The OURFISH campaign is redoubling its efforts to protect Canada’s natural heritage in the face of budget cuts. Together we were successful in getting government to restore funding to the Salmonid Enhancement Program. We built on that success by exposing the decisions of elected officials that have put our natural environment and fish stocks at risk. With this new website, we hope to continue our work to promote evidence-based decision making, to share knowledge, and spread the values of sustainability of our precious natural resources for generations to come.
Our mission is to ensure that all Canadians value our fish and other aquatic species as a national treasure worth preserving for future generations.
Sunday, April 8, 2012 - 12:53
Expect a pipeline or a road to be built soon over your favourite fishing spot. As part of its effort to break down “regulatory barriers” to industrial projects, like pipelines, mining and oil sands, among others, the federal Conservative government plans to remove habitat protection from Section 35 of the Fisheries Act. Many believe this change will be included in the implementation bill of the recent federal budget.
Section 35(1) prohibits activities that result in a harmful alteration, disruption or destruction (HADD) of fish habitat. The HADD provisions became law in 1977 with the federal government acknowledging the essential link between protecting fish habitat and protecting fish populations. In other words, fish cannot survive without protection of their habitat.