Aquatic Habitat Enhancement

Human activities often affect habitat for aquatic life, such as fish, either directly through activities such as stream channelization or construction of dams, or indirectly through changes in land use that may add sediment or nutrients. Efforts to restore or enhance aquatic habitats are becoming important components of watershed management and also as part of trading programs to offset other activities, such as permitted discharges.

Examples of aquatic habitat enhancement include design of stream bank stabilization projects that also provide habitat enhancement for fish, use of off-channel ponds (perhaps from past gravel mining) as connections to streams to improve habitat complexity, and development of modified flow regimes.

GEI has a long history in studying the affects of human activities on aquatic life, including restoration of fish passage, habitat assessment and enhancement, and mitigation.