By understanding what harms fish habitat, we are better able to protect and maintain these areas for future generations. There are some basic ways to get involved in protecting habitat. See how you score on the "I Can Protect Fish Habitat Quiz" . Protect Fish Habitat Quiz Instructions: Simply answer TRUE or FALSE to the following statements. Add the points at the end and see how you compare. To increase the quality of fish habitat, it is a good idea to plant trees or shrubs on shorelines. Clearing beaches of stones and replacing these into the water is beneficial to fish habitat. Placing docks into waterbodies will not harm fish habitat, as long as the docks are placed well away from the mouth of supply streams. To ensure fish passage, installation of bridges instead of culverts is a smart idea. Disposal of wastes into storm sewers harms fish habitat. Most herbicides and pesticides dissipate or break-down before reaching waterways inhabited by fish. The building of weirs in rivers will always be detrimental to fish habitat. Searching for gold in rivers and streams can be damaging to fish habitat. It is okay to let livestock access waterbodies on farmland, as long as the access is limited. Removing beaver dams is recommended since these dams cause loss of habitat. Final Score Check here to see how you did on the 'quiz'. Add up the points from each question and total your score to see if you 'make the grade'. TRUE - 10       FALSE - 0 Planting vegetation stabilizes banks and helps to keep sediment from washing into the water where it blankets spawning beds and suffocates eggs. The trees and shrubs trap contaminants that poison fish or lead to suffocation by the boosting plant growth that consumes oxygen. Shoreline vegetation helps harbor insect life and offers shade that keeps water temperatures from soaring. As well, leaving a buffer zone of at least 10 metres between fields and nearby waterbodies helps to prevent bank slumping and land loss. If banks are eroding, placing stones at the base of steep, eroding banks and constructing gentle slopes allows the area to revegetate. Take a look at the guidelines for planting buffer strips: plant native grasses, trees and shrubs along bank edges and field edges try a clover/alfalfa or grass/legume mix to establish perennial foliage use dogwood and willow to protect banks and resist ice damage select deep-rooted tree species that can withstand periodic flooding and ice scour, and also shade water. Green ash, Manitoba maple, trembling aspen or cottonwood are good riparian species to plant use a mulch of hay or straw held down with a brush mat to protect new plantings TRUE - 0         FALSE- 10 If nature couldn't create the perfect beach, chances are you won't be able to create one either -- and you may damage or destroy fish habitat in the process. Removing rocks and stones may result in erosion of the land, increasing the amount of sediment entering the water. If you want to create a beach, one solution is to place sand above the high-water mark (if the shoreline isn't too steep), and build the beach as narrow as possible to use the least amount of shoreline. The beach is still good for building sand castles, and it won't threaten fish habitat. TRUE - 0         FALSE - 10 Any addition of structures to waterbodies has the potential to harm fish habitat. Boathouses and docks can damage large areas of near-shore fish habitat by disturbing the lake bed and restricting water movement along the shore. Installing a dock disturbs the bottom, adds sediment to the water and the eventual increased traffic of boats is detrimental to healthy fish habitat. Water around the dock becomes polluted with gas and oil emissions from boat motors. If you must build a dock, check out the following guidelines: If building a dock with rock-filled cribs, take rock that is free of silt and clay from sites above the high-water mark. Collecting rock from the water or along the shoreline destroys fish habitat. Don't use vertical planking to break wave action. It interferes with near-shore currents that flush sediment and debris from habitat. Consider installing a post-supported, cantilevered, or floating dock to improve fish habitat. Clear the approach to your boathouse by hand. Don't use a bulldozer or defoliant chemicals because of the threat of sediment and pollution. Talk to others about sharing a dock. TRUE - 10       FALSE - 0 Culverts are installed in order to allow humans (usually) to pass a waterway, as in the construction of roads. A culvert set too high or low, or at too steep and angle, will block fish passage. They must be installed in order to handle peak flows and set level and slightly below the stream gradient to recruit natural stream-bed materials. If not properly installed, erosion can lead to washouts. Bridges are the best option when a water-crossing is necessary. Fish passage is unaffected by overhead structures. TRUE - 10       FALSE - 0 Never use a storm drain for disposing of used motor oils, solvents, or any chemical wastes. Storm drains funnel flows directly into rivers. TRUE - 0         FALSE - 10 Few chemicals 'breakdown' before reaching water. Keep water that runs off your land or work area free of fertilizers, herbicides, or petroleum products that pollute the water fish "breathe". 