As a graduate student in…

As a graduate student in fisheries ecology, and a personal affinity for primitive species, I implore you to act on the specific action items listed below. The mitigations and resolutions to protect this species exist – immediate action is needed to ensure that they are not lost from Ontario.

  The government response statement outlines a good path forward for research and planning, but it fails to call for sufficient short-term actions. The response statement should be revised as follows:

  – Revise Action 7 to require specific and immediate reductions in the mortality of adult eels as they migrate through hydropower facilities.

  – Revise Action 8 to require immediate provision of upstream passage (e.g., eel ladders) for juvenile eels at barriers in the lower reaches of rivers in Ontario, including the Carillon Generating Facility at the base of the Ottawa River.

  – Under Action 9, commit to reviewing hydropower mitigation plans for American Eel, and requiring revisions or revoking exemptions when hydropower producers fail to take reasonable steps to reduce the adverse effects of hydropower facilities on the species.

  With the significant importance of the female eel stock inhabiting the Ottawa River, it is our responsibility to ensure this stock is protected, and individuals are permitted to live, grow, and migrate without obstruction.

  Thank you, and I trust that you will make good on the public's request to conserve and protect this species by revising your response statement.

[Original Comment ID: 211845]