Notice

On June 29, 2012, the Fisheries Act was amended. Policy and regulations are now being developed to support the new fisheries protection provisions of the Act (which are not yet in force). The existing guidance and policies continue to apply. For more information, see Changes to the Fisheries Act.

Habitat Policy

In 1986, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) implemented the Policy for the Management of Fish Habitat (Habitat Policy) to support the habitat protection provisions of the Fisheries Act.  The Habitat Policy's three goals include:

1. Conservation of existing habitats;
2. Restoration of damaged habitat; and
3. Development of new habitats.

The first goal of conservation is to ensure that the current productive capacity of existing habitats is maintained by applying the no net loss guiding principle. Under this principle, Habitat Management Program (HMP) staff work with proponents to ensure their project proposals avoid harm or impacts to fish and fish habitat. If however, fish habitat losses are unavoidable, the productive capacity can be compensated by replacing or enhancing fish habitat.

The restoration and development goals build on the conservation goal in order to achieve a net gain in productive capacity. HMP staff work with others to rehabilitate the productive capacity of fish habitats or create new fish habitats in selected areas where economic or social benefits can be achieved through the fisheries resource.