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This week Rivernotes is coming to you from the Gaspé peninsula, where I’m in the field with cinematographer Nick Hawkins to create footage of wild salmon. Nick’s work is part of a major grant from the Trebek Initiative, and ASF is proud to be a partner on the project. Stay tuned for some stunning salmon imagery from our shoot!
This edition of Rivernotes is packed with great photos and stories from every region. In New Brunswick we get an update from some of the counting fences. In Nova Scotia ASF staff have been busy helping partners carry out restoration work in salmon habitat. In Quebec, fishing has wrapped up, but the last weeks were clearly fruitful, with several anglers showing off great catches. Angling is still open on some Newfoundland rivers and end-of-season counts are also available from DFO. All that and lots more in this week’s blog!
New Brunswick Program Director David Roth reports on the recent Wild Salmon Watersheds network meeting as well as water/angling conditions in his province. He writes:
“On the 16th and 17th of September, Pabineau First Nation and the Nepisiguit Salmon Association hosted the second Wild Salmon Watersheds networking meeting in Bathurst, New Brunswick. Collaborators and partners from the Nova Scotia Salmon Association, Margaree Salmon Association, Cheticamp River Salmon Association, New Brunswick Salmon Council, Pabineau First Nation, Nepisiguit Salmon Association, Gespe’gewa’gi Institute of Natural Understanding, Freshwater Alexander Bays Ecosystem Corporation, Salmonid Association of Eastern Newfoundland, Fédération Québécoise pour le Saumon Atlantique, Saumon Gaspé, Canadian Wildlife Federation, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada got together to plan long-term conservation strategies that will conserve and protect the future of wild Atlantic salmon. The Wild Salmon Watersheds program currently comprises three ‘pilot’ watersheds: the Nepisiguit River in New Brunswick, the Margaree and Cheticamp Rivers in Nova Scotia, and the Terra Nova River in Newfoundland, with a plan to grow the network in the future.
An update on the protection barrier counts from the Dungarvon and Northwest Miramichi River are reflective of current conditions for all rivers in the Gulf region. While all rivers have seen relief from higher temperatures over the last weeks, as shown in an example graph from the Blackville station (operated by environment and natural resources) in the Southwest Miramichi, the water levels continue to drop further. The low water levels in the river still hinder more significant numbers of salmon moving through the systems into the headwater areas. As such, the total counts for salmon at the Dungarvon Barrier stand at a total of 44 fish (five grilse, 17 small salmon, 22 large salmon), with the last recorded fish entering the trap on Sept 4th. A similar picture can be observed at the Northwest Barrier, with the total count standing at 43 salmon (five grilse, 31 small salmon, seven large salmon) and the last recorded fish entering the trap on Sept 6th.
For some rivers, the fishing season ended on September 15th. Anglers hope for a drastic change in the water level for the last weeks of fishing on the remaining stretches and to see more salmon making their way up to the spawning grounds.”
In other news from New Brunswick, the Foundation for Conservation of Atlantic Salmon is hosting an inter-provincial symposium on salmon conservation in Moncton later this month. Learn more about the event here.
Deirdre Green, Program Director for Nova Scotia, reports:
“Water levels remain low in Nova Scotia with no notable rain forecasted. A concerning season with lower than usual returns observed on scheduled salmon rivers and a lengthy warm water closure. However, cooler fall temperatures have arrived, providing relief for the fish and a refreshing reprieve for field crews.
After returning from a successful second annual Wild Salmon Watersheds networking event in Bathurst, I joined ASF Headwaters partners—the Nova Scotia Salmon Association (NSSA), Antigonish Rivers Association (ARA) and Inverness South Angling Association (ISAA)—in the field, assisting with installing in-stream structures and conducting electrofishing surveys. These surveys will serve as a baseline for post-restoration monitoring.”
Nicholas MacInnis, NSSA’s Manager of Restoration Programs, comments on the restoration work:
“In recent years NSSA and our affiliate groups have put considerable effort into developing comprehensive monitoring programs to accompany our restoration projects to scientifically assess the effectiveness of our work. Monitoring work includes habitat suitability index surveys to measure changes to physical habitat (e.g., pool quality and availability of spawning habitat), electro-fishing surveys to measure changes in juvenile populations and redd counts in the fall to monitor adult returns.
