Science Response 2024/006

*This advice was developed in a peer review meeting in 2022 and should be interpreted within the context of the situation at that time.

Science Review of Standardized Monitoring and Success Criteria Reports for Lake Construction, Channel Construction, and Aquatic Habitat Works

Context

In 2011, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program (FFHPP) requested science advice on developing cost-effective and science-based monitoring programs as part of habitat offsetting plans, to determine the effectiveness of habitat offsetting projects. Three hierarchical levels of monitoring were briefly described (compliance, functional, and effectiveness monitoring), but for that advice process the focus was on effectiveness monitoring (DFO 2012). The science advice on effectiveness monitoring was deemed applicable to projects with offsetting measures that warrant detailed monitoring (e.g., typically projects expected to have a large impact on fish and fish habitat, or high uncertainty in outcome). A technical report (Smokorowski et al. 2015) was produced following the 2012 advice and focused on developing the design and metrics for comprehensive effectiveness monitoring. In 2018, a follow-up science advisory process was held to focus on ‘functional monitoring’, recognizing that not all projects warrant full-fledged effectiveness monitoring, but that understanding the performance of the constructed habitats requires more than determining if the proponent has complied with conditions set out in an authorization under the Fisheries Act. The resulting Science Advisory Report (DFO 2019a) provided operational guidance on functional monitoring, exploring when it might be appropriate to implement, and providing monitoring design and indicator options to move towards standardization. Since then, there has been no DFO science advisory process to recommend requirements for compliance monitoring. The type of monitoring to be implemented and resulting level of effort depends on the goals/objectives of the monitoring, the scale of the potential impact, the relative understanding of the performance of specific types of constructed habitats, and corresponding indicators or surrogate metrics chosen. While science advice exists for the selection of monitoring approaches and design, none of the products from these past Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) processes were prescriptive enough to provide specific guidelines (i.e., step-by-step instructions) to implement an effective, standardized monitoring program.

Currently, FFHPP Ontario and Prairie Region (O&P Region) does not have standardized monitoring protocols and no standardized physical, chemical, or biotic collection techniques for both proponents and DFO to use in monitoring most habitat offsets. Recently, DFO FFHPP O&P Region contracted the development of proposed standardized monitoring approaches for several types of offsets or restorations, including lake construction, restoration/relocation/construction of watercourses to enhance or construct fish habitat (channel construction), aquatic habitat works which modify watercourses and lakes to enhance or construct fish habitat. Also included were supporting physical, chemical, and biotic collection techniques. These contracts followed-up from previous monitoring-related CSAS processes to specifically produce standardized monitoring protocols. Prior to incorporating these protocols into operational activities, DFO FFHPP had requested DFO Science review them and provide advice on the contractor-proposed, standardized monitoring programs/approaches for the aforementioned offset activities. All standardized monitoring programs/approaches are proposed for application in freshwaters, but inclusion of marine versions of similar protocols could be considered for future work.

The objective of this review was to assess whether the proposed standardized monitoring approaches for lake construction, channel construction, aquatic habitat works, and supporting biota collection techniques are scientifically sound, to help FFHPP build consistency in their monitoring and data requirements for their program and proponents. More specifically, the objectives were to:

1. Assess the quality and adequacy of information presented so that it is in line with previous advice, and determine if any relevant information was missing in the approaches;
2. Determine if appropriate study design, indicators and metrics, methods, sampling intensity, and best scientific practices in monitoring were used;
3. Determine if the monitoring approaches, including study design, data collection, metrics, and data accessibility, were structured in a manner for DFO Science to conduct a meta-analysis of the results in the future so monitoring protocols can be reassessed and to evaluate the ‘success’ of constructed habitats, and;
4. If necessary, recommend additional or alternative monitoring measures and approaches.

This Science Response Report results from the regional peer review of November 21-24, 2022, on the Science Review of a Standardized Monitoring and Success Criteria Report for Lake Construction; Channel Creation and Aquatic Habitat Works.

Science Response 2024/006 (PDF, 678 KB)

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