In 1992, long before the current association was formed, restoration began in the Brierly Brook as a pilot project for the Government of Canada and the Nova Scotia Recreational Fisheries Planning Agreement. From 1994-95, further restoration sites were completed in Brierly Brook as a result of the collaboration between the Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans and St. Francis Xavier University. Monitoring data was collected from the Brierly Brook Pilot Project sites from 1992-2000 to quantify the effectiveness of restoration techniques strategically installed into the riverbed. Monitoring data included water temperature, acidity levels, fish species surveys, and redd count surveys (counting the number of salmon nests in the streambed). Based on the monitoring results, installation of a variety of restoration structures showed to have a significant improvement of fish movement up and down Brierly Brook with a major increase of Atlantic Salmon spawning throughout the whole Brierly Brook system.

Habitat Unlimited, a local stewardship group that is no longer active in the area, completed extensive restoration work on the James River and Brierly Brook between 1994 and 2004 which paved the way for stream restoration in Nova Scotia. The monitoring data collected during that time had proven the results of the instream restoration work could restore habitat and increase salmon populations. The Antigonish Rivers Association still maintains habitat restoration structures that Habitat Unlimited installed 30 years ago.

Since 2013 the Antigonish Rivers Association has been an active watershed stewardship group, completing restoration projects in the 3 major watersheds, addressing critical issues such as bank erosion, over widened and incised channels, and the loss of biodiversity. Guided by technical support from the Nova Scotia Salmon Association’s Adopt a Stream program, ARA has completed dozens of restoration projects using well established habitat restoration techniques.