We’ve been using these techniques since 2021 and the results have confirmed what many of our affiliate groups have anecdotally known for years: the improvement of freshwater habitat can have a profound impact on the abundance of Atlantic salmon. One of the projects we completed on the Southwest Mabou River in 2021 resulted in a 40-50% decrease in channel width, leading to improved channel depth and significantly more spawning habitat. Through our post restoration monitoring protocols, we can demonstrate that our work can really make a difference.”
Wild Salmon Watersheds Science Coordinator Jordan Condon is also reporting from Nova Scotia this week. Like Deirdre, Jordan and Kris were lending a hand with some crucial restoration work. Jordan writes:
“Last week the Wild Salmon Watershed (WSW) team—Kris Hunter and I—lent a hand in assisting one of the initial Wild Salmon Watershed partners, Cheticamp River Salmon Association (CRSA), by installing several structures on Robert’s Brook. Robert’s Brook is a cold-water tributary to the Cheticamp River and is situated within Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Along with ASF and CRSA staff, additional support from the Margaree Salmon Association (MSA), Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UNIR), and Parks Canada assisted with installing the structures that were laid out by Charles MacInnis
Over the course of three days four rock sills, two ‘groynes, and one overflow channel diverter were installed. These structures will help address the impacts of recent major flood events and historic impacts by developing holding pools, providing areas for spawning, and re-establishing a healthy meander sequence. Over the next 5-10 years, this work will do what the river would eventually have done on its own in 100 years.”
The angling season wrapped up on September 30th in Quebec. It was low water until the end, but some anglers still connected. Program Director Charles Cusson writes:
“Depuis une semaine, les nuits sont froides et les niveaux et débits d’eau sont encore très bas et faibles. Avec la période de frai qui se rapproche, les saumons de la Matapédia, Grande-Rivière et Saint-Jean (Gaspé) sont d’une humeur très combattive! Les pêcheurs qui ont taquiné les saumons dans ces cours d’eau ont été généreux avec leurs photos.
For the past week, the nights have been cold, and the water levels and flows are still extremely low and weak. With the spawning period approaching, the Matapédia, Grande-Rivière and Saint-Jean (Gaspé) salmon are in a very combative mood! Fishers who angled salmon in these rivers have been generous with their photos.”
From Newfoundland and Labrador, Program Director Kim Thompson reports on fall angling, fishway counts, and a great educational event hosted by Intervale Associates. She writes:
“Fall catch-and-release salmon angling continues until October 7th on the main stem of the Gander River, Lower Exploits River and Lower Humber River. Angling is not permitted on any tributaries of the rivers. The daily catch-and-release limit is three salmon. Reports from anglers are that water temperatures have lowered, and water levels have risen some, however fish are reluctant in taking the fly. Still, Paul White had some luck this past weekend on the main stem of the Gander River (see image below).
The final Atlantic salmon fishway counts for the season (to September 15) are now posted at Atlantic Salmon Fishway Counts. Counts to the same date for the previous year show 12 rivers are up in total salmon numbers, such as the Torrent River with 1846. Meanwhile, 10 rivers are down in total salmon numbers over the previous years, most notably the Exploits River.
“A group of enthusiastic participants gathered at Calm Waters Park in Flat Bay, in August for a three-day camp filled with learning, outdoor activities, and cultural immersion. Organized by Intervale Associates and the Flat Bay Band, the Salmon Conservation Mi’kmaq History and Science Camp offered a well-rounded experience that combined education, hands-on skills, and traditional knowledge, all centered around the theme of salmon conservation and responsible fishing practices. To learn more about the interesting projects Intervale Associates are doing visit www.intervale.ca.”
On the 23rd of September Jason Valliere, Marine Scientist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, offered the following report:
“No fish this past week… just a few passed the week before. River temperatures remain warm, still up around 70 degrees F (21-22C). I expect in the next 2 weeks, based on previous years, we will see some changes in both river temperature and fish numbers. See attached report!”
