Fisheries & Aquatic Assessments

At RCH, we specialize in detailed watercourse crossing assessments, fish inventories, stream assessments, fish habitat surveys, species at risk planning, and fish salvages. By providing expert regulatory guidance, we distill complex project requirements into actionable solutions that align with both project objectives and regulatory standards.

Primary Services Include:

  • Project Planning and Guidance for projects impacting fish and fish habitat

  • Fish passage design review and guidance for watercourse crossing projects

  • Hydrological Integrity Plans (HIP)

  • QAES Assessment services and guidance

  • Watercourse crossing assessments

  • Fish and Fish Habitat Assessments (FFHA)

  • Stream classification and assessments

  • Fisheries inventories and population assessments

  • eDNA Sampling for sensitive aquatic species

  • Aquatic habitat desktop reviews and mitigation planning

  • Fish Salvage and Relocations for stream crossing projects.

It all begins with permitting. Our team at RCH can guide you through the process of securing provincial and federal (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) permitting for projects impacting fish and fish habitat. 

Primary Services Include:

  • Federal and provincial regulatory guidance

  • DFO Request For Review submission and guidance

  • DFO Species at Risk (SARA) permits

  • Provincial Fish Collection Permits

  • Provincial Fish Research Licenses

  • Provincial Fish salvage permits

  • Review and project guidance for updated NEBC Treaty 8 Planning and Mitigation Measures

  • Codes of Practice (CoP) notifications

Fisheries Permitting

Construction Support

At RCH we provide guidance, regulatory and construction support during instream work.

Primary Services Include

  • Project Planning and Management

  • Project liability and constraints mapping

  • Fish salvage permitting and execution for projects requiring watercourse isolation.

  • Emergency fish salvage operations

  • Water quality monitoring (WQM) for projects conducting instream work.

  • Construction Environmental Management Plans (CEMP)

  • Environmental Protection Plans (EPP)

At RCH we can help navigate the complexities of wildlife resource management. Our team specializes in pre-development surveys and mitigation planning for energy projects.

Wildlife Services

Primary Services Include

  • Wildlife and terrestrial liability scouting for resource development projects.

  • Wildlife Species at Risk mitigation Planning

  • Wildlife mitigation planning for energy projects.

  • Pre-construction wildlife sweeps for resource development projects.

  • Migratory bird nest sweeps for construction projects.

  • Pre-development wildlife surveys following RISC, AEP, AND Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment approved survey protocols.

  • Human-Wildlife Coexistence Planning and Implementation.