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NR-M-96-70E
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December 18, 1996
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ST. MARY'S RIVER ATLANTIC SALMON MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
HALIFAX - The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) will soon
be consulting with residents of Nova Scotia's eastern shore on the status
of Atlantic salmon in the St. Mary's River.
At this meeting we'll be seeking community input to our analyses
of current stock status, as well as asking for advice about what more should
be done to improve our collective understanding of this valuable resource
said Dr. John Ritter, Manager of DFO's Diadromous Fish Division.
The consultations will take place January 8, 1997, between 7:00 p.m.
and 10:00 p.m., in the library of the Sherbrooke High School in Sherbooke.
Dr. Ritter will chair the session and encourages all interested persons
to attend.
The St. Mary's River is the largest Atlantic salmon river on the eastern
shore of Nova Scotia and was open only to hook-and-release fishing for
grilse, i.e., small salmon, for the first time in 1996, in an effort to
increase spawning escapement. Hook-and-release fishing for large salmon
has been in effect throughout the Maritimes since 1984.
DFO biologist Shane O'Neil noted that recent low recreational
catches and low densities of juvenile salmon in the St. Mary's River indicate
that currently defined spawning requirements for salmon conservation are
not being met. This failure of returning salmon stocks to meet conservation
requirements is also being observed in other Atlantic coast rivers of the
province, he said.
Hook-and-release regulations are now widely accepted for large salmon
but are relatively new for grilse. Greg Stevens, Senior Anadromous Fish
Advisor, concurred that many Atlantic coast salmon stocks of the Province
are low and that hook-and-release angling for grilse is becoming common-place.
Eggs carried by grilse in these stocks are important to meeting conservation
requirements and self-sustainability, he said.
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DEPARTMENTAL CONTACT:
Shane O'Neil
Fisheries and Oceans
Halifax, N.S.
(902) 426-1579
Communications Branch
Fisheries and Oceans
Halifax, N.S.
(902) 426-3550
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