Determining effectiveness of Ecologically Significant Areas (ESAs) for protecting Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) spawning habitat in the Stewiacke River, NS

Abstract

Canada’s Fisheries Act was modernized in 2019 and included added protections to all fish and fish habitat. To implement some of the new provisions in the Fisheries Act, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is working on a National Framework for Identifying, Establishing, and Managing Ecologically Significant Areas (ESA). An ESA is a spatial regulatory tool for the protection and conservation of fish and fish habitat and can apply to freshwater (including riparian habitat), estuarine, and marine waters. ESAs are areas of fish habitat that are sensitive, highly productive, rare, or unique. As there are currently no ESAs in Canada, DFO is working on case studies to better understand how ESA provisions could apply in practice and to inform the development of the National ESA Framework. In DFO’s Maritimes region, one case study being explored is the Stewiacke River, as it is home to the last spawning ground for the Bay of Fundy Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) population. Striped Bass is an important species in the region. It holds cultural importance to Mi’kmaq and is an important recreational fishery. The DFO Guidance on Assessing Threats, Ecological Risk and Ecological Impacts for Species at Risk was used as a guide for completing a risk assessment and adapted for the application to the ESA case study. The risk assessment was used to identify and analyze the human threats to Striped Bass spawning. Recommendations around applicability of the risk assessment for analysis of ESA case studies were made, and next steps for the Stewiacke River ESA case study were identified.

Keywords: Striped Bass; Ecologically Significant Areas; fish habitat; spawning; human impacts