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Fish Habitat
North/South Consultants Inc. provides expertise in the development of aquatic habitat enhancement projects to mitigate and/or compensate for impacts to the aquatic environment, particularly in relation to the habitat protection provisions of the federal Fisheries Act. The company also specializes in the design and conduct of pre- and post-project aquatic monitoring programs.
Representative Projects:
Grand Rapids Walleye Spawning Enhancement Project
Worked on a long-term project to re-establish a viable spawning population of walleye in the vicinity of the Saskatchewan River mouth. In addition to a re-stocking program, the project included the conceptualization, preliminary design, and post-project monitoring of one of the longest artificial spawning channels in Canada.
Duke Energy's Grizzly Extension Pipeline Project
Cross Lake Weir
Designed and conducted a long-term monitoring program to determine the effects on local fish populations of construction and operation of the Cross Lake outlet control weir. This mitigation project was designed to raise and stabilize lake levels on Cross Lake, which was impacted by Lake Winnipeg Regulation.
Churchill River Water Level Enhancement Project
This project mitigated de-watering caused by the Churchill River Diversion through construction of a 3.0 km weir near the mouth of the Churchill River. North/South Consultants was responsible for all aspects of the study related to the aquatic environment, including assessment of potential impacts and development of a comprehensive environmental effects monitoring program.
Spawning Assessment of an Artificial Riffle
Monitored fish utilization of an artificial riffle built to mitigate effects of bridge construction on the Fisher River in Manitoba's Interlake District. Study objectives included assessment of bank stability, fish passage, and fish use of the artificial spawning structures.
Instream Flow Needs
Assessed instream flow needs in Red and Assiniboine river tributaries utilized for irrigation withdrawals.
Assiniboine River Dyke Re-construction
Conducted three studies for Manitoba Conservation - Water Resources Branch to assess the impacts of dyke re-construction on fish habitat in the Assiniboine River. Cross-sectional depth profiles were collected both pre- and post-construction to determine the effects of dyke re-construction on river morphology and flow. Winter and summer gillnetting and electrofishing surveys were conducted to determine the impacts of dyke re-construction on fish utilization of the river.
Manitoba Fisheries Inventory and Habitat Classification System (FIHCS)
The FIHCS is a comprehensive computer database system containing information specific to individual water bodies within the province of Manitoba. North/South Consultants Inc. was contracted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to compile and synthesize information on 1000 waterbodies for addition into the Manitoba FIHCS.
Manitoba Fish Habitat Inventory
Conducted habitat inventories of five selected watersheds east of the Duck Mountains for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Manitoba Department of Natural Resources. Inventories included watershed analysis (determination of watershed boundaries, calculation of drainage areas, preparation of flood frequency graphs and longitudinal profiles) and stream reach field surveys of representative river segments (measurement of longitudinal and cross-sectional stream channel profiles, preparation of scaled plan maps of relevant fish habitat features and prevalent hydrological characteristics, and the conduct of fish inventories using a backpack electrofisher).
Fish Habitat Protection Guidelines
In association with KGS Group, developed guidelines to protect important fish species and fish habitat during the construction and/or operation of a variety of industrial developments in central and northern Canada. Twelve classes of development activities were reviewed with respect to their potential to impact fish and fish habitat, and physical habitat requirements and life history parameters were described for 36 species of fish found in DFO's Central and Arctic Region.
Waterfront Drive and Kingston Row/Kingston Crescent Projects
In association with KGS Group, provided fish habitat information to allow the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to make decisions on the projects with regard to the habitat provisions of the Fisheries Act. Red River fish habitat information was collected from existing literature, current unpublished information, and by the conduct of a bathymetric/substrate/flow diversity mapping investigation using a differential geographical positioning system.
Assiniboine River Bank Stabilization Projects
In association with KGS Group, provided fish habitat information for the Assiniboine River Banks Stabilization Projects between the Maryland Street Bridge and the Forks in Winnipeg, to allow the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to make a decision on the project with regard to the habitat provisions of the Fisheries Act. Assiniboine River fish habitat information was collected from existing literature, current unpublished information, and by conducting a bathymetric/ substrate/ flow diversity mapping investigation using a differential geographical positioning system.
Lower Churchill River Fish Overwintering Study
Conducted a study to identify fish overwintering habitat in the lower Churchill River and selected tributaries prior to construction of the Churchill Weir Water Level Enhancement Project. Existing late-winter aquatic habitat in the reach of the lower Churchill River expected to be influenced by the weir was classified on the basis of depth, velocity, and substrate. Where sufficient depth existed, fish were collected using gillnets. Egg collections were attempted in areas of suitable habitat to test for the presence of whitefish spawn.
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