Services; Fisheries/Aquatics, Construction Monitoring

Outside performs fish habitat assessments on various types of waterbodies where project work will be required in and near the water.  Assessment work focuses on addressing provincial and federal permitting requirements.   Adequate knowledge of the site environment can assist in designing and implementing a project that will be lower risk to the aquatic environment. It can also assist in ensuring government agencies understand the work to be done, and allow them to more accurately assess the risk your project may pose to the aquatic environment.  Fish presence sampling early in the planning stage may eliminate the need to do a fish salvage later on.

Outside Environmental Consulting performs third party environmental (construction) monitoring on construction projects in Saskatchewan.  Monitoring includes working with construction crews during in- and near-water work to confirm compliance with provincial and federal permits and approval conditions. This can include performing water quality (turbidity) monitoring during in-water work where fish and fish habitat have been identified as potentially at risk during specific construction phases.  Key to the success of these projects is the working relationship Outside develops with the project owner and the construction companies performing the work. Construction Monitoring is sometimes a permit requirement.

Outside performs fish presence sampling to confirm the species and / or life stage of fish present in a given water body (helpful when designing culvert crossings or determining allowable construction timing windows DFO or WSA).  We also perform fish-outs or fish salvages (rescues) from isolated construction areas prior to in-water construction work.  On relatively small construction sites, fish salvage/fish rescue work can take less than half a day...

Preventing the death of fish is a requirement under the Fisheries Act.

Outside Environmental assists contractors and project owners in developing project specific mitigation to reduce, and often eliminate, risk to the aquatic environment.  From large scale road reclamation and shoreline cleanup projects to small cabin shorelines, planning to reduce impacts and to use relevant environmental mitigation will protect fish and fish habitat, and also make the permitting process easier to navigate.  Mitigation planning is the basis for meeting DFO's Measures to Protect Fish and Fish Habitat, as well as potentially meeting DFO's Standards and Codes of Practice for certain activities.

Outside works with Watershed groups, project owners, and land owners to consider low impact options when working on shorelines and river banks.  When it comes to bank stabilization, there may be low impact options that look natural, and work great. In locations where there is no infrastructure at immediate risk, it may make sense to consider a bio-engineering approach to bank stabilization.  This can be as simple as using rock and local willow to re-establish an eroding bank.  Best time to plant willow is before leaf out (spring), or after leaf off (fall).