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Culverts Maiming Nova Scotia's Fish, Fisherman Sounds Alarm
26 Oct
Summary
- Darren Porter, a fisherman, documents injuries to fish from faulty culverts
- 50-60% of Nova Scotia's 31,000 water crossings cause problems for fish passage
- Culvert owners could face fines and jail time for violating Fisheries Act
As of October 26th, 2025, a Nova Scotia fisherman is sounding the alarm on the harm that ill-functioning culverts are inflicting on the province's fish populations. Darren Porter, a commercial fisherman and environmentalist, has documented the gruesome injuries to fish, including deep wounds, hemorrhaging, and organ protrusion, caused by the strong currents that propel them through damaged culverts.
According to a 2023 Fisheries and Oceans Canada report, between 45 and 57 percent of culverts in four major Nova Scotia watersheds were classified as barriers to fish passage. Thomas Sweeney, a habitat biologist with the Nova Scotia Salmon Association, estimates that 50 to 60 percent of the province's 31,000 water crossings cause problems for fish.
Porter believes the solution lies in enforcing the Fisheries Act, which prohibits harming or destroying fish habitat. Violating this law can lead to heavy fines and even prison time for culvert owners, which include government agencies, municipalities, industries, and private landowners. He argues that once people are held accountable, the necessary changes will be made to fix the problem.
The Nova Scotia Department of Public Works, which owns many of the province's culverts, has acknowledged that it does not track how many of them negatively impact fish passage. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) says it can order culvert owners to take corrective measures, but current data systems do not allow the department to identify which specific incidents involved culverts.
