REPLACEMENT CLASS SCREENING WORKS ON OVER-WINTERING SITES FOR OYSTER AQUACULTURE REPLACEMENT CLASS SCREENING WORKS ON OVER-WINTERING SITES FOR OYSTER AQUACULTURE TRANSPORT CANADA ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ATLANTIC REGION Heritage Court 95 Foundry Street Moncton, NB E1C 8K6 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 4.2. ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION OF SIGNIFICANCE OF RESIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ....................................... 14 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................1 5. ISSUES SCOPING AND VALUED ENVIRONMENTAL 1.1. CLASS SCREENING AND THE CANADIAN COMPONENT SELECTION ................................................................. 15 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ACT (CEAA) ...................................3 5.1. ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON 1.2. RATIONALE FOR REPLACEMENT CLASS SELECTED VECS ................................................................................. 15 SCREENING (RCS).................................................................................4 5.2. MARINE HABITAT (MARINE WATERS AND MARINE 1.3. CONSULTATION................................................................5 SEDIMENTS)........................................................................................ 15 1.4 CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 5.2.1. WILDLIFE/MIGRATORY BIRDS................................... 16 REGISTRY (THE REGISTRY)....................................................................5 5.2.2. SPECIES AT RISK.......................................................... 16 2. PROJECTS SUBJECT TO CLASS SCREENING .................7 5.2.3. FISHERIES RESOURCES (FISH AND FISH HABITAT) 2.1. PROJECTS SUBJECT TO THE ACT..................................7 21 2.2. PROJECTS SUBJECT TO REPLACEMENT CLASS 5.2.4. DESIGNATED OR OTHER SENSITIVE HABITAT SCREENING REPORT............................................................................7 FEATURES 21 2.3. PROJECTS NOT SUBJECT TO THE REPLACEMENT 5.2.5. TRANSPORTATION AND NAVIGATION...................... 21 CLASS SCREENING REPORT ..............................................................8 5.3. ANALYSIS AND RESIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 21 3. PROJECT CLASS DESCRIPTION .......................................10 5.3.1. POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS AND 3.1. NEED FOR AND PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT ............11 RECOMMENDED MITIGATION...................................................... 22 3.2. TYPICAL SEASONAL SCHEDULING AND DURATION 5.3.2. EVALUATION OF RESIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL OF PROJECTS.......................................................................................11 EFFECTS 24 3.3. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AREAS ..........................12 5.4. BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.............................. 26 4. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW METHODS .........................13 5.5. ACCIDENTS AND MALFUNCTIONS............................ 29 5.6. EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON THE PROJECT 4.1. BOUNDARIES...................................................................13 29 4.1.1. PROJECT BOUNDARIES ..............................................13 5.7. CUMULATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS............. 30 4.1.2. ENVIRONMENTAL BOUNDARIES...............................14 5.8. FOLLOW-UP PROGRAMS.............................................. 31 iii 5.9. ANY OTHER MATTER ....................................................31 6. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES .......................................32 6.1. THE RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITY............................................32 6.2. THE FEDERAL AUTHORITIES ................................................32 6.3. THE PROPONENT ..................................................................32 7. PROCEDURES FOR AMENDING THE REPLACEMENT CLASS SCREENING REPORT .............................................................34 8. REFERENCES..........................................................................35 9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................37 APPENDIX A: STUDY AREA DEFINTION...................................38 APPENDIX B: ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AREA INFORMATION.......................................................................................39 APPENDIX C: APPLICABLE LEGISLATION ADMINSTERED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA .............................................................40 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: RATING SYSTEM USED TO DETERMINE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RESIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS .................................................14 TABLE 2: ISSUES SCOPING/PATHWAY ANALYSIS SUMMARY MATRIX – VALUED ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC