The Shell Jackpine Project was approved by the Energy and Utilities Board and Government of Canada Joint Review Panel in 2004 and is currently in the construction development phase. Upon completion, the Project is forecast to produce 200,000 bbl/day of bitumen product.
As part of the regulatory approval of the Project, Alberta Environment included a condition in the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act Approval for the Project, stipulating that a Comprehensive Fish Monitoring Plan be implemented.
The Muskeg Creek Fish Passage Program consists of the following five individual study components:
- Hydrologic assessment of Muskeg Creek during open-water;
- Operation of two-way counting fences to assess the spring spawning migration of large-bodied fishes;
- Deployment of unique and batch identification tags during fish sampling activities to assess seasonal movements in Muskeg Creek;
- Fish index and habitat survey of Kearl Lake; and
- Satellite image and aerial assessments of impoundments on Muskeg Creek between Muskeg River and Kearl Lake.
Each of these components contributed to assessing fish distribution in the Project study area, and determining whether fish passage between Muskeg River and Kearl Lake occurred during the 2009 open-water period.
