Fisheries Management of the Credit River
Fishing is a favourite pastime for millions of Ontario residents and visitors. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is the lead agency for fisheries management in Ontario. MNR issues fishing licenses, determines fishing regulations, constructs and maintains fishways, rehabilitates fish habitat, stocks fish and works for the recovery of Species At Risk such as Lake Sturgeon, Redside Dace and Atlantic Salmon. MNR also encourages public involvement in fishing and fisheries management through the Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program (CFWIP), free Ontario Family Fishing Weekends, and through the development of fisheries management plans. For more information about the MNR and copies of the most recent sport-fishing regulations, consult their website at: www.mnr.gov.on.ca
The federal department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is responsible for the Fisheries Act, which is recognized as one of Canada’s most important pieces of legislation for protecting aquatic habitat. The Act addresses any “harmful alteration, disruption, or destruction” of fish habitat “directly or indirectly”. Their policies of protection, mitigation, and compensation encourage a “net gain” in fish habitat and productivity. CVC and other Conservation Authorities work in close partnership with DFO and MNR to further the protection, enhancement, and restoration of fish habitat. Together our goal is to work with people that live, work, and play around water to leave a healthy legacy for future generations. For more information about Fisheries and Oceans Canada, consult their website at: www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
CVC assists its many partners through provision of scientific advice as well as regulating activities that directly affect watercourses, wetlands and floodplains. An overall Watershed Plan involves integration of a variety of disciplines and management strategies of which the Credit River Fisheries Management Plan is but one chapter.
Fish habitat is a product of groundwater recharge and storage in forests and wetlands, runoff and flooding, erosion and sedimentation, water quality, floodplain and riparian conditions and healthy food supplies of invertebrates. CVC’s logo features a fish which is an environmental indicator of the overall health of watershed conditions. To that end, the overall health of the Credit River Watershed is carefully monitored and reported by CVC, using fish as one indicator. A network of more than 90 electrofishing stations supported by volunteers is one component of a broader water and terrestrial monitoring program.
Learn more about the Credit River Fisheries Management Plan
