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It’s the dead of summer and, as usual, angling has slowed down through much of salmon country. What hasn’t slowed is the work to restore and conserve wild salmon and their ecosystems. This week’s Rivernotes has updates on conservation work in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as a special report on invasive species eradication in Prince Edward Island. From Quebec we have an update on angling regulations and run statistics. Plus, a special collaboration between ASF, Hooké, and Nick Hawkins in Maine.
Rivernotes returns in two weeks, on August 22nd.
Nova Scotia Program Director Deirdre Green reports:
“Since our last issue, I had the privilege of working in the field with partners of both our Wild Salmon Watersheds (WSW) and ASF Headwaters programs. In Cape Breton, WSW’s Jordan Condon and I joined the Cheticamp River Salmon Association (CRSA) and Margaree Salmon Association (MSA) to perform electrofishing surveys. The goal is to determine which areas of a watershed Atlantic salmon were using for spawning and juvenile rearing, indicated by the presence of first and second age classes of salmon.
Despite warm air temperatures, cool water temps allowed successful surveying to be completed on several sites along Fiset brook (Cheticamp), Tompkin’s, Marsh, Ingram and Steward brooks (Margaree). DFO’s anadromous electrofishing protocol was followed, and all certified crew members gained invaluable experience under Jordan’s direction.
On the mainland, NSSA’s Manager of Restoration Programs, Nicholas MacInnis, and Allison White, Watershed Stewardship Coordinator at the Antigonish Rivers Association (ARA), and I spent a day laying out instream structures on the Ohio River. This once productive headwater stream of Antigonish’s West River has experienced habitat degradation caused in part by significant clearcutting and legacy impacts of historic log drives, resulting in channel over-widening and increasing summer water temperatures.
ARA’s field crew will be installing 25 structures over the next few weeks with the goal of improving fish habitat, increasing climate change resilience and creating river habitat that will support and encourage the presence of cold, salmon-rearing waters. We are pleased to be partnering with the NSSA and ARA this season to complete this high value project under the NSSA’s longstanding Adopt‐A‐Stream program.”
Deirdre continues:
“DFO Science installed their adult Atlantic Salmon trapnet in the Margaree River on May 29th, seven weeks earlier than in 2023, to better capture the Spring run reflected in angling reports. The trap net is above the East Margaree Bridge, as it has been since 2022. A new location was selected this year to reduce the likelihood of washout during high water events. The trapnet is sampled daily by DFO staff, and benefits from sampling support provided by the Margaree Salmon Association on weekends. The first salmon of the 2024 season was caught on July 7th.
The trapnet has been capturing a variety of species this season, predominantly White sucker, Gaspereau, Striped bass, Brown trout, Brook trout, American Eel and Atlantic salmon. Two Smallmouth bass (~16 cm) were captured on August 7th, 2024.
Invasive smallmouth bass are known to be established in Lake Ainslie, Inverness County (confirmed in 2003) and are voracious predators that consume a range of aquatic organisms. Their presence in Nova Scotia has led to declines in native fish populations, such as Atlantic salmon and brook trout. This is now a further confirmation of Smallmouth bass occurring outside of their established area.”
From Newfoundland and Labrador, Program Director Kim Thompson reports
“With the end of a heat warning, showers are forecasted and welcomed for most regions of the province as water levels are normal to low with a continued active forest fire in Labrador, all making for challenging environmental conditions. Fisheries and Oceans Canada continues to adopt, update and change angling river status regularly. Be sure to keep on top of river status: open, morning angling only or closed. Here you can also find info to sign up to have all “Notices to Anglers” for fisheries sent directly to you.
Meet the next generation: Charles Day, whose love for all things fish started at the ripe age of 2. He was instantly “hooked”. Every moment he was idle, he planned his next fishing adventure with his dad, who equally enjoys fishing. Then, at age 12, a salmon fishing day sealed the deal, and he developed a keen interest in salmon fishing and fly tying. His talent in fly tying has certainly flourished as Charles was gifted start up gear passed down by his grandfather and a family friend, while also attending school lunch fly tying blitzes offered by teacher Paul White. Additionally, Charles was gifted a wonderful collection of fly-tying literature and references, using these from time to time to create his masterpieces! His sales of flies this year is excellent and orders continue to come in daily. When not on the rivers, he’s seated at his desk, sometimes upwards of 6 hours tying. Now 16, Charles knows the local river systems well, practices successful catch & release, and quickly corrects anyone not practicing respectful fishing.”
Kim continues:
“Freshwater-Alexander Bays Ecosystem Corporation (FABEC) located in Glovertown are hard at work continuing commitments as part of ASF’s Wild Salmon Watersheds project. FABEC staff and their dedicated volunteers are also participating and cooperating with Fisheries and Oceans to conduct additional field work on the Terra Nova River. Collaborations between all organizations will help determine the freshwater production of the Terra Nova River and overall assessment of the watershed health.”
