Isabelle Girard has over 21 years of experience as a professional fisheries biologist. Her background includes fisheries positions at a non-profit organization, environmental consulting companies in Québec and British Columbia, as well as the government of Alberta. In these positions, she has provided her expertise to multiple stakeholders, including industry, federal and provincial governments, as well as Indigenous Peoples. This has helped her to develop a diverse set of scientific skills that addresses a wide range of client needs, including development and implementation of field surveys, baseline and effects assessments, habitat restoration and offsetting plans, and environmental permitting. Some of her notable accomplishments include her leading contribution to: (i) assessing over 40 restoration opportunities in BC streams (e.g., salmon fish passage and potential fish productivity), (ii) conducting hatchery feasibility assessments (i.e., broodstock source, fish production targets, salmon release strategy, estimated adult returns and genetic heritability) and developing hatchery conceptual plans for production of Sockeye Salmon in BC, (iii) obtaining Fisheries Act Authorizations for several development Projects in BC (linear infrastructure, hydroelectric, marine and mining), including the development and implementation of offset plans, (iv) conducting an Instream Flow Needs (IFN) assessment and determining minimal flows for a 314 km-long river in James Bay, QC, associated with a 918 MW hydroelectric project, and (v) conducting fish entrainment assessments for large-scale infrastructures in BC reservoirs.

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