A project to restore the habitat of the brook trout in the Rivière à la Truite watershed

Jul 8, 2026

The City of Edmundston is happy to announce that it has secured $265,000 in funding from the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damage Fund (EDF) to carry out a brook trout habitat restoration project in the Rivière à la Truite watershed in northwestern New Brunswick. Project management and fieldwork will be carried out by trusted, experienced partners: CCNB-INNOV and the Société d'aménagement de la rivière Madawaska (SARM).

The Government of Canada’s Environmental Damage Fund (EDF) channels funds from fines, penalties, court orders, and voluntary payments toward projects that will repair environmental damage or generate positive environmental benefits. The Fund aims to invest these funds in the regions where environmental damage has occurred. In this case, the funding will be used to carry out work to improve water quality, facilitate fish migration, and make the waterways in the Rivière à la Truite watershed healthier and more resilient to disturbances.

Based on studies and data already collected by the partners, the project plans, among other things, to clean up and modify certain culverts that hinder fish passage, in order to restore fish access to sections of waterways that have become difficult or impossible to reach. Work will also be carried out on degraded riverbanks, accompanied by the planting of trees and shrubs native to the region. The project also includes interventions in certain problematic sections of forest roads, where water runoff and erosion are damaging aquatic habitats.

These actions will help reduce the influx of sediment and other contaminants into waterways. When too much sediment accumulates, it can cover riverbeds and hinder brook trout reproduction. It can also cause the disappearance of aquatic insect larvae that serve as food for fish. Other pollutants can also degrade water quality and promote the presence of unwanted species.

Planting trees and shrubs along rivers will also provide other benefits. Their roots will help stabilize the soil and reduce erosion, while branches overhanging the water will provide both shade and a food source for fish through the insects that fall into them. This shade is essential for keeping the water cool even in summer, a critical condition for brook trout, a species sensitive to warming water temperatures.

By improving fish mobility and the quality of their habitat, the project will also help aquatic life better cope with extreme weather events and the effects of climate change. Beyond the brook trout, this project will have positive impacts on the entire watershed, notably by improving the health of waterways, protecting riverbanks, creating habitats, and enhancing a natural environment that is important to the region. An awareness campaign is also planned.

Through this initiative, the City of Edmundston, CCNB-INNOV, and SARM reaffirm their commitment to working together toward the sustainable management of natural resources in northwestern New Brunswick.

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CONTACT: Daniel Gautreau, Green spaces and environment coordinator, 506.739.2103