COMPONENTS OF CONCERN.............................................................................................18 TABLE 3: RESIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ACROSS ALL PROJECT PHASES FOR EACH VEC FOLLOWING THE APPLICATION OF MITIGATION MEASURES...........................................................................................25 iv LIST OF ACRONYMS TC Transport Canada the Agency Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency ACCDC Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Center the Registry Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry BMA Bay Management Area Valued Environmental and Socio-Economic VEC BMP Best Management Practices Components CSPR Class Screening Project Report CSSP Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program CWS Canadian Wildlife Service New Brunswick Department of Agriculture and DAA Aquaculture DFO Fisheries and Oceans Canada EA Environmental assessment EC Environment Canada Environmental and Socio-Economic ECC Components of Concern FA Federal Authorities GPS Global Positioning System MBCA Migratory Bird Convection Act MCSR Model Class Screening Report Management of Contaminated Fisheries MCFR Regulations New Brunswick Department of Natural NBDNR Resources NWPA Navigable Waters Protection Act NWPP Navigable Waters Protection Program PCA Parks Canada Agency RA Responsible Authority RCS Replacement Class Screening RCSR Replacement Class Screening Report SARA Species at Risk Act SQA Supplier Quality Assurance 1 must include the appropriate dimensions and distances. It is 1. INTRODUCTION incumbent on the owner to keep the work in compliance with the approved plans and conditions at all times. By regulation, Climatic and physical characteristics along the eastern coast of aquaculture works are authorized for a given period of time. New Brunswick pose challenges for oyster aquaculture during the Because these works require authorization under NWPA, the winter months. Certain locations are too shallow to protect the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (the Act) requires that oyster stock and infrastructure from damage caused by ice. Gear NWPA authorizations included on the Law List Regulations undergo and stock can become crushed under and/or become frozen into the an environmental assessment (EA). Environmental Affairs of TC is ice and then be carried away with movement of the ice during the responsible for assessing the works under the Act and completing the spring thaw. Therefore, aquaculturists may need to move their stock EA for these works. If all significant environmental impacts to a separate, temporary over-wintering site to house gear and stock identified by the assessment can be successfully mitigated, then TC during the winter months to prevent heavy losses. Thirty percent of can proceed with the process for evaluating NWPA authorization. oyster aquaculture applications received by the provincial Currently, each application for works placed on an over-wintering Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture (DAA) during the last 12 oyster site is subject to a separate EA before determining whether months specifically detail the need for over-wintering sites. the work will be authorized under the NWPA. Works used on over- The Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) is a Federal statute wintering sites include Vexar© bags, cages and/or tables that can be designed to protect the public right of navigation in the waters of attached to long lines. Gear and long lines are in turn attached to Canada. Any “work” built or placed in any navigable waterway in the bottom, or in the water column (See Section 3.0 for further Canada requires an authorization. Navigable Waters Protection detail). Program (NWPP) of Transport Canada (TC) administers NWPA. For TC has evaluated the available options to streamline the EA aquaculture sites, applications pursuant to NWPA are routed to TC process for repetitive projects in order to make the planning and via the regulatory body in place for the Province where the site is to decision-making process more effective and efficient. As a result of be installed and maintained. An aquaculture work would include this evaluation, TC has undertaken this replacement class screening cages for fish, suspended lines for shellfish, floating bags or floating (RCS) approach under the Act for oyster over-wintering sites in reversible cages, racks for oysters, or other devices used for eastern New Brunswick. The Act provides for a class screening aquaculture, attached to the bottom, or in the water column. mechanism through the declaration (Section 19 (1) of the Act) of a All NWPA authorizations are based on the plans of the work. Plans Model Class Screening report (MCSR) or Replacement Class Screening 2 report (RCSR). assistance to TC, the RA, in ensuring the implementation and monitoring of mitigation measures as per Section 20(2.1) of the Act A MCSR serves as a model when conducting an EA of a specified for the works identified in this RCSR. group of similar projects. It includes a Class Screening Project Report (CSPR) that provides additional,