Abstract Manager

Although impacts to fish and fish habitat may best be determined by changes to productivity, this has proven difficult to measure.  As such, using the surface area of the fish habitat that’s negatively impacted has become the best proxy for determining the amount of offset required for a construction project. However, in NBDTI's experience, even when using that same logic, it is still not always easy to come to an agreement on if an offsetting project is viable, let alone determining/calculating the amount of credits it warrants.

 This presentation covers 20+ years of offsetting projects undertaken by NBDTI. Throughout these years NBDTI’s strategy has seen success and survived through significant Act and Regulatory changes, as well as shifting Regional mindsets as fish and fish habitat focusses evolved.

 The underlying principle that developed was that credits requested for an offsetting project are equivalent to what we would be comfortable incurring if we were to build that infrastructure project today (e.g. a dam that does not include fish passage).  

 The presentation will cover the development of predefined credit calculations for different categories of fish habitat improvements.  This ensures transparency, with both parties agreeing on terms that are clear and equitable. This provides the groundwork for the long-term relationship rather than one-off deals, which helps provide stability.  The presentation will also break down how the strategy was used to gain approval for a variety of project types including, dam removal, restoration of fish passage, and cold water habitat restoration/bank stabilization.