Fisheries Management Plan

The Grand River Fisheries Management Plan provides ideas on how to preserve and improve the fishery for the benefit of future generations.

The GRCA and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry led a three-year process to develop the plan, which was completed in 1998. Representatives from the community, fishing groups, First Nations, various agencies, universities and others helped write the plan.

The plan outlines the characteristics of the rivers and major streams of the watershed. It describes the current state of the fishery, the things that are preventing it from improving and the steps that can be taken to make it better.

Best bets

The plan identified 42 projects to improve the fishery. The Grand River Fisheries Management Plan implementation committee works to achieve these projects.

Some of the completed projects include:

• Brown trout stocking in the tailwater sections of the Grand River (downstream of Shand Dam) and the Conestogo River (downstream of Conestogo Dam)
• Expanding the presence of walleye
• Removing old dams such as the Lorne Dam in Brantford, Beatty Dam in Fergus and a Marden Creek dam in Guelph that prevented fish from reaching their natural habitat
• Improving angler access to the river through creation of signed access points, parking areas and boat launches
• Planting trees along creeks and rivers to provide shade and cool the water
• Fishing regulations to protect species in the Exceptional Waters section of the river between Paris and Brantford
• Naturalizing streams such as Mill Creek (Guelph-Cambridge area) and D'Aubigny Creek (Brantford)

Award

• In 2009, the members of the Fisheries Management Plan implementation committee received the Canada Recreational Fisheries Award from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for their work. 

More information

• Grand River Fisheries Management Plan (email us for a copy of the Fisheries Management Plan)
• Grand River Fish Plan Technical Background Report - 2001 (PDF 5MB)