Timing Windows in British Columbia and Yukon

This information is provided to assist you in determining the appropriate timing window to conduct works in or around waters in British Columbia and Yukon.

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• BC Freshwater
• BC Marine and Estuarine Waters
• YukonFreshwater

The following time periods are intended to provide general information on the operating windows of least risk (also known as “work windows” or “timing windows”) of any given year, when planning to work in fresh, marine or estuarine waters. The timing windows below are considered to be that time span presenting least risk of harm to fish, including their eggs, juveniles, spawning adults and/or the organisms upon which they feed. For marine waters, the timing windows are based primarily salmon, herring, lingcod and rockfish species in nearshore waters.  If your project might affect other species of interest such as marine mammals or species listed under the Species at Risk Act, additional timing considerations may apply.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has the authority to protect fish and fish habitat through the Fisheries Act. Section 35 of the Act prohibits any work or undertaking that results in the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction (HADD) of fish habitat, and Section 32 of the Act prohibits the killing of fish by means other than fishing. Please be advised that in order to reduce the risk of harm to fish and fish habitat, these operating windows must be adhered to when conducting work in or around BC and Yukon waters.

BC Freshwater

In an effort to harmonize the advice provided to proponents who wish to conduct works in or around freshwater, DFO supports the information as provided in the provincial freshwater timing windows and if followed, to be in accordance with our legislative mandate to protect fish and fish habitat.  Timing windows of reduced risk are developed for each Provincial Region.

• Vancouver Island
• Lower Mainland
• Thompson
• Okanagan
• Kootenay
• Cariboo
• Skeena
• Omineca
• Peace

For further inquiry on the variability of these windows, please contact your local provincial Ministry of Environment (MOE) office.

For salmon species not listed, please contact your local DFO office for appropriate timing windows.

Yukon Freshwater

If working within the Yukon Territory, please refer to the Yukon timing windows. For further enquiry on the variability of these work windows, please contact DFO Whitehorse office.

Marine/Estuarine Waters

If working within marine or estuarine waters on the BC coast, please refer to DFO's Marine/Estuarine timing windows. For further enquiry on the variability of these work windows, please contact your local DFO office.

If working within the marine or estuarine waters on the north coast of Yukon, please contact DFO's Inuvik District Office for timing windows of least risk at:

Box 1871
Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0
Phone: (867) 777-7500
Fax: (867) 777-7501