Summer has been hot, but that hasn’t stopped us from having another busy field season for the Broken Brooks project. Monitoring, training, assessments, and restoration work have been in full swing.
Pre-remediation seine fishing
This summer, our team completed pre-remediation seine fishing at one of our project sites, where we were excited to find brook trout. Seine fishing before remediation gives us a baseline understanding of the fish species and abundance present before the work begins. Once remediation has been completed, seine fishing will help us understand the effectiveness of our efforts.
With brook trout being an indicator species of a healthy freshwater ecosystem, we couldn’t be more excited about seeing these little beauties.
Training, assessments, and remediation
To prepare for this season’s field work, our team participated in culvert assessment training with the Belleisle Watershed Coalition. With the proper training under our belt, culvert assessments are now underway. Identifying barriers to fish passage is the focal point of these assessments, helping us determine which sites may benefit from future remediation.
The biggest and most challenging milestone to complete this summer has been the installation of a rock weir at a barrier culvert. Five tonnes of rock, many hands, and a whole lot of sweat went into this remediation site. It was a tough job, but every rock was worth it to improve fish passage and reconnect important habitat.
Broken Brooks final report
The Broken Brooks final report is also now available for 2025-2026. It highlights the important work we’ve completed, and the progress made toward improving aquatic habitat throughout our watershed.
Looking ahead, there’s still plenty of work to keep us busy! Our team will continue developing remediation plans for barrier culverts and clearing away debris where needed. With more assessments underway and more restoration work ahead, we’re looking forward to keeping the momentum going and continuing to work towards a better-connected river system for our aquatic friends.