A study of the fish fauna of the Steepbank River was conducted during the open water period, 1977. Utilization of the Steepbank system by migrant fish from the Athabasca River was assessed by means of a two-way counting fence. Fish movements were monitored from 25 April to 29 May, and from 12 September to 15 October. Small mesh seines were used throughout the watershed and throughout the summer to collect small fish. Floy tags were applied to 3466 migrant fish in an effort to determine the length of time spent by migrant fish in the Steepbank watershed and migration patterns within the lower Athabasca River system.
Spawning migrations of longnose suckers (52%), Arctic grayling (20%), and white suckers (14%) accounted for most of the 7272 fish passed through the upstream trap during the spring operation. An upstream feeding migration of mountain whitefish (7%) and post-spawning movements of northern pike (3%) and walleye (3%) were also observed at this time.
Most migrant suckers of both species left the Steepbank watershed shortly after spawning, although small numbers of immature fish apparently remained in the tributary throughout the summer and were captured moving downstream in October. Most young-of-the-year suckers drifted out of the Steepbank River during June. Arctic grayling remained in the mid-reaches of the Steepbank River throughout the summer and did not leave the watershed until just prior to freeze-up. A total of 1789 grayling were counted through the downstream trap in the fall. It is suggested that young-of-the-year grayling overwinter in the Steepbank River and do not join the migrant population until the autumn of their second year.
Only 1.4% of the fish tagged were recaptured outside the Steepbank watershed. Northern pike demonstrated little tendency to move around while walleye and suckers moved great distances.
The resident fish fauna of the Steepbank River consists largely of pearl dace, brook stickleback, lake chub, longnose dace and slimy sculpin.