Here and there the weather is finally turning warm – and almost hot, which some would say is about time, it now being July. The downside is the dropping river levels and rising water temperatures.

Video: In New Brunswick, we all hope the Petitcodiac and the Pollett Rivers will  begin their recovery this year. There were good early signs. In the early 1950s, Dr. Paul Elson did remarkable research – the first studies of the Atlantic salmon productivity of a river, and it was completed on the Pollett. This included the number of eggs laid, fry numbers, parr densities, smolt runs, etc. His work is still the basis of productivity estimates for salmon rivers in North America. He took home movies of his work – and below is a 5-minute excerpt. It shows what the Pollett River is potentially capable of becoming again in future.

Some updates of rivers and returns:

New Brunswick:

Restigouche River

Restigouche – There are considerable numbers of large salmon moving up. At Three Sisters Pool Crown Reserve, one group brought in (and released) 10 large salmon and 1 grilse, but also hooked 10 to 15 large salmon that were not landed – all the above in the first few days of early July.

Just before, at the end of June, another group on the same pool had 30 large salmon on line, and 5 grilse.

Upsalquitch -  Excellent fishing for both large salmon and grilse this past week.

NW Miramichi, Sevogle & SW Miramichi – Sections of these rivers are now live release only, as of July 6. Read more at: http://asf.ca/news.php?id=708

Maine:

Penobscot: The returns of salmon at the Veazie Dam trap have now reached 2,874 as of July 5. This is fine news indeed. But temperatures are rising. Meanwhile the Saco has seen 82 come back.

Narraguagus – 106 returning Atlantic salmon have been recorded on the Narraguagus as of July 5. More than 70% are large salmon – and the total return to date is greater than any return since the late 1980s.

Newfoundland:

Water levels are dropping, and Atlantic salmon runs are now increasing

Torrent River Fishway 2011

Torrent River – Late July 5 three salmon finally showed up in the Torrent River Fishway, almost two weeks after the run usually starts. Then on the morning of July 6 more than 30 were passing upstream, so the run is definitely underway.

Exploits River – run to July 3 was 6,333, continuing far below the record of 16,637 set last year to this date.

Conne River - 1,056 to July 3, well below the 1,454 of 2010, and average of 1,697 for the 2006-2010 period. Reminder that COSEWIC has designated the south coast rivers as THREATENED, and the Conne River returns tend in that direction.

Harry’s River – the 1,835 seen to July 3 is not comparable to other years, since the counting facility is near tidewater. An electronic DIDSON unit is being used for the first time on the river.

Nova Scotia

LaHave – 64 salmon and 249 grilse have gone through the Morgan Falls Fishway. However, water levels are rapidly dropping, and water temperatures rising past 23 C.

St. Marys River – no reports on the salmon coming in, but river levels are dropping rapidly now.

St. Mary's River – Rapids

Reading the Patterns of Salmon Returns

Writer’s Note: Scroll down to the bottom for additional notes on salmon returns. Special: Penobscot passes 2,500 milestone!!! What is it about Atlantic salmon that hypnotizes us? This week I have watched families at Big Falls on the Humber, holding … Continue reading →

Close Encounters of the Atlantic Salmon Kind

In Newfoundland, the conversations are equally passionate about moose on the road and the state of the Atlantic salmon runs. This week, travelling north from Port aux Basques to St. Anthony’s provided a snapshot of the rivers flowing at very … Continue reading →

Following Newfoundland Salmon – North by Northeast

WHAT A WEEK. In Quebec there are good indications of many strong runs. Check out the Matane’s doubling. Meanwhile in Maine the Penobscot has broken past the 2,000 milestone for salmon reaching the Veazie trap. And in NS and NL … Continue reading →

Salmon Returns – Continued Optimism for the Runs

Exploring the Margaree The Margaree River in Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton is such a rich, intriguing river – not just because of its Atlantic salmon runs but also for its heritage, and not least for the great, steep-sided cliffs that … Continue reading →

Margaree – Green Valley of the Salmon – and the Dec. Flood

Impressions of people and rivers while driving from St. Andrews, to northern Newfoundland.

Atlantic salmon need people who care deeply about the species, and as part of a trip to Newfoundland, I have been visiting a few of these individuals to see some of the approaches they are taking, projects they are working on and rivers they care about.

