Southern Alberta FISHES Program – Overview

About the program

The Southern Alberta Fisheries Habitat Enhancement and Sustainability (FISHES) Program is a 3-year $10 million program developed to mitigate the risks to the aquatic environment arising from the magnitude and extent of instream activities, authorized by the department of Environment and Parks (AEP), under the Expedited Authorization Process for Flood Recovery (EAPFR).

Program efforts will be directed at identifying areas of highest disturbance that are critical to maintaining aquatic productivity and fish populations at a watershed level. Habitat restoration projects which effectively mitigate flood-related impacts will be designed and constructed to:

• enhance affected habitat, thereby improving resiliency to subsequent high flow events over the longer term
• speed the restoration of degraded habitat following the 2013 and 2014 floods

The program is committed to effectively restoring and enhancing fish habitat by identifying the key factors which are limiting aquatic productivity in flood affected watercourses, within the South Saskatchewan River Basin.

Legislation

Existing FISHES Program projects are subject to the Expedited Authorization Process for Flood Recovery. For more information, see: Expedited Authorizations Process for Flood Recovery (EAPFR).

Program Information and Updates

To learn more about the FISHES Program, see: How the FISHES Program Works.

For the latest news and reports on the FISHES program and its Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects, see: FISHES Project Updates.

Related legislation

Alberta Queen's Printer

• Public Lands Act
• Water Act

Government of Canada Justice Laws Website

• Fisheries Act

Contact

Connect with the FISHES program:
Email: [email protected]