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4.0 Habitat Enhancement

Fisheries and Oceans Canada seeks to achieve its policy objective of “net gain” in the productive capacity of fish habitat by supporting conservation and voluntary organizations as well as others interested in restoring and developing fish habitat. Examples include rehabilitating streams, eliminating or controlling exotic species, and removing human-made barriers.

Regional Highlights

Examples of regional activities in habitat enhancement during fiscal year
2001‑2002 are highlighted below. Details are provided in Supporting Documents available electronically at <http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/canwaters-eauxcan/infocentre/publications/index_e.asp>.

Maritimes

• Coordinated a partnership of governments, industry and community groups proposing to neutralize the acidity of the Salmon River in Nova Scotia through the use of calcium kiln dust, a by-product of the cement-making process.
• Partnered with the Petitcodiac Watershed Monitoring Group and the Sentinelles Petitcodiac Riverkeepers on the Halls Creek Watershed Rehabilitation Project in New Brunswick, providing technical advice on removing hazardous debris, conducting a habitat survey, identifying pollution sources, and preparing a restoration plan.
• Continued to work with community partners in the pilot project launched in 1997 to restore and manage the River Denys watershed on the Bras d’Or Lakes in Nova Scotia, where activities included habitat restoration in the upper watershed by a stewards group, water sampling, habitat mapping and shoreline surveying.
  

Quebec

• Through its involvement in the SLV 2000 Action Plan, DFO has provided technical, scientific and financial assistance which has made it possible to conduct various studies or to take measures to enhance fish habitat.
• Current data regarding the habitats, resources and uses of the Gaspé Bay were indexed and mapped in order to circulate information among the population and foster a more sound management of the bay as a whole.
• A follow-up campaign on the Bonaventure barachois focused on precise biophysical parameters in order to assess environmental modifications due to restoration measures implemented at the end of the 90s. A report on this subject will be produced during the winter of 2003.
• In Saguenay, research on locating the principal rainbow smelt spawning area continued in order to effectively protect this critical habitat. The results strongly suggest that the next steps carried in 2002 will lead to achieving the objective of this initiative.
• In the Magdalen Islands, various activities enabled the characterization and the improvement of the coastal areas of the lagoons. For example, the clean-up of the banks of the lagoon of Havre-aux-Basques and Grande-Entrée and the various steps taken to clean up Petite baie and Baie du Bassin.

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Central and Arctic

• Administered approximately $200K of a fish habitat compensation fund established as a condition of a subsection 35(2) authorization issued to BHP Billiton for the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories. The fund, initially established with $1.5M, is to be used to fund habitat restoration and enhancement projects in the Northwest Territories, to offset habitat losses associated with the diamond project.
• Participated on the Brokenhead River Restoration Committee in Manitoba and the Bow River Fish Habitat Protection and Enhancement Project in Alberta. A fisheries enhancement evaluation for the Brokenhead River was conducted and the Committee determined the top five priority sites would be restored in the coming year. Important reaches within the Bow River were identified for enhancement.
• Involved in the review of the Oshawa Second Marsh restoration project proposed in Ontario. This project will result in a net gain of 5, 530 square metres of fish habitat that will be created by providing a more direct migration corridor for salmonids to access headwater spawning habitats. The new channel will have added habitat features and a fishway constructed to facilitate access of other fish species.

Pacific

• About 36,000 m² of riffle/pool and 20,000 m² of slough rearing habitat were restored by installing a culvert at Steinhoe Creek near Terrace to restore access for salmon for the first time in over 90 years. CN Rail paid for all project costs, an estimated $350,000.
• Within the Kamloops City limits, three levels of government, First Nations, a Community Stewardship Group and private landowners cooperated to re-plant and fence over six kilometres of river bank on the North and South Thompson Rivers.
  

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