BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Gasterosteus sp. 17
Vananda Creek Benthic Stickleback
| Scientific Name: | Gasterosteus sp. 17 |
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| English Name: | Vananda Creek Benthic Stickleback |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S1 |
| Date Status Assigned: | March 06, 2000 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | March 30, 2018 |
| Reasons: | Vananda Creek Benthic Stickleback is restricted to three small lakes in one watershed within a range of less than 2 square km. It is extremely vulnerable to non-native species introductions that have caused hybridization and extinction in similar species pairs. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | A = <100 square km |
| Range Extent Estimate (km2): | 2 |
| Range Extent Comments: | Found only in Priest, Emily, and Balkwill Lakes, Texada Island which is less than 2 square km COSEWIC 2010g). Priest Lake, with a surface area of 42 ha, is the largest of the three lakes. Emily Lake is about 7 ha; Balkwill Lake is about 12.5 ha in size. |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | C = 3-5 |
| Area of Occupancy Estimate (km2): | 4 |
| Area of Occupancy Comments: | The area of occupancy is 0.63 km2 (4 2x2km grid cells) (COSEWIC 2010g). |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | A = 1 - 5 |
| Comments: | Restricted to three small lakes in one watershed (Hatfield 2001). |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | AB = 0 - 3 |
| Comments: | The watershed is in an area with high potential for development, water extraction, timber harvest and recreation (Hatfield 2001).Critical habitat has been identified in the proposed action plan (Fisheries and Oceans Canada 2016). |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | A = None |
| Comments: | There are no habitat protection provisions specifically for Vananda Creek Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks (COSEWIC 2010g). |
| Population Size: | G = 100,000 - 1,000,000 individuals |
| Comments: | Population estimates of Priest Lake suggest a benthic population of 118,058 (range 101,351-141,358; Schluter et al. 2017); this estimate includes juvenile fish. Population sizes in Emily and Spectacle lakes have yet to be estimated directly (Schluter et al. 2017). |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | A = Very high |
| Comments: | The primary threat to the Vananda Creek Benthic Threespine Stickleback is the introduction of an invasive species, as previous introductions in other stickleback species pair lakes have led to the extinction or hybridization of the stickleback species pairs within those lakes (COSEWIC 2010). While there have been increased incidences of invasive species introductions, it is not known when or if an introduction will occur in the Vananda Creek watershed. Forest harvesting has occurred in the past and is ongoing (COSEWIC 2010). It is unknown how much water is being used at present; permits allow for a substantial amount of water to be drawn from Emily Lake and a moderate amount from Priest Lake, although it is believed that the large industrial permits are not currently in use (COSEWIC 2010; National Recovery Team for Stickleback Species Pairs 2007). Permits are required and there are guidelines to the location and number of stickleback species pairs that can be collected by researchers in the Vananda Creek watershed (including Priest, Emily and Spectacle/Balkwill lakes; Recovery Team for Non-Game Freshwater Fish Species in BC 2008). The threat of climate change is considered low at this time (COSEWIC 2010). Any threat to the breeding habitat of the limnetic or benthic species pair could result in increased hybridization and collapse of the species pair (COSEWIC 2010), and so threats are considered to be the same to both the Vananda Creek limnetic and benthic species. As this species pair only occurs in these three small, interconnected lakes, any change in water quality or habitat will affect most if not all of the species pair. |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | G = Relatively Stable (<=10% change) |
| Comments: | "Benthic and Limnetic sticklebacks, have been intensively studied by zoologists at UBC for the last two decades or more (e.g., Schluter and McPhail 1992; McPhail 1994; Taylor and McPhail 1999). Throughout this time both species in Priest Lake have remained fairly easy to trap in large numbers in Gee traps. Sampling has been more sporadic in Spectacle and Emily lakes." (COSEWIC 2010g). |
| Long-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | There has been no systematic monitoring of abundance in Spectacle, Priest and Emily lakes, so population trends are unknown (COSEWIC 2010g). |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | A=Highly vulnerable |
| Comments: | Evidence from the extinction of the Hadley Lake species pair and the sudden hybridization of the Enos Lake pair suggest that these sympatric pairs are highly vulnerable to the introduction of exotic species and reduced water clarity. |
| Environmental Specificity: | A=Very narrow. Specialist or community with key requirements scarce. |
| Comments: | Inferred from the small number of sites where sympatric species pairs of threespine stickleback that have been found. |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | L. Gelling (2018); Ptolemy, J. (2005) |
| Date: | March 30, 2018 |
| References | |
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Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 2016. Action Plan for the Paxton Lake and Vananda Creek Stickleback Species Pairs (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in Canada [Proposed]. Species at Risk Act Action Plan Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. v + 40 pp.
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Hatfield, T. 1999c. Status of the stickleback species pair, Gasterosteus spp., in the Vananda Creek watershed of Texada Island, British Columbia. Can. Field-Nat.115(4):584-590.
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Hatfield, T. 2001. Status of the stickleback species pair, Gasterosteus spp., in Hadley Lake, Lasqueti Island, British Columbia. Can. Field-Nat. 115(4):579-583.
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McPhail, J.D. 1988. Report on the status of the Enos Lake stickleback species pair, Gasterosteus ssp. Rep. submitted to Comm. on the Status of Endangered Wildl. in Can., Ottawa.
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Oosenbrug, J., P. Wood, and S. Young. 2002. Vananda Creek limnetic stickleback Gasterosteus species 16 and Vananda Creek benthic stickleback Gasterosteus species 17. Unpubl. rep.13pp.
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Schluter, D., M. Roesti and T. Veen. 2017. Mark-recapture estimates of stickleback population sizes in Paxton and Priest Lakes in 2016. Biodiversity Research Centre and Zoology Department University of British Columbia. 9pp.
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Wood, P. 2003. Will Canadian policies protect British Columbia's endangered pairs of sympatric sticklebacks. Fisheries 28(5):19-26
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2018. Conservation Status Report: Gasterosteus sp. 17. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Mar 13, 2025).