Canadian Rivers Institute

What Canadian Rivers Institute does

The Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI), founded in 2001 and headquartered at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, is an interdisciplinary research network of approximately 30 Science Fellows and Associates dedicated to freshwater and river ecosystem science. CRI operates five core research service laboratories — the Stable Isotopes in Nature Laboratory (SINLAB), the Genomics Laboratory (Next Generation Sequencing and bioinformatics), the Crémazy Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, the Fish Ageing Laboratory, and the Benthic Macroinvertebrate Laboratory — together with a freely distributed Hydrology Tool Set (HTS) for streamflow and water-balance analysis.

The institute's flagship commercial engagement is the multi-year Mactaquac Aquatic Ecosystem Study (MAES), a multi-million dollar whole-river study of the Wolastoq | Saint John River funded jointly with NB Power and matched by NSERC Collaborative Research Development grants, designed to inform the Mactaquac Generating Station refurbishment decision and environmental flows planning. CRI also generates revenue through a portfolio of fee-based professional training courses — including DFO-recognized electrofishing certification, water quality assessment, inland fish identification, and river management — delivered in person and online to environmental professionals and graduate students.

CRI's customer base is split across federal agencies (Environment and Climate Change Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Parks Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans), provincial and Crown utilities (NB Power), academic institutions, and individual professional training participants. The institute operates as a private, university-affiliated research entity rather than a venture-backed commercial enterprise, with leadership under Director Dr. Jennifer Lento, former Director Dr. Michael Van den Heuvel, and Principal Investigator Dr. Allen Curry overseeing the MAES programme.

Name

Canadian Rivers Institute

Legal name

Canadian Rivers Institute

Website

https://canadianriversinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Canadian Rivers Institute is a UNB-affiliated research network of approximately 30 aquatic science Fellows delivering contracted research (notably the multi-million dollar MAES programme with NB Power), specialized laboratory services (stable isotopes, genomics, environmental chemistry), and DFO-recognized professional training courses to government, utilities, and graduate students across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Research Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquatic Ecology & Fisheries Assessments (EUAHAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG)

Keywords

• Aquatic science research
• Environmental research services
• Professional training certification
• River ecosystem studies
• Hydrology analytical tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredericton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Courses: Revenue from fee-based training programs including electrofishing certification, water quality assessment, fish identification, and river management courses offered to professionals and students
2. Contract Research Services: Research services provided to industry partners and government agencies, including the MAES project with NB Power and other environmental assessment work
3. Government and Research Council Funding: NSERC Collaborative Research Development (CRD) grants and matching federal funding for research projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Canadian Rivers Institute is a university-affiliated research institute that delivers aquatic science research services, professional training and certification programs, and graduate/postdoctoral education. Its core offerings include specialized laboratory research services (stable isotope analysis, genomics, environmental chemistry, fish ageing, benthic macroinvertebrate assessment), the flagship multi-year Mactaquac Aquatic Ecosystem Study (MAES) whole-river research program, and credentialed training courses (DFO-recognized electrofishing, water quality assessment, river management, and fish identification). The institute also publishes educational resources such as the Stream Analysis and Fish Habitat Design Field Manual and operates the annual H.B.N. Hynes Lecture Series.

Product overview

The Canadian Rivers Institute is a research institute at UNB offering a comprehensive portfolio of aquatic science research services, professional training programs, and educational resources. Its core research services include SINLAB (stable isotope analysis), the CRI Genomics Laboratory, the Crémazy Environmental Chemistry Lab, Fish Ageing Laboratory, and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Laboratory services. The flagship research program is the Mactaquac Aquatic Ecosystem Study (MAES), a multi-phase whole-river ecosystem study. The institute provides professional training including electrofishing certification (DFO-recognized), water quality assessment courses, river management courses, and fish identification workshops. Educational offerings include the annual H.B.N. Hynes Lecture Series, student scholarships (H.B.N. Hynes Scholarship and Bud and Peggy Bird Scholarship), and an International Internship Programme. A free research tool offered is the Hydrology Tool Set (HTS) for hydrological analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stable Isotopes in Nature Laboratory (SINLAB)