2,4-D has been found in toxic concentrations in sewage effluents from cities and towns. It gets into wastewater systems after rainfall has washed chemical residues off treated urban parks, golf courses and lawns. Storm sewers carry the chemical directly into the river or through sewage treatment plants that do not remove it. In Ontario, a study found that 48% of farm ponds and 60% of wells were contaminated with phenoxy herbicides, a common class of farm chemicals. Filling and cleaning of sprayer equipment were believed to be the primary causes. These operations represent the greatest risk to aquatic life: a 20-litre pail of concentrated toxic chemical spilled directly into a waterway could cause major fish mortality and habitat damage. TRUE - 0         FALSE - 10 Hydroelectric development on the Nelson River in northern Manitoba reduced summer water levels in Cross Lake by half, destroying fish habitat and populations. Low water levels and flows damaged spawning sites for whitefish, walleye, and many other species. The dam also kept fish from reaching spawning habitats in tributary streams. In 1991, Manitoba Hydro completed a weir at the downstream end of the lake, at the cost of $9.5 million. The weir is designed to raise water levels, flood lost shoreline habitat, and reopen the mouths of accessible streams. Ten million whitefish fry were stocked in the lake in 1992 to stimulate recovery of stock. The weir may restore a fishery that once served as a source of food and income for many local residents. In the 1950's, channelization of Mink Creek to improve agricultural drainage destroyed natural spawning habitat for walleye. Habitat loss in the creek and other tributaries of Dauphin Lake led to critical declines in local walleye populations. Rock weirs were placed in 70- to 80-metre intervals, creating pools and riffles that duplicated natural stream habitat. Walleye counts and fry catches show that spawning success in the creek has increased dramatically. The weirs help to decrease sediment input into Lake Dauphin. TRUE - 10       FALSE - 0 Yes, even an activity such as panning for gold harms fish habitat. Hobbyists searching for gold dig up sand and gravel beds in their search for tiny flakes or nuggets in pans and sluice boxes. Gold extraction is extremely damaging to fish habitat. It disturbs spawning and feeding substrates and adds sediment to the water, degrading downstream habitat. TRUE - 10       FALSE - 0 Allowing livestock unrestricted access to watering sites in streams may be causing a range of problems. Hooves trampling a soft, moist, streambank make footing dangerous and increases erosion, releasing sediment to the water. The water becomes contaminated by animal wastes and diseases are easily transferred. Limiting access by installing access ramps and fences to control in-channel watering is an improvement over free-roam. Armor the bank and channel at the site with gravel or stone large enough to resist erosion during high flows. Setting up watering facilities is another option. Solar powered pumps, self-priming nose pumps and gravity water systems are options that allow protection of shorelands and water quality. TRUE - 0         FALSE - 10 Beavers are prolific builders that are generally in harmony with the environment. There are more beavers than ever today, and more beaver dams in our waterways. Large beaver populations spread into flat land where their dams flood large areas, block roads and culverts, cover spawning habitat, and prevent fish from moving upstream Removing beaver dams by blasting or other means may result in the destruction of fish and other animals by draining upstream ponds that in some areas provide the only over-wintering habitat in a stream. Consulting the local natural resource officer and including the control of beavers in an overall management plan is the best course of action. Total: Your score reflects your knowledge of protecting fish habitat. Check out the rating system used...the fish listed represent the tolerance of habitat! 0 - 30.......Poor attempt. Perhaps try again? You have attained Sucker status. 40 - 60.....You can tolerate murky, poorly oxygenated waters, Mr. Perch. 70 - 90.....Congratulations on Northern Pike status! 100..........Excellent, you have achieved the highest honor, that of Trout.