A Pumpkinseed found in one of the newly created wetlands in the Don River. Photo Credit: Courtesy of TRCA
AnimalsEnvironment CanadaRiver Revival Brings Aquatic Life Back After Decades of Absence
Canada saw fish populations return to Toronto’s Don River in 2025, marking a major ecological recovery after decades of severe pollution rendered the waterway biologically depleted.
“The fish community in general has definitely increased in the area,” said Brynn Coey, supervisor of aquatic monitoring and management at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).
Monitoring recorded more than 20 fish species, including Atlantic salmon returning for the first time since 2012 and the first documented Emerald Bowfin upstream of Lake Shore Boulevard. Restoration efforts included a $1 billion river renaturalisation project that created wetlands, gravel spawning beds, and new vegetation. Researchers also observed multiple life stages of native species, signalling successful breeding and long-term ecosystem recovery.
