Oceans and Aquatic Ecosystems

Invasive smallmouth bass in the Miramichi system

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada is reviewing a request submitted by North Shore Micmac District Council to authorize the use of pesticide to eradicate Smallmouth Bass in Miramichi Lake and part of the Southwest Miramichi River.
• The Department is participating in the Province of New Brunswick’s environmental impact assessment.
• DFO and its partners continue ongoing containment, control and monitoring activities for Smallmouth Bass in Miramichi Lake, as well as delineation of the population distribution in the watershed.

Background:

• Smallmouth Bass was discovered in Miramichi Lake in 2008. The Southwest Miramichi River watershed is recognized as a productive Atlantic Salmon river. Smallmouth Bass is a predator and competitor of Atlantic Salmon and other fish.
• In reviewing the application, the Department has to consider implications not only for native Atlantic Salmon, but also impacts on species at risk and other fish species, fish habitat, and public safety.
• Response activities in 2019 and 2020 have included line fishing, electrofishing, netting, collection of samples to determine the spread of the invasion, and collaboration with the University of New Brunswick to determine the origin of the Smallmouth Bass.
• The Department is developing a long-term integrated management plan based on prevention, detection, response, and control, as well as sustained collaboration with partners.

Invasive smallmouth bass in Piper Lake and the St. Mary’s River watershed

• DFO recognizes the seriousness of the threat that invasive Smallmouth Bass represents to the ecosystem in Piper Lake and the St. Mary’s River watershed. Smallmouth Bass notably threatens Atlantic Salmon.
• Rotenone was deposited in Piper Lake on October 15, 2020 by the Province of Nova Scotia. DFO authorized the project, because it will ensure the highest chance of success in eradication, the lowest risk of escapees, and a relatively low localized impact compared to the potential impact of unmitigated spread.
• The area will be monitored to assess the effectiveness of the treatment as well as for the return of native fish species to the lake.

Background:

• The Province of Nova Scotia applied to deposit Rotenone in Piper Lake in an effort to eradicate the recently discovered and illegally introduced invasive Smallmouth Bass.
• DFO authorized the project on September 17, 2020, under s.19(3) of the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations.
• The Province of Nova Scotia deposited the fish toxicant on October 15, 2020. DFO officials were onsite to monitor the application and adherence to the conditions of the authorization. Ongoing monitoring by the Province is required to assess the effectiveness of the fish toxicant, as well as to monitor for the re-establishment of the native fish species composition to Piper Lake.

European Green Crab

• European Green Crab can have significant impacts on estuarine and marine ecosystems, and can harm shellfish harvesting and aquaculture industries.
• DFO is collaborating with partners including First Nations, provincial governments, stakeholders and U.S. state and federal governments to address the threats that this species poses to Canada’s fisheries and ecosystems.

Background:

• European Green Crab (EGC) is found on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada. In British Columbia, EGC were found in Boundary Bay in November 2019 and September 2020, and in Skidegate Inlet of Haida Gwaii in July 2020.
• The Council of the Haida Nation currently has a ban on travel to Haida Gwaii for non-essential visitors; therefore, DFO has supported the response remotely by providing advice, equipment, training and issuing capture permits.
• DFO hired a contractor in August 2020 to lead the field program on its behalf. As of September 18, 2020, 42 sites that were selected by DFO were sampled with a total of 27 EGC captured. Trapping will continue into November 2020, with DFO continuing to provide support and advice remotely. The extent of the invasion will be determined.
  
• DFO resumed its EGC field program in the Salish Sea in June 2020, and it is ongoing. Training and monitoring have been conducted in the Salish Sea with partners (i.e., stewardship and Indigenous groups) where Indigenous groups have not closed their communities to visitors. A few individuals of ECG were detected in Boundary Bay at Blackie Spit and Centennial Beach on September 18, 2020, but none found thereafter.

Port of Quebec (Laurentia Project)

• My Department will continue to actively participate in the environmental assessment for the Port of Quebec’s Laurentia Project, led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.
• No decisions have been made at this time as to whether the project can proceed to the regulatory phase, or whether authorizations or permits under the Fisheries Act or Species at Risk Act will be issued.
• The proposed project area includes important habitat used by many aquatic species, a concern which will be carefully considered when reviewing regulatory applications.
• The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) recently reported on its finding that the historic Striped Bass St. Lawrence River population is considered extinct.
• However, despite COSEWIC’s recent recommendation, the Striped Bass currently inhabiting the St. Lawrence River was assessed in 2012 and is still listed as endangered under the Species at Risk Act and therefore still protected.

