NEWS  What is happening in our community.

Four Québec projects to be funded in 2009

Four groups working to conserve wild Atlantic salmon stocks in Québec will receive a total of $45,000 in funding from the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation (ASCF) this year. Details on each of the projects are as follows:

The Matapedia River Watershed Council, Causapscal, QC: $15,000
To assess how didymo algae affect juvenile wild Atlantic salmon

It's here. Didymo algae, once believed to be confined to the western regions of Canada and the U.S., has now infiltrated the East. The first serious bloom of this invasive algae appeared in the Matapedia River in 2006, and the single-celled invader has been in the region ever since.

What are the consequences of this invasion on fragile juvenile salmon? That's what a project funded by the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation (ASCF) aims to find out. It's an important one because many rivers in the Gaspésie present ideal conditions in which the algae can grow.

Researchers with the Matapedia River Watershed Council will determine if the presence of didymo will influence juvenile salmon's choice of habitat, their feeding habits and growth and their overall density in rivers when the algae is present. Once they answer these questions they will be better equipped to decide what the short and mid-range impact of this one-celled dynamo may be on salmon stocks in the rivers into which it will inevitably spread, if unchecked.

Contact: Carole-Anne Gillis, Researcher, MRWC
Telephone: 418-756-6115
E-mail: gilliscaroleann@hotmail.com

The Moisie River Protection Association, Sept-Iles, QC: $13,500
For improvements to the fish ladder at hydro station 072301

The Moisie River is renowned to be one of the best wild Atlantic salmon rivers in the world. That reputation is at risk, though, because of problems with the fish ladder at Katchapahun. When the flow of the river over hydro station 072301 falls below a certain level, the fish ladder is no longer operable and the fish can't continue their migration to feeding and spawning grounds above the dam. Improvements to the fish ladder will mean that it will be available for use for a longer period of time, this allowing more salmon to complete their migrations up and down the river.

Contact: Yves Girard, MRPA
Telephone: 418-962-3737
E-mail: aprm@globetrotter.