EXPERT ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING SERVICES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
When your business’s operations may impact the fish habitat, it’s important to get the necessary fisheries information in order to proceed in accordance with numerous environmental laws. FINS Consulting Ltd. aids clients from different industries and backgrounds. These include logging, hydro, mining, first nations, and government agencies.
Our expertise accommodates clients with various requirements and needs for fish habitat assessment. The services provided include a simple determination of fish presence/absence in the watercourse, through baseline studies, and a detailed fish habitat evaluation. Our final product provides all clients with the information necessary to manage natural resources in an environmentally responsible manner.
FISH HABITAT ASSESSMENT
A fish habitat assessment is a technical process of evaluating the potential impact of a proposed development on the nearby fish habitat or fish population. The assessment involves considering several factors like fish species, habitat preferences, fish sizes, the time of the year, and so on. Our specialist obtains all the details regarding the species (like habitat, quantity and quality, and value of the species). The information is then presented on a map with coordinates. We also prepare a thorough report mentioning the methodology and approach of the assessment conducted.
Note that the map doesn’t give a complete picture, but only the necessary details. It’s important to refer to the report as well as the appendix with photographs of the site (physical evidence). The evidence serves the purpose of validating what the report says. We perform the assessment in compliance with the standards set by the College of Biology and adhere to strict rules and guidelines to deliver high-quality assessment work.
FISH PASSAGE ASSESSMENT – CULVERT INSPECTIONS
Our fish passage assessment helps businesses meet project development and operating goals. Due to the construction of specific road crossings, several streams have been blocked, creating a barrier in fish passage and causing the disappearance of many species. There’s plenty of historical data to show the impacts of road crossings on fish passages.
Building a new bridge over a water stream can shrink its size and constrict water flow, creating really strong currents that won’t allow the fish to pass. Our professional evaluates the streams in the vicinity of your project and determines the best way to accomplish the bridge construction without affecting the stream. In some situations, a bridge must be removed in order to restore the stream to its natural state.
If it’s a culvert that is too narrow or too steep, we can determine and recommend if the removal of that culvert is a priority or not. FINS Consulting Ltd. works primarily for forestry companies or the government. Our fish passage assessments also help the government identify and remove or replace bad crossings with a priority on the ones with the best habitat to be replaced. We recommend a fish passage assessment for a new bridge/crossing project. It is relatively cheaper (50k approx.) than removing an existing bridge or structure to restore the habitat.
GIS FISH DATA MODELLING WITH INCORPORATION OF PHYSICAL STREAM PARAMETERS
At FINS Consulting Ltd., we can analyze extensive information databases to identify the species present in a stream. We collect information, analyze data, and indicate on the map whether this type of stream with a certain morphology, etc is safe to classify as non-bearing and mark it on the map.
The law allows businesses to develop their own approach to stream assessment given that it complies with certain parameters. A company can devise its own set of rules without hiring qualified personnel.
In that case, the company can develop its own plan, and they don’t need professionally qualified personnel. If there are streams that are likely to have fish, we recommend hiring qualified personnel. This type of stream will have to be assessed by a professional biologist.
GIS MAPPING AND ANALYSIS
FINS Consulting Ltd. helps businesses cut operational costs by providing detailed GIS mapping and analysis reports. In this service, you provide us with all the necessary data. In case you have your own GIS personnel, you can count on us to provide the report to your team to do the mapping. Businesses that don’t have their own GIS services can hire us for the mapping task provided that we receive the report. FINS Consulting Ltd. accommodates both alternatives. You can either share the report with all the data for us to do the mapping, or else we can write the report to enable you to do the mapping.
