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Standards and codes of practice

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Standards and codes of practice comply with the fish and fish habitat protection provisions of the Fisheries Act by incorporating measures to avoid:

If you can't avoid risks to fish and fish habitat by implementing the measures to protect fish and fish habitat, check to see if there are standards or codes of practice that apply to your project.

A code of practice specifies conditions and measures for managing risks to fish and fish habitat.

A standard outlines how a specific management measure should be designed and implemented to achieve its objective.

Standards and codes of practice can relate to works, undertakings and activities during various phases of their life cycle, such as construction, operation, maintenance or decommissioning.

You may need to request a project review if the codes of practice don't apply to your project.

How to use the codes of practice

Section 1 describes the works, undertakings and activities addressed by the code of practice and the risks to fish and fish habitat which can be mitigated by following the code of practice. You will also find a link to contact information in case you have further questions.

Section 2 helps you determine if you can apply the code of practice to your project and requests that you notify us when you use the code of practice.

Section 3 outlines measures to follow. Review the complete set of measures and only apply the measures that are applicable to your project.

Section 4 provides a glossary to ensure that key terms are understood.

How to use a standard

Standards are not considered stand-alone documents.

They can be referenced in an instrument (for example, codes of practice, regulations or authorizations), or they may also be referenced by the proponent in a project plan, request for review or application for authorization. Provinces, territories and industry partners may also choose to reference standards in their guidelines or regulations as appropriate.

Updates

Code of practice: beaver dam breaching and removal

This code of practice outlines practices to follow for the breaching and removal of a beaver dam which is impounding water and may cause imminent threat or damage to nearby infrastructure.

The beaver dam breaching and removal code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from beaver dam breaching and removal include:

Interim code of practice: bridge repair and maintenance

This interim code of practice outlines practices to follow for the repair and maintenance of bridges, including:

The bridge repair and maintenance interim code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from the repair and maintenance of bridges include:

Code of practice: clear span bridges

This code of practice outlines practices to follow for the construction of clear span bridges which includes:

The clear span bridges code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from clear span bridges include:

Code of practice: culvert maintenance

This code of practice provides best practices for the maintenance of culverts which includes:

The culvert maintenance code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from culvert maintenance include:

Interim code of practice: end-of-pipe fish protection screens for small water intakes in freshwater

This interim code of practice provides guidance on the design, installation and maintenance of small end-of-pipe water intake fish screens to prevent entrainment and impingement of fish.

The end-of-pipe fish screen code of practice also provides:

This interim code of practice does not cover impacts related to fish habitat and changes in flow conditions.

Code of practice: ice bridges and snow fills

This code of practice outlines practices to follow for the construction, maintenance and decommissioning of ice bridges and snow fills. Ice bridges and snow fills are two methods used for temporary winter access to the other side of a watercourse in areas where an existing crossing is not available or practical to use.

The ice bridges and snow fills code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from ice bridges and snow fills include:

Interim code of practice: municipal and agricultural drain maintenance

This interim code of practice outlines practices to follow for municipal and agricultural drain maintenance and applies only to drains with intermittent flow. Maintenance activities can include:

The municipal and agricultural drain maintenance interim code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from municipal and agricultural drain maintenance include:

Interim code of practice: repair and maintenance of in-water structures

This interim code of practice outlines practices to follow for the repair and maintenance of existing in-water structures associated with harbors, marinas, ports and public boat launches. In-water structures include:

The repair and maintenance of in-water structures interim code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from the repair and maintenance of in-water structures include:

Interim code of practice: repair, maintenance and construction of docks, moorings and boathouses

This interim code of practice outlines practices to follow for the repair, maintenance and construction of residential docks, moorings and boathouses. These are either floating or supported by pipes, piles, poles, anchors, concrete blocks or cantilever arms.

The repair, maintenance and construction of docks, moorings and boathouses interim code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from the repair, maintenance and construction of docks, moorings and boathouses include:

Code of practice: Routine maintenance dredging for navigation

This code of practice outlines practices to follow for routine maintenance dredging, which occurs at least once every 10 years.

Routine maintenance dredging involves the mechanical removal of accumulated sediment from the bed of a water body in an area where dredging for navigation purposes has previously occurred and was reviewed by DFO.

Routine dredging helps to maintain the design depths of:

The routine maintenance dredging code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from routine maintenance dredging include:

This code applies to routine maintenance dredging only and does not apply to new dredging projects or to the expansion of a previously dredged area.

Code of practice: Temporary fords

This code of practice provides best practices for fording a watercourse. Temporary fords are employed for short term seasonal access by construction vehicles to the other side of a watercourse when an existing crossing is not available or practical to use. They can include:

The temporary fords code of practice provides useful information on the measures to follow to ensure that fish and fish habitat are protected. Risks to fish and fish habitat from temporary fords include:

Interim standard: in-water site isolation

This interim standard provides national guidance for isolating a work site when it is located in a watercourse or water body. In-water site isolation may be required to support the construction of new infrastructure or to support maintenance or removal activities associated with existing infrastructure. This standard includes guidance related to the following 5 methods:

In-water site isolation is a mitigation measure that is implemented during in-water work to manage sediment laden water. The objective of the measure is to reduce the intensity, spatial scale and duration of sedimentation of fish habitat resulting from the project. This standard provides guidance to proponents on how to implement in-water site isolation. It is intended for use in the installation, maintenance, monitoring and removal of in-water isolation methods occurring within:

The type of watercourse or water body and site-specific conditions will often inform the preferred method(s) of in-water site isolation.

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