Edmonton

Walleye to be reintroduced in Lake Wabamun

An important predatory fish is hoping to make a comeback in Lake Wabamun, just west of Edmonton.

An important predatory fish may be making a comeback in Lake Wabamun, just west of Edmonton.

Alberta is reintroducing walleye into the lake after the species was wiped out by overfishing more than a century ago.

Hundreds of fish are being caught in other lakes and transported to Wabamun.

Stephen Spencer, a fisheries biologist for the province, said bringing the walleye back to Wabamun will improve the lake's ecosystem.

"They are restocking predatory fish because that reestablishes the balance and that can help through the trophic (food) chain in the population affect the water quality," Spencer told CBC News.

The largest of the perch family, the walleye's diet consists mainly of other fish, including minnows and yellow perch.

Spencer said reintroduction of different fish species has been successful in other lakes like nearby Pigeon Lake.

The walleye project at Lake Wabamun will take six years, Spencer said.