Habitat functions provided by lake spawning, breeding, rearing and
foraging areas for fish, amphibians, waterfowl and other wildlife.
Shallow, sheltered shoreline areas and riparian vegetation such as
trees, shrubs, grasses, and other plants along a lake shore are
important for fish and wildlife habitat.
Benefits
Lakes can provide multiple benefits, including:
- Shade and water temperature stability
- Shoreline bank stabilization
- Source of insects for foraging wildlife
- Protective cover from overhanging branches and leaves
- Under water cover from submerged vegetation
- Protection from wind and wave action
- Reduction and filtering of stormwater runoff
Management Concerns
Lake ecosystems are affected by a variety of influences outside of the
water. Development impacts along lake shorelines vary with the type of
development and the type of lake where it occurs. Common development
impacts are result in removal of native shoreline vegetation, bulkheads,
increased stormwater runoff, introduction of dissolved nutrients, and
pollutants.
Removal of shoreline vegetation, aquatic and/or
riparian, can result in a loss of fish habitat, shade, insects and other
aquatic organisms important to fish foraging. Lake shore defense works,
like marine shore defense works, may also result in increased erosion
of lake sediments which can disturb or destroy fish spawning and rearing
habitat, as well as erode neighboring beaches and uplands. Increased
stormwater runoff and toxics can decrease overall water quality,
increase sediment inputs and turbidity, and increase nutrient inputs
which can contribute to more frequent occurrences of aquatic weed growth
and algae blooms like those experienced at Lake Samish in recent years.