Yesterday there were four.

Bill Yarn – Cobequid Salmon Association, Truro, NS

Bill Yarn – with deflectors in Stewiacke

Bill Yarn likes to see things done. From a senior position in charge of ferries and land vehicles with the NS Provincial Government he has learned the skills of marshalling resources, and knowing how to assist projects towards completion.

The Cobequid Salmon Association has a very active membership, and have a reputation for seeing to completion, many, many projects, as well as helping with conservation education.

Bill Yarn showed me around a project on the Stewiacke River where boulder deflectors were emplaced last year. “These have had a major effect in clearing out the silt that was on the bottom,” he notes.

The Stewiacke looks like a healthy river. No signs of algae build up, and quite clear in this area, although somewhat reddish with tannins and carrying a bit of silt due to the recent rains.

Bill Yarn surveys the site, pointing out not only the rocks emplaced at intervals down the river, but the bridges built carefully so that the equipment used did not impact the stream. He is passionate about Atlantic salmon.

“I started fishing in the 1970s, but it was a trip to the Miramichi in 1987 that turned this into a reall commitment,” he says. “You might catch 1,000 trout, but just one Atlantic salmon outshines them all. You remember everything about that experience.”

As part of this, Bill Yarn is a committed salmon conservationist, seeing the rivers and their fish as being important to all of us.

Joanne Mailman – St. Mary’s River Association, Sherbrooke, NS

Joanne Mailman – June 20, in St. Mary's River Assoc. Museum

Nova Scotia Hwy 348 is best left to someone else to drive. From near Stellarton, in theory it meets up with the St. Mary’s River near its headwaters and follows it down to the sea. In practice it is away fro the river, and is a one-time adventure in broken asphalt and bumps to set teeth on edge.

Eventually it comes out on a better road at Melrose, just a few kilometres north of the St. Mary’s River Assoc. museum and education centre. The Association dates from 1979, but built their museum around 2001, and since that time Joanne has been the manager through each summer.

The museum itself has an array of rods, reels photographs and other items from the history of this magnificent river. The association also provides a leadership role in conservation, undertaking water quality monitoring, assisting with population sampling and understanding of the population dynamics of the river.

“We have also come to appreciate all the other wildlife that helps make the St. Mary’s River special,” she says. “We also have other activities reflecting the interests of members.

As we look at a collection of flies, a photograph of Babe Ruth is spotted – he fished the St. Mary’s. So too did Michael J. Fox, although in a more discreet, quiet manner.

St. Mary's Rive: mid-afternoon June 20, 2011

Off and on through the rain, the river roars by on the other side of the road. In recent years the numbers of Atlantic salmon returning have dropped, principally through mortality at sea, and this year there is not a live release fishery on the river.

With the water high this year, it has proven to be a difficult spring, with debris affecting the smolt wheel that was deployed.

Eddie Halfyard and the Lake Ainslie (Margaree River, Cape Breton) Smallmouth Bass

Eddie Halfyard – Eliminating Smallmouth Bass in a Doubly Good Cause

Edmund Halfyard is well known to many in the Atlantic salmon community for his work in documenting the tremendous impact the liming project on West River-Sheet Harbour has had on bringing back the life in that river. He has also been involved in some of the ocean tracking work.

But this time he is being more inventive. He is leading a smallmouth bass fishing event on Saturday, June 25 in Lake Ainslie.

Here is the background – around 2000, someone introduced smallmouth base, a non-native invasive species, into Lake Ainslie, part of the incredibly important Margaree River system, and in the long term putting its salmon in jeopardy.

Eddie has organized a smallmouth fishing event with a twist – Anglers Helping the Hungry will see the fish going to Feed Nova Scotia, an organization focused on food for the needy of Nova Scotia.

Such a beautiful combination to take a good crack at an invasive species, and to see the results go to a socially important cause.

Lake Ainslie – Blowing Hard on June 20, 2011

On Monday Lake Ainslie was blowing and the wind was howling, bringing rain. The mood fit for an invasive species that could do great damage unless controlled or eradicated.

After all the adventures in travel, it was a pleasure to enter the Margaree valley, where more adventures awaited in the mist and rain.

