Funding Opportunity – Habitat Stewardship Program (Aquatic)
October 27, 2022
Funding Amount: typically $25,000 to $100,000 per year
(1-to-1 matching funds required; multi-year projects are encouraged)
Expressions of Interest (EOI) due to SBPP: November 9, 2022
Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Habitat Stewardship Program (Aquatic) (2023-24) is now open.
The Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) for Aquatic Species at Risk supports and promotes the conservation and recovery of aquatic species at risk and their habitats. The program supports projects that align with HSP objectives and achieve one or more of the following expected results:
- important habitat for aquatic species at risk is improved and/or managed to meet their recovery needs
- threats to aquatic species at risk and/or their habitat are stopped, removed, and/or mitigated
- collaboration and partnerships support the conservation and recovery of aquatic species at risk.
The national priorities for the 2023-2024 HSP are projects that focus on the implementation of:
- priority activities described in federal recovery strategies, action plans or management plans
- multiple-species and/or multi-partner projects
- activities that address threats described in the federal SAR recovery documents or the COSEWIC assessment reports
The regional priorities species for Ontario include:
- Redside dace,
- pugnose shiner,
- pugnose minnow,
- black redhorse
- SARA-listed freshwater mussels
The regional priorities threats for Lake Ontario, and contributing watersheds, includes:
- Sediment/nutrient, contaminant loading;
- habitat destruction/alteration;
- altered flows; water levels or coastal process;
- Barriers to fish passage;
- Recreational impacts on aquatic SAR
Please review the full Habitat Stewardship Program (Aquatic) Program Guidelines.
If you are interested in applying, please submit the below Expression of Interest (EOI) form and SOI Budget to SBPP no later than Wednesday, November 9. In your budget, please include the accounts the matching funds are coming from, as well as a breakdown of any salaries listed (i.e., expected hours and applicable bands).
The application process will consist of an Expression of Interest submission to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, to be followed by a full application upon invitation to the funder.
If you would like to discuss your project further, please contact the Funding and Grants Coordinators: Max Smith (max.smith@trca.ca) or Samuel Hale (samuel.hale@trca.ca).