OTTAWA, Ontario, Sept. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is calling on all Canadians to help monitor freshwater connectivity through the new Canadian Fish Passage Assessment (CANFISHPASS) app, a free mobile tool that helps identify barriers potentially restricting fish movement in rivers, streams and other waterways.
“Every observation improves our national understanding of freshwater connectivity,” said Nick Mazany-Wright, senior spatial ecologist for CWF. “There are hundreds of thousands of potential barriers in Canada, and we can’t visit them all ourselves - we hope that people can help by going out on the landscape to collect information about these structures.”
The new CANFISHPASS app is currently available in English and complements the bilingual website AquaticBarriers.ca. The app allows users to:
- Find aquatic barriers across Canada
- Automatically record GPS locations of aquatic barriers
- Submit observations and photos about fish passage
- Help build a growing national database to improve freshwater connectivity
- Learn more about habitat fragmentation and conservation efforts
The app is available free for both iOS and Android devices. Download now:
A French version of the app should be available in 2027.
“The restoration of freshwater connectivity through the removal of aquatic barriers is a vital part of promoting the recovery and conservation of fish species across Canada,” said Mazany-Wright. “Canadians can help by uploading photos before freshwater freezes up for winter. These observations will be made available to scientists and other specialists to help make informed decisions about rehabilitation and infrastructure management.”
The development of this app was partially supported by financial contributions from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. It was also supported in part by RBC Foundation. Learn more: CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
Quick Facts:
- CWF created the most comprehensive national database of aquatic barriers in Canada, mapping more than 36,000 dams and about 1.5 million stream crossings across Canada.
- CWF estimates that about 350,000 of the stream crossings may be blocking fish from reaching critical spawning and rearing habitat. These fish include Pacific and Atlantic Salmon and Rainbow Trout, as well as many other species at risk.
- Currently, we estimate that only 400 of these barriers have fishways to restore connectivity.
- Fragmentation of freshwater systems due to human-made barriers affects the integrity of ecological communities, including their productivity, species and genetic diversity as well as population viability.
- Learn more at CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
About the Canadian Wildlife Federation:
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to conserving wildlife and habitats in Canada for the use and enjoyment of all. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on wildlife and the environment, carrying out actions to conserve and restore species and habitats, developing and delivering conservation education programs, advocating for changes to government policy and programs, and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
For More Information: media@cwf-fcf.org
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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