Background:

• On September 4, 2020, DFO submitted its final advice to the Impact Assessment Agency in the context of the environmental assessment (EA). DFO’s advice noted that the project’s current design and location would have significant environmental effects on several sensitive and highly-valued fish species and their habitats.
• The project as proposed would jeopardize the survival or recovery of the Striped Bass (St. Lawrence River population), which is listed and protected as an endangered species under SARA, through the destruction of proposed critical habitat. It appears that project impacts resulting in the loss of critical habitat cannot be offset. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change’s EA decision is anticipated for February 2021; the project is undergoing an EA under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, led by the Agency.
• In November 2019, COSEWIC reassessed the status of Striped Bass (St. Lawrence River population) and reclassified it as extinct, based solely on the disappearance of the historic population. At the time, COSEWIC did not consider the status of the existing population of Striped Bass in the St. Lawrence River, which was established by stocking Striped Bass from the Miramichi River. This population formed the basis for the 2012 endangered status and 2019 listing on Schedule 1 of SARA.
• There is some expectation based on the COSEWIC reclassification that Striped Bass (St. Lawrence River) will be de-listed from Schedule 1 of SARA, allowing the project to proceed without requiring permitting. However, even if this were to occur, the habitat (used by the Striped Bass and other sensitive species) would still be protected under the Fisheries Act.
• The Quebec Port Authority is proposing to extend the existing wharf eastward by 610 metres to add two deep-water berths to its bulk transport facilities in the Beauport sector.

Port of Montreal (Contrecoeur Project)

• My Department will continue to actively participate in the environmental assessment for the Port of Montreal Expansion Project, led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.
• No decisions have been made at this time as to whether authorizations or permits under the Fisheries Act or Species at Risk Act will be issued.
• Protecting species at risk is a shared responsibility, and our government is committed to working with provinces, territories and all Canadians in implementing the Species at Risk Act.
• Activities, including those in areas of critical habitat, may be permitted under the Species at Risk Act as long as they meet certain conditions, most particularly, that the activities do not jeopardize the survival or recovery of the species.
• A Critical Habitat Order for Copper Redhorse is currently being developed under the Species at Risk Act.

Background:

• On September 17, 2020, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Impact Agency of Canada met with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke to respond to a number of technical questions regarding the current project as well as the Port of Quebec project (Laurentia).
• On July 24, 2020, DFO submitted a provisional and partial version of the Department’s expert advice to the Agency, in the context of the environmental assessment. An environmental assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, led by the Agency was initiated in January 2016. The public comment period on the Environmental Impact Statement concluded in March 2018. The Agency is now preparing the draft environmental assessment report for public and Indigenous consultation.
• On August 30, 2016, DFO received an application for authorization under the Fisheries Act; however, the timelines for review of the application have currently ceased pending the completion of the environmental assessment.
• The project is being proposed within the critical habitat (habitat necessary for survival or recovery of the species) of Copper Redhorse, identified in the 2012 Recovery Strategy. Development of a Critical Habitat Order is underway. Copper Redhorse is listed under the Species at Risk Act as an endangered species.
• The Montreal Port Authority is proposing the construction of a container port terminal with a maximum annual capacity of 1.15 million containers on its property located in Contrecoeur, approximately 40 kilometers downstream from Montreal.

Énergie Saguenay Project

• Protecting our aquatic ecosystems while also considering economic interests of communities who rely on these industries for their livelihoods is a priority for our government. 
• My Department will continue to actively participate in the provincial and federal environmental assessments for the Énergie Saguenay Project.
• DFO will continue to provide expert advice and evaluate potential physical impacts to the marine and freshwater environment, including impacts on marine mammals from underwater noise.
• Protecting species at risk is a shared responsibility, and the federal government is committed to working with provinces and territories and all Canadians in implementing the Species at Risk Act.
• Proposed activities, including those in areas of critical habitat, may be authorized under the Species at Risk Act as long as they meet certain conditions and do not jeopardize the survival or recovery of the species.

