The Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program
The Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program helps conserve and protect fisheries and aquatic ecosystems for future generations.
The program seeks to:
- conserve existing fish and fish habitat resources
- protect these resources against future impacts
- restore fish habitat
Program activities
We administer and ensure compliance for development projects taking place in and around fish habitat under the:
- fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the Fisheries Act
- relevant provisions of the Species at Risk Act
Program activities include:
- supporting Canada’s commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples
- engaging with partners and stakeholders to:
- encourage and support good stewardship of fish and fish habitat
- provide grant and contribution funding where appropriate
- lead, influence and participate in integrated aquatic ecosystems planning with partners and stakeholders to identify and meet common objectives
- providing expertise to custodian departments through the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan
We’re also committed to gathering, analyzing, reporting on and providing access to information about the performance of the program and its benefit to Canadians.
This includes:
- program:
- compliance
- conformity
- effectiveness
- the status of fish and fish habitats in Canada
Expert support
Fisheries and Oceans Canada provides an expert support function to custodians, the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan Secretariat and the Federal Contaminated Sites Steering Committee.
This support includes:
- providing scientifically sound, nationally consistent advice on the risks posed by contaminated sites, both on- and off-site
- assisting custodial organizations in:
- investigation and assessment of a site
- planning the site’s:
- risk assessment
- remediation
- overall risk management
Publications
- Fish and fish habitat protection policy statement
- Policy for applying measures to offset adverse effects on fish and fish habitat under the Fisheries Act
- Task Force on Sustainable Tidal Energy Development in the Bay of Fundy Final Report
- DFO’s approach to assessing risk of death of fish from collision with tidal energy devices
- DFO's Guide to Adaptive Environmental Effects Monitoring Programs (AEEMP) for tidal energy devices in the Bay of Fundy
- Annual report to Parliament on the administration and enforcement of the fish habitat protection and pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act
- Habitat Highlights
- Public report on the Fisheries Protection Program monitoring efforts
- Best management practices for the protection of freshwater fish habitat in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Pathways of effects
Contact us
Contact your regional Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program office for more information or support.
Related links
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