Current Status: Impaired

Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat remains one of the remaining Beneficial Use Impairments in the St. Marys River Area of Concern.

Although substantial progress has been made through decades of restoration work, additional habitat improvements are required before the impairment can be removed. Ongoing restoration efforts are helping to rebuild important ecological functions, improve biodiversity, and support healthier fish and wildlife populations throughout the watershed.

Achieving the habitat restoration targets will represent an important milestone in the continued recovery of the St. Marys River ecosystem and will bring the Area of Concern closer to eventual delisting.

What Is This BUI?

The Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat BUI evaluates whether the quantity and quality of habitat available for fish and wildlife have been significantly reduced by human activities.

Healthy habitats are essential for supporting fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and aquatic insects. Wetlands, spawning areas, tributaries, shoreline vegetation, and aquatic plant beds all provide food, shelter, breeding grounds, and migration corridors that are necessary for a healthy ecosystem.

This BUI assesses whether habitat loss or degradation has reduced the river’s ability to support healthy fish and wildlife populations.

Why Was This BUI Listed?

When the St. Marys River was designated a Great Lakes Area of Concern, extensive habitat losses had occurred as a result of more than a century of industrial, urban, and waterfront development.

Activities that contributed to habitat degradation included:

• Shoreline hardening and infilling.
• Dredging and channel modifications.
• Industrial development along the waterfront.
• Wetland loss.
• Alterations to tributaries and coastal habitats.
• Removal of natural shoreline vegetation.

These changes reduced the amount of available habitat and altered important ecological functions throughout the river.

As a result, Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat was identified as a Beneficial Use Impairment.

What Has Changed?

Since the Area of Concern program began, habitat restoration has been a major focus of recovery efforts throughout the St. Marys River watershed.

Numerous projects have been completed by governments, Indigenous communities, conservation organizations, industry partners, and local volunteers.

Restoration efforts have included:

• Wetland enhancement and restoration projects.
• Shoreline naturalization initiatives.
• Fish habitat improvements.
• Tributary restoration projects.
• Aquatic vegetation planting.
• Streambank stabilization.
• Community stewardship and habitat enhancement projects.

These projects have restored and improved habitat conditions in many areas of the watershed and have provided important benefits for fish and wildlife.

However, despite this significant progress, the overall habitat restoration target established through the Remedial Action Plan has not yet been fully achieved.

Status on the Canadian Side

On the Canadian side of the St. Marys River Area of Concern, Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat remains Impaired.

Current assessments indicate that:

• Significant habitat restoration has been completed throughout the watershed.
• Many restoration projects have improved habitat quality for fish and wildlife.
• Additional restoration work is still required to achieve the habitat targets established under the Remedial Action Plan.
• Some habitat losses identified during earlier assessments have not yet been fully compensated.
• Continued restoration and monitoring are necessary before the BUI can be reassessed.

While the river supports many healthy habitats today, further work is needed before the beneficial use can be considered fully restored.

What Happens Next?

Habitat restoration remains one of the key priorities for the St. Marys River Area of Concern program.

Future work includes:

• Completing remaining habitat restoration projects.
• Continuing shoreline naturalization efforts.
• Enhancing fish spawning and nursery habitats.
• Protecting and restoring wetlands and coastal habitats.
• Supporting community-led stewardship initiatives.
• Monitoring restored sites to ensure long-term ecological benefits.
• Evaluating progress toward habitat restoration targets.

As additional projects are completed, habitat gains will continue to be tracked against the restoration goals established through the Remedial Action Plan.