Residents urge protection of species at risk in Cape Breton lake

Residents in Coxheath, N.S., are worried that commercial development in the area could further threaten a species at risk in Blacketts Lake.

A local biologist says the yellow lampmussel is key to keeping the waters clean in the freshwater lake.

The yellow lampmussel is already at high risk due to chain pickerel, an invasive species.

"People should just be aware their actions can have huge, huge impact," says Kellie White, an aquatic ecologist at Cape Breton University. 

Yellow lampmussel needs white perch

In 2010, the chain pickerel was illegally introduced to the lake. They soon became a threat to white perch, a species native to the lake that is integral to the reproduction of the yellow lampmussel. 

As part of its life cycle, the larva of the yellow lampmussel spend time on the gills of white perch. The mussel cannot complete its life cycle without white perch.

"There are lots of them there, they are trying to reproduce and they just can't," said White.

As part of a team of scientists that wrote a report on the yellow lampmussel for the Department of Natural Resources, White has consulted local activists who are part of an initiative called Keep Coxheath Clean.

Mining concern

The group came together to oppose a public land sale in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality to a company exploring the area in hopes of developing a copper mine. 

"We have to be really careful now with Blacketts Lake," said White. "There's some proposed mining within the watershed that is being considered right now. This [mussel] is just such a vulnerable population."

Erin Thompson, the treasurer of the Coxheath advocacy group, is also a lifelong resident of the area.

"We're really concerned about the environmental impact, especially in the water, that could come from this project," she said, referring to the proposed mine. 

Rare in Canada

White said the yellow lampmussel is crucial to maintaining the lake's ecosystem. There are only two watersheds left in Canada that are home to the mollusk. 

"They play a huge part in keeping that water clean." 

In a statement, the Department of Natural Resources said said there are protections "to ensure the species doesn't become endangered."

"The provincial and federal governments are working together to ensure the species population remains viable. Conserving biodiversity is critically important in this province," the statement says.