Approximately 37 species from 16 families of fish were found to pass through the structure by the fall of 1999. The fish community inside Metzger Marsh will be surveyed as well. Habitat features monitoring is being conducted to determine any effects the dike and its fish control structure may have on the environment. Results from this project will provide alternative management practices applicable to all Great Lakes coastal wetlands without compromising fishery habitat. This is an experimental structure , which is still in the testing and modifying stage.
Plans are in the works to re-design the sampling baskets.
The new baskets will better distinguish fish moving into the marsh from fish migrating out of the marsh. This information is vital in revealing timing of species movement. Management can apply this information to allow fish passage into and out of the marsh while still maintaining some control over water fluctuations. The mouth of Crane Creek enters Lake Erie from the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. At the mouth of the creek it becomes an open water estuary that is affected by Lake Erie seiche activity.