Ecoregions are defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as "relatively large units of land or water containing a distinct assemblage of natural communities and species, with boundaries that approximate the original extent of natural communities prior to major land-use change". Freshwater ecoregions represents the freshwater habitats of a particular geographic area, including rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands. Freshwater ecoregions are distinct from terrestrial ecoregions, which identify biotic communities of the land, and marine ecoregions, which are biotic communities of the oceans.
The WWF identifies seven major habitat types of freshwater ecoregions: Large rivers, large river headwaters, large river deltas, small rivers, large lakes, small lakes, and xeric basins.
Several freshwater ecoregions are listed in the Global 200, the WWF's priority ecoregions for conservation of biodiversity.
The Hecate Continental Shelf Ecoregion is the shallow oceanic area offshore of the Hecate Lowlands, south of the Alaska Panhandle and north of Vancouver Island.
Freshwater fish include, rainbow trout (both native and introduced populations), lake trout, Dolly Varden, lake and mountain whitefish, Arctic grayling (in the Peace River watershed), longnose sucker, slimy sculpin and torrent sculpin.
The Columbia Highlands Ecoregion is a rolling highland area that rises from highlands and isolated ridges on the west and south to culminate in higher mountains along the northeastern margin.
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