Focused In-Stream Habitat RCPP Instream Habitat #3137- Design Phase Fiscal Year 2026 Grant

The Focused In-Stream Habitat (FISH) project aims to enhance in-stream habitats in Maine through a collaborative effort by the Department of Marine Resources and NRCS. This initiative seeks to improve habitat diversity and connectivity for various fish species, particularly Atlantic salmon and brook trout. With funding from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, the project will implement restoration practices including streambank stabilization and habitat complexity restoration, ultimately benefiting local ecosystems and fisheries.

Purpose and Background
The Department of Marine Resources (Department) in partnership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) are seeking applications from interested parties with identified habitat concern and initial technical design within the scope of Focused In-Stream Habitat (FISH) project as defined in this Request for Applications (RFA) document. FISH leverages NRCS and partner resources to address in-stream habitat issues. This document provides instructions for submitting applications, the procedure, and criteria by which the awarded Applicant(s) will be selected, and the contractual terms which will govern the relationship between the State of Maine (State) and the awarded Applicant(s). This work is funded by a grant from NRCS through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (Project # 3137).
FISH project goals are to substantially improve in-stream habitat (e.g., habitat diversity, habitat cover, and sediment sorting) to create spawning and rearing habitat statewide, with a focused effort in the three salmon habitat recovery units (SHRUs) in Maine (Appendix A). FISH focuses on implementing solutions to a single core resource concern, NRCS Practice 395 (Aquatic habitat for fish and other organisms AND Terrestrial habitat for Wildlife and Invertebrates), with select secondary supporting practices that may be executed in conjunction with the instream habitat restoration. The core practices expected include instream wood and rock structures, instream rock placement, boulder placement, stream restoration, and removal of obstructions (e.g. old dam structures). Supporting practices include channel stabilization, streambank and shoreline protection, critical area planting, riparian forest buffers, structures for water control, stream crossings, grade stabilization, aquatic organism passage, sediment basins, etc. Previously selected project designs included nature-like-ice-control structures, wetland bypass channels, large wood and rock placements, scour pools, removal of dam remnants, side channel modifications, and high roughness floodplains. The expected outcome of this work will be a technical design that will lay out the path towards restoring stream complexity and habitat function. Restoration of sites will improve the productivity and survival of Atlantic salmon, brook trout and sea lamprey and improve connectivity for alewife, blueback herring, American shad, Atlantic salmon, and American eel.