Come back, capelin: WWF-Canada to restore spawning habitat in Ship Cove

The capelin spawning beach at Ship Cove in Placentia Bay is getting a makeover.

Restoration work is beginning to encourage the fish to return to the beach and release eggs in the high numbers they used to, before the spawning habitat was destroyed.

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"We still have the remnants of a capelin spawning stock here, but nothing like they used to," said Stan Tobin of the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Association.

"There's about one-tenth of what used to come here comes here now, and it's mainly because of the loss of this habitat. Hopefully we're fixing it."

Bringing capelin back to Ship Cove

7 years ago

Duration 2:35

DFO scientists are hoping to bring capelin back to the once-booming beach in Placentia Bay.

World Wildlife Fund Canada, with $3.7 million from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, has started a restoration project for the spawning beach at Ship Cove. About 10 years ago the beach was used as a gravel pit, which destroyed the habitat.

"The federal government has supported the recovery of the capelin through [the] Coastal Restoration Fund to rebuild capelin habitat," David Miller, president and CEO of WWF-Canada said.

"We're here in Ship Cove because probably about 10 or 15 years ago this beach was dug out, I think to help build a new road, and what it meant was the capelin habitat disappeared. So they don't roll here nearly in the numbers they used to. So what we're doing is starting a project to rebuild that habitat so we can see the capelin roll again."

In a news release, WWF-Canada cited the important role capelin play in the ecosystem, providing food for whales, seabirds and cod.

The ideal sand for capelin spawning is now beyond the reach of the forage fish.

"This used to be probably one of the better capelin spawning beaches in Placentia Bay," Tobin said.

"And there was some construction activity and rising sea levels and so on … the embankment broke away and the ocean eventually started to not so much move in here, but it drove all the capelin spawning sand inland."

Sigrid Kuehnemund, the lead specialist of oceans for WWF-Canada, said the work will happen throughout the winter months and next spring they'll be able to see if their project was successful.

"We're very hopeful that the work that we do to restore this beach will bring the capelin back here to spawn," she said.

Tobin said he has been waiting for a project like the Coastal Restoration Fund to come along and help the beach at Ship Cove.

"I guess if I had been rich enough I would've fixed this on my own," he said.