Margaree River Valley – Changed by the Great Floods of Dec. 2010

Margaree River Rising – 6 PM on June 20, 2011

The rain increased as I drove up the Margaree Valley, and once reaching the unpaved road, the potholes were brimming over with the continuing rain.

But what was truly amazing was the extent of changes in the river due to the great flood of Dec. 15, 2010. The river has changed, massive new gravel bars have been formed, and the question is not whether, but how much this flood affected the Atlantic salmon redds in the river. More on this tomorrow.

Atlantic Salmon and the People Helping Them

Nova Scotia: The Morgan Falls Fishway on the LaHave River reports today 122 grilse and 46 salmon – a great increase from last Friday’s numbers.

Newfoundland: DFO now has their NL counting page up and running, although the numbers are as of June 12, and it needs to be remembered that Newfoundland runs tend to be later. Among the interesting numbers:

• Harry’s River: 65 this year vs. 14 in 2010
• Exploits River: 62 this year vs. 172 in 2010
• Conne River: 238 this year vs. 178 in 2010

There is nothing yet for the Torrent or Western Arm Brook up the Northern Peninsula.

Note that officially three of the five most productive Atlantic salmon rivers in North America are in Newfoundland – The Exploits, Gander and Humber.

NS & NL Fishway Updates

Welcome to the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s River Notes.

We are using a new format for reports of Atlantic salmon returns, plus other “field notes” that come through travels, research field work and from those who personally are involved with the wild Atlantic salmon.

In Newfoundland, Don Ivany reports optimistically on early runs in some rivers:

“The early run rivers in Bay St. George got off to a pretty good start.  A long cold damp Spring meant water temperatures were cold on all rivers and all rivers had medium to high water levels.  There were also many anglers on the rivers considering the season opened in the middle of the week.

“I spent a few hours on Southwest Brook on opening morning  and released two fish (one about 7lbs and one about 5lbs) and lost another.   I received reports of about 20 fish caught on that river yesterday.   There were a couple of fish hooked in the 12-15 lb range, along with a number of grilse and a few fish in the 5-8 lb range.  SPAWN Director Barry Sweetland and his party of four hooked seven fish between them on Crabbes River,  and SPAWN President John McCarty and his party of 4-5 hooked ten fish between them (mostly in the 10 lb range) on  Crabbes River and  Robinsons River.”

In Nova Scotia, the Cheticamp is fishing well with strong runs, and locals are saying they haven’t seen such strong runs since the 1980s.  The Margaree is a bit behind Cheticamp, but so far the returns are very positive. On the LaHave River as of June 9, 57 grilse and 34 multi-sea-winter salmon had returned, placing the returns on par with last year.

New Brunswick’s Restigouche River appears to have good numbers of large salmon, and in the Southwest Miramichi there are good signs of incoming large salmon and some grilse.

Quebec’s Grand Cascapedia is experiencing a very large number of salmon from mid-teens to 35 plus pounds, 90% hens in perfect, mint condition. No First Nations nets is allowing what may be a record June. Salmon are being caught upstream in the wading pools. Fourteen salmon were landed in the Lake Branch in one day. A new record

Maine’s Penobscot River is having a glorious year, with 1,559 Atlantic salmon having returned by June 14, way above the returns in recent years (as of that date). With the cool, wet weather, here’s hoping for an absolutely great year for this most important of Maine rivers.

A biologist with Maine’s Dept. of Marine Resources put it this way:

“The salmon just keep coming. For the last week we have averaged 111 new Atlantic salmon per day. The last time we handled over 100 new salmon in a single day was 1997. In 1996 there were two days with catches over 100, but you have to go back to 1990 and 1986 to find a stretch of multiple 100+ days (9 and 7 days, respectively).”

RESEARCH ACTIVITY UPDATE

Strait of Belle Isle - The acoustic receiver array that detects smolts and kelts migrating through the Strait of Belle Isle is being deployed by ASF staff this week. Smolt with transmitters are now on their way across the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the Miramichi, Restigouche and Cascapedia, plus kelts from the Miramichi.  This will be the seventh year ASF has had this array in place, and consistently Atlantic salmon from different rivers pass through the strait between about July 10 and July 17.

New Reports on Salmon Runs, Research Activities and other Salmon Matters