Forest and Range Evaluation Program fish/watershed monitoring
Under B.C.'s Forest and Range Practices Act Government Actions Regulation, and the Oil and Gas Activities Act Environmental Management and Protection Regulation, watersheds with significant fish values and watershed sensitivity can be designated as Fisheries Sensitive Watersheds (FSWs).
Priority question: "Are watersheds with high value fish values adequately protected and managed according to governments regulatory and legal (for example, fisheries sensitive watershed designation) requirements?"
How the fish/watershed value is evaluated
Effectiveness monitoring and assessment is critical for ensuring that regulatory designations, such as FSWs, achieve their intended goals of:
- Maintaining the natural “watershed processes” and “functioning condition” necessary to conserve healthy fish populations and their habitat
The Watershed Status Evaluation Protocols (WSEP) is used to assess the fish habitat status of FSWs (and similar watersheds with high fish values) using a two-step approach:
- Computer-based GIS (Tier I) monitoring methods
- Field-based (Tier II) monitoring methods
The WSEP has been developed jointly by government and partners through application of the protocol to a variety of watersheds throughout B.C.
Watersheds assessed using the WSEP are published as Watershed Status Evaluation Reports (WSERs).
