conservation of East Grand Lake, its freshwater fishes, and the broader St. Croix watershed and presents a huge opportunity for barrier-free collaboration, data sharing, and research guided management.