Background:

• On September 21, 2020, the Bureau d’audiences publique sur l’environnement launched the first of two phases of public hearings for the project. DFO participated by providing advice related to project impacts on fish and fish habitat. DFO will also participate in the second phase of virtual public hearings, which are scheduled to start October 26, 2020.
• In February 2020, GNL Québec Inc. (the proponent) submitted a summary of the provincial impact assessment for its Énergie Saguenay project, which acknowledged maritime traffic resulting from the project could represent a risk for the beluga and the other cetaceans of the St. Lawrence.
• The environmental assessment (EA) decision is anticipated for January 2021; DFO expects to submit the Department’s expert advice in November 2020. The project is undergoing an EA under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012.
• The proponent is proposing the construction and operation of a natural gas liquefaction facility and export terminal located in the District of La Baie, Saguenay City, Quebec.
• The terminal is proposed within the area of distribution of the Beluga (St. Lawrence Estuary population), an endangered species listed on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act. The marine traffic associated with the new terminal (300-400 transits annually) will go through the critical habitat of the Beluga.

Baffinland – Mary River Project

• Protecting the marine environment and marine mammals is a top priority, which is why we are ensuring projects are thoroughly assessed.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada ensured that conditions are in place to protect the environment and marine mammals in Phase 1 of the Mary River project.
• My Department is also participating in the Nunavut Impact Review Board’s review of the potential impacts of the Phase 2 Development proposal.
• DFO is working alongside other stakeholders and Inuit organizations and communities to better understand the potential impacts.

Background:

• The Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) held technical meetings September 14-18, 2020, as well as community roundtables during the week of September 28, 2020.
• During the technical meetings, DFO noted that narwhal around the community of Kugaaruk are likely influenced by the project shipping activities. Subsequently, DFO was questioned on this by the proponent and NIRB. The Department confirmed that based on evidence accumulated over the last decades, and summarized in a recent Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat stock assessment report, mixing between summer narwhal aggregations in the Arctic is more extensive than previously realized.
• On September 22, 2020, the NIRB held an emergency meeting to determine if Kugaaruk should be added as an intervener to this hearing because of the potential impacts on the Somerset stock of narwhal. If it is decided they should be added, the hearings will be delayed.
• DFO will continue to provide advice during the environmental assessment related to fish and fish habitat, including narwhal.
• Phase 2 will include the construction and operation of a second ore dock capable of berthing Cape-size ore carriers, construction of the North Railway consisting of four bridges and 417 culverts, additional crossings along the Milne Inlet Tote Road, an increase up to 12 Mt/year of iron ore from the project site and transportation of this ore via the North Railway to Milne Port, and increased shipping activities through Milne Inlet to facilitate the transport of the increased ore.

Roberts Bank Terminal 2

• My Department is actively participating in the environmental assessment for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, and will assess the new information requested from the proponent by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change as it relates to DFO’s mandate.
• Our government is committed to the protection and recovery of Canada’s resident killer whales, and to the protection of fish and fish habitat.
• We will continue to undertake meaningful consultations with Indigenous peoples and stakeholders, as well as continue our work to ensure that fish, marine mammals, and their habitats are protected.
• We will also continue to work in partnership with Indigenous peoples, key stakeholders, international partners and the Province of British Columbia on immediate actions to reduce the impact of marine shipping.

Background:

• On August 25, 2020, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change requested that the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority provide additional information in order to inform his decisions under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012.  The information request was posted on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry and has paused the federal timelines until the information provided by the proponent satisfies the information request.
• On March 27, 2020, the Review Panel submitted its report on the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project. It concluded that the project is likely to cause numerous significant adverse environmental effects taking into account the implementation of mitigation measures.
• Roberts Bank Terminal 2 will likely require the issuance of a Species At Risk Act (SARA) compliant Fisheries Act authorization for construction of the terminal in Southern Resident Killer Whale Critical Habitat. However, there is still uncertainty that the S.73(3) SARA preconditions, specifically the determination that the activity will not jeopardize the survival or recovery of the species, can be met.
• The proponent proposes to construct and operate a new three-berth container terminal at Roberts Bank in the Fraser River Estuary in British Columbia. The proponent has stated that the new terminal would handle up to 260 container ships per year (520 ship movements) by 2030.

Grassy Mountain Coal Project

• My Department is committed to conserving and protecting Canada’s fish and fish habitat.
• Experts from DFO are actively participating in the environmental assessment for the Grassy Mountain Coal Project by providing advice related to our expertise, including impacts to the Westslope Cutthroat Trout, a species at risk.
• My Department will continue to work with the proponent in an effort to resolve outstanding concerns with the project. The project remains under review and no decisions have been made at this time.

