Water Stewardship Information Sources

Citation Watershed-based Fish Values Monitoring Protocol (WFVM) for Watersheds with High Fish Values.
Organization FLNRO
URL https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/frep/values/watershed.htm
Abstract/Description or Keywords Using various statutes the provincial government can set land-use management objectives to protect the health and integrity of watersheds with high fish values. For example, under the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the Oil and Gas Activities Act (OGAA), the province is developing policy and procedures that will guide a program for evaluating and legally designating basins as fisheries sensitive watersheds (FSW). FSW designation includes setting specific objectives aimed at directing management activities in a manner that maintains and protects habitat conditions over time that are essential for supporting healthy fish habitat and in turn fish populations (e.g., hydrology, stream bed dynamics, channel integrity, water quality and quantity, and cumulative hydrological effects). Under the Land Act watersheds intended to provide a comparable level of protection have received similar designations (e.g. "important fisheries watersheds")

To ensure the effectiveness of government’s objectives (for high fish value watersheds), and operational practices and activities, a monitoring methodology is essential to understand whether critical watershed processes and associated fish habitat values are being maintained within these important watersheds.

Government has been working with a range of partners since 2008 to develop a watershed-level fish values monitoring (WFVM) protocol including a focus on climate change. The protocol uses a two tiered approach employing both GIS analysis and collected field data. GIS based monitoring (Tier I) brings together the best available spatial information to assess the level of potential risk associated with anthropogenic development. Field collected data (Tier II) utilizes FREP and other protocols, that when put together, will help report on a watershed's functioning condition.
Information Type projects
Regional Watershed Province
Sub-watershed if known
Aquifer #
Comments
Project status ongoing
Contact Name Lars Reese-Hansen
Contact Email [email protected]