Successful Applicant:
Bedeque Bay Environmental Management Association
Award:
$6,727
Project Title:
Fish Habitat Restoration Within the Bedeque Bay Watershed
Project Gallery:
Project Summary:
Protecting and restoring wildlife habitat within the Bedeque Bay watershed is a vital component of BBEMA’s mandate. This project partnered with agricultural landowners to enhance fish habitat and connectivity (Wilmot and Dunk River) through a combination of instream and riparian zone restoration efforts. This labour-intensive work involved the selective removal of instream debris and placement of structures to consolidate instream sediment and help better define the natural stream meanders. Critical pool habitat areas for recreational fishing on the Dunk River were enhanced through the rebuilding of the rock deflector at McCardle’s. This project actively worked with private landowners to improve riparian buffers and correct sediment sources entering watercourses/wetlands. While this project focused on restorative measures to protect fish and fish habitat, there were some monitoring elements that will enable BBEMA to increase our knowledge base and to help guide future watershed management efforts.
These included:
• Operation of a fish counting operation at Scales Pond to establish a baseline on fish populations
• Deployment of automated water temperature recorders in the Dunk and Wilmot rivers to add to the existing baseline data on surface water temperatures during the summer months.
• Redd Surveys (spawning surveys) to determine critical spawning areas for rainbow trout (spring), brook trout and Atlantic salmon.
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