Background:

• DFO is participating in the public hearings for the project that are taking place virtually from October 27 to November 30, 2020. The project would likely require the issuance of a Fisheries Act authorization with Species at Risk Act (SARA) conditions for impacts to Westslope Cutthroat Trout (WSCT) critical habitat. Based on the information available at this time, DFO is likely to conclude that the section 73(3) preconditions of SARA are not likely to be met for the project, as there is potential for significant adverse effects on WSCT.
• DFO provided a written submission to the Joint Review Panel on September 21, 2020. The primary impacts of the project within DFO’s mandate include tributary loss, riparian loss, flow changes in Gold Creek, which supports a pure population of WSCT and is designated critical habitat, and riparian loss and flow changes in Blairmore Creek.
• In 2005, WSCT was assessed as “Threatened” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and in 2013 the species was listed as “Threatened” under Part 3 of Schedule 1 of SARA. The species is also listed as “Threatened” under Alberta’s Wildlife Act. A federal recovery strategy, which adopted the Alberta Westslope Cutthroat Trout Recovery Plan 2012-2017 and identified critical habitat for this species, was included on the public registry in 2014. In 2019, the recovery strategy was replaced with the Recovery Strategy and Action Plan for the Westslope Cutthroat Trout Alberta Population in Canada.
• The project is subject to an environmental assessment (EA) pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, as well as an environmental impact assessment pursuant to the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act carried out by the Alberta Energy Regulator. The federal EA was referred to a joint review panel in 2016, and the panel members were appointed in 2018.
• Benga Mining Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Riversdale Resources Limited, is proposing to construct and operate an open-pit metallurgical coal mine near the Crowsnest Pass, approximately seven kilometres north of the community of Blairmore, in southwest Alberta. As proposed, the production capacity of the project would be a maximum of 4.5 million tonnes of clean coal per year, over a mine-life of about 25 years.

Marine spatial planning

• In the face of increasing demands on our oceans, our government has adopted marine spatial planning as the way forward in ocean planning and management.
• This approach builds on previous planning efforts, and brings federal, provincial, and Indigenous partners together to define the uses of our oceans.
• Our open, collaborative approach will allow us to set common goals right from the start and agree on a long-term plan more quickly.
• A plan for our oceans will provide certainty for all users, resulting in a predictable, stable environment that will attract investment in Canada’s growing marine sectors, while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.
• Collectively, we will work to meet environmental, economic, and social goals.

Background:

• Marine spatial planning (MSP) is rolling out across Canada to improve the management and coordination of economic and conservation activities, starting with initiatives in five marine areas.
• The five areas are: Pacific North Coast; Pacific South Coast; Bay of Fundy/Scotian Shelf; Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence; and, Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves. The goal is to develop plans by 2024 that set out the long-term spatial objectives and includes shared accountabilities for implementation.
• MSP is the process that will advance the design and implementation of conservation networks to meet Canada’s domestic conservation targets (25% by 2025 and 30% by 2030) and identify future areas in need of protection, while supporting our efforts to develop the blue economy.

Oceans Protection Plan

• The Oceans Protection Plan (OPP) is a major investment in marine protection and safety, helping Canada meet its full potential in the ocean economy.
• During these challenging times, OPP continues to help lay the foundations for sustainable marine sector growth.
• An OPP forward strategy is in development to further stabilize implementation in the short-to-medium term, while also supporting ongoing planning efforts and future investment opportunities.
• This includes deepening partnerships with Indigenous and coastal communities through a range of initiatives and future engagement activities emphasizing co-management of national marine priorities.
• The OPP remains a leading example of our whole-of-government approach in action, and a key mechanism for advancing a larger oceans strategy for Canada.

Background:

• OPP highlights include: establishing new radar coverage in nine navigation areas for improved tracking, communication and vessel coordination; hydrographic charting and surveys of several high-priority commercial ports to promote safer navigation and more timely search and rescue operations in times of distress; extensive investments in redundant back-up communications links through OpNet; new environmental response training for enhanced on-water incident management.
• In advancing these initiatives, the OPP is leveraging local and traditional knowledge of First Nations and, where possible, co-designing and co-delivering projects. In this way, OPP is ensuring that our coasts and waterways are well-managed and well-protected, while more directly involving Canadians who call these regions home.
• The Reconciliation Framework Agreement for Bioregional Oceans Management and Protection is a case-in-point of how the OPP is delivering results in this regard, as we continue to work with First Nations signatories and other partners to implement this historic co-governance model.