Charles Cusson, Quebec Program Director, has an update on current regulations in place in the province. He also provides a mid-season run count table, which shows a concerning trend this year.
“REMISE À L’EAU OBLIGATOIRE DE TOUS LES SAUMONS CAPTURÉS DANS LE SUD DU QUÉBEC
Pour favoriser la pérennité des populations de saumons, de nouvelles modifications réglementaires s’ajoutent à celles mises en place depuis le début de la saison de pêche au saumon atlantique. Dès le 5 août 2024, les adeptes de la pêche devront obligatoirement remettre à l’eau tous les saumons capturés dans les rivières suivantes (ainsi que dans leurs tributaires et certains lacs) :
MANDATORY LIVE RELEASE OF ALL SALMON IN THE SOUTHERN REGION OF QUÉBEC
As of August 5th, 2024, anglers must release all salmon landed in the following rivers (as well as tributaries and certain lakes):
BAS-SAINT-LAURENT
Rivière Patapédia River
Rivière Matapédia River
Rivière Rimouski River
Rivière Matane River
Rivière Mitis River
GASPÉSIE
Rivière Cascapédia River
Rivière Bonaventure River
Grande Rivière River
Rivière Saint-Jean River
Rivière York River
Rivière Dartmouth River
Rivière Madeleine River
Rivière Sainte-Anne River
Rivière Cap-Chat River
Rivière Restigouche River
CÔTE-NORD
Rivière Moisie River
Rivière Saint-Jean River
Rivière Mingan River
Rivière Corneille River
Rivière Piashti River
Rivière Watshishou River
Petite rivière Watshishou River
Rivière Nabisipi River
Rivière Aguanus River
Rivière Natashquan River
Rivière Kegaska River
Rivière aux Saumons River
Rivière Jupiter River
Rivière de la Chaloupe River
Le contingent maximal de deux remises à l’eau autorisées par jour en vigueur depuis le 25 juillet (qui était de trois auparavant) continuera de s’appliquer.
The maximum number of releases per day remains at 2 as announced on July 25th.
Les modalités de pêche demeurent les mêmes dans le Nord-du-Québec et sur la Basse-Côte-Nord, à l’est de la rivière Kegaska. Les modalités pour chaque rivière sont publiées ici.
Angling regulations remain unchanged for the Northern region (Ungava) and the Lower North-Shore east of the Kegaska river.
Voici un aperçu de la situation au 31 juillet 2024 sur 14 rivières de la Gaspésie, Bas St-Laurent et de la Côte-Nord.
As of July 31st, here is a snapshot of 14 rivers of the Gaspé, Lower Saint-Laurence and the North Shore regions.”
The editor is in Maine this week with wildlife cinematographer Nick Hawkins, as well as Juliette Larocque and Nathan Plamondon from Hooké. We’re filming wild Atlantic salmon in some of the state’s most important and productive coldwater habitat. We’ll also be talking to some of the people working to preserve this habitat and restore sea-run fish access. Stay tuned for some exciting media and storytelling from this collaborative shoot!
Jennifer Noll, of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, gives the following update on the lower Kennebec River:
“The last week has been considerably cooler with lower humidity here in central Maine. Since the last report, flow conditions in the lower Kennebec River have peaked around 11,200 after a rain storm came through on Thursday.
Lockwood fish lift, located in Waterville, ME at the first dam on the mainstem Kennebec River, opened on May 1st for the 2024 season. The first Atlantic salmon of the season showed up on 5/23. Forty-five new Atlantic salmon have been captured to date this season. The water temperature has been fairly consistent and is currently 24.3°C.”
In this season’s first dispatch from PEI, Sara Jenkins of the Bedeque Bay Environmental Management Association (BBEMA) reports on some invasive species removal work in her area. She writes:
“Invasive species removal and mapping is one of the many projects the Bedeque Bay Environmental Management Association (BBEMA) does during the summer field season. Invasive species are essential to manage because they harm native plants, insects, and animals, directly and indirectly, by eliminating plant species that insects can feed on and outcompeting native plants in their own habitat. Certain invasive species of particular concern, such as bittersweet nightshades, can obstruct water flow by forming complex root systems within streams. Once formed, these root masses pose a unique threat to stream ecosystems by accumulating sediment extremely fast—significantly narrowing a channel—bittersweet nightshade can cause a stream to have higher water temperatures, lower discharge rates, and less nutrient cycling. These adverse effects negatively impact all the species that live within that system, from macroinvertebrates to fish populations like salmon and trout. The BBEMA field crew has been focusing on areas most impacted by invasive species, including riparian zones and wetlands. By focusing on areas surrounding watercourses, our crew has been able to relieve many affected streams and ensure that native species have an area to grow and thrive in their natural habitats. So far this summer, our field crew has removed one metric ton of invasive species from our watershed along the Dunk and Wilmot rivers, restoring flow and habitat and improving overall stream health.”