Quantifiable outcome

• First comprehensive whole-river ecosystem study of this scale globally (MAES)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• NB PowerflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014NB Power is the industry partner for the multi-million dollar Mactaquac Aquatic Ecosystem Study (MAES). The collaboration provides research necessary to support science-based decisions for the Mactaquac Generating Station, including environmental impact assessment and fish passage engineering design for the Life Achievement Project. NB Power co-funds the NSERC CRD grant alongside federal matching funds.
• University of New Brunswick (UNB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNB is the primary host institution for CRI, with facilities at both Fredericton and Saint John campuses. CRI researchers are based in UNB departments including Biology, Forestry and Environmental Management, and Civil Engineering. UNB provides administrative infrastructure and supports training program delivery through the Centre for Learning Futures.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECCC collaborates on the Hydrology Tool Set development and hosts CRI researchers including Dr. Wendy Monk as a Research Scientist. Partnership includes national biomonitoring programs through CABIN and flow-ecology research collaborations.
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAFC collaborated with CRI and UNB to develop the Hydrology Tool Set (HTS) suite for evaluating impacts of agricultural production practices on groundwater and surface water quality and downstream aquatic ecosystems.
• Parks CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParks Canada partners with CRI through the Research Chair in Aquatic Restoration held by Dr. Kurt Samways at UNB Saint John. The partnership focuses on ecological linkages between freshwater and marine ecosystems and sustainability of fish populations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WSP Global (Environment & Earth Sciences practice): Global engineering and environmental consultancy with a large aquatic, hydrology, and environmental assessment practice. Overlaps with CRI on hydropower EIAs, water quality, and biomonitoring but operates at much larger commercial scale and across broader infrastructure end markets.
• AECOM (Environment practice): Global infrastructure consultancy with a significant environmental and water resources practice. Comparable on environmental impact assessment, fisheries, and water quality mandates for major infrastructure clients.
• Stantec (Environmental Services): International design and environmental services firm with a substantial aquatic ecology, fisheries, and water resources practice. Competes with CRI for hydropower, infrastructure, and government aquatic-services work but at a much broader scale.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) – Science Branch: Federal government science agency that sets aquatic research priorities, runs CABIN, and recognizes CRI's electrofishing certification. Functions as both a funder/partner and a broader incumbent in the same aquatic-science domain.

Direct peers

• Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), University of Windsor: University-based aquatic research institute with a similar mix of faculty-led research, graduate training, and analytical services (e.g., contaminant analysis, fish and ecosystem work) targeting the Great Lakes basin; comparable scope, governance, and customer profile to CRI.
• Pacific Salmon Foundation: Canadian non-profit funding and delivering salmon and freshwater research, restoration, and community engagement. Comparable as a partnership-driven aquatic research funder/executor with training, monitoring, and government-relations muscle.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development – Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA): Canadian freshwater research operator running whole-lake experiments and long-term monitoring programs. Directly comparable to CRI as a research-institute model delivering aquatic science, training, and policy-relevant evidence to government and industry.
• River Institute (Cornwall, Ontario): Canadian river-focused research institute conducting freshwater research, monitoring, and education. Closely comparable niche, regional scale, and reliance on partnerships with government and hydropower stakeholders.

Emerging players

• Trout Unlimited Canada: Canadian conservation NGO focused on freshwater habitat, salmonids, and river restoration. Comparable mission and overlap with CRI on stream restoration training and field assessment, though more advocacy- and volunteer-driven.
• NORCE Norwegian Research Centre (Climate and Environment): Large European applied-research institute with aquatic ecology, hydrology, and climate-impact research groups. Comparable applied-research and multi-stakeholder model, particularly relevant to CRI's international Science Fellow network and HTS-style digital tools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CRI_News
• Facebookfacebook.com/CanadianRiversInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-rivers-institute

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canadian Rivers Institute