Water is necessary for life, and in Canada we live in watersheds that provide drinking water, irrigation, industrial water sources, hydropower, recreation opportunities and habitat for wildlife. A watershed is an area that channels rainfall and snowmelt into a river or stream, and this water eventually makes its way to reservoirs, bays, and oceans.

What happens in a watershed matters to the health of our waterways, and the animals that live in them. It’s why Canada’s Fisheries Act requires any project in and around water to be evaluated for possible environmental harm.

Big projects like dams and mines trigger extensive reviews and hearings, but sometimes little projects slip through the cracks-- such as the installation of a pipe or culvert in a stream under a new road. On their own, small projects may not seem like a big deal as they are often classified as low risk in their review under the Fisheries Act and allowed to proceed. However, the piecemeal approval of small projects means there are hundreds of thousands of them in Canada, and their cumulative effects are adding up. Over 1300 hockey rinks worth of damage happens in fresh waterways every year (that’s 2,000,000 m²)

Through the Fisheries Act, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has the regulatory power to maximize environmental protection on small projects. For example, infilling a shoreline with concrete blocks would be considered a serious offense under the Act. However, no charges related to small projects have been laid in three of the past four years that DFO reports have been available.

DFO has the regulatory power to ensure small projects receive adequate scrutiny and are implemented with maximum environmental protection. The Canadian Wildlife Federation is asking the Canadian Government to commit to implementing the Fisheries Act in the following ways:

1. Take a watershed approach. Evaluate the carrying capacity of the watershed in questions.
   
   
   • a: How will this new project add to the cumulative effect of existing projects in the watershed?
     
     b: Should a new project be allowed in the watershed?
     
     c: Is there a better location in the watershed for the project?
     
     d: Can the proponent offset their project by restoring habitat at another location in the watershed?
2. Monitor the impact of projects. DFO should follow up and evaluate the impact of projects. They should ensure compliance with the Fisheries Act.
3. Develop policy around the Fisheries Act that dictates better building and regulations. Provide project proponents with better guidance and directives on how to minimize environmental harm. Require proponents to consider the cumulative impact of other projects in the area as part of their application. Use the tools in the Act to put the policies in place.

Poorly installed culverts can be a barrier for fish migration in rivers and streams. Fish often have a harder time moving through culverts than most other kinds of crossings or natural waterways. There are several reasons for this. For example, culverts can increase water velocity, making it difficult for fish to swim upstream . They can become easily blocked with woody debris. Culverts frequently become perched above the waterline over time and can be full barriers to fish passage. These barriers have serious consequences for fish, including loss of spawning habitat, failure to reproduce, and exhaustion from fighting delays in their migration route. Culverts can also be barriers for amphibians and small mammals, affect the composition of mollusks and aquatic insects in streams, and unintentionally encourage the movement of some non-native species .

Large stones like granite and modular concrete blocks called “rip rap” are used for erosion control and to stabilize shorelines. While in some places this can be beneficial to wildlife, when it is used unnecessarily in previously natural areas it can result in the removal of shade-providing plants and other vegetation that are important parts of fish habitat. Rip rap can retain heat and lead to local thermal pollution. On a watershed scale, it can affect habitat by restricting the natural migration of the water channel, decreasing natural sediment deposition, and interfering with the movement of gravel and wood in waterways . The gaps between rip rap rocks can trap turtles, particularly hatchlings , and the addition of rocks to previously natural shorelines can destroy habitat for frogs, toads, and nesting birds .

Water intakes are an important part of our water distribution system, but installation issues and lack of maintenance can impact fish and wildlife. Pipe installation can result in the loss of shoreline habitat and the release of sediment and other materials into the waterway. This sediment can make the water cloudy, clog fish gills, interrupt reproduction and potentially cover up fish food. Unscreened (or improperly screened) intakes can allow fish and wildlife into the pipe where they die or sustain lethal injuries.

Please consider a donation to support CWF in our efforts to mitigate further loss to aquatic habitat, ensuring they remain healthy for the species that rely on those habitats.

Thank you for your commitment to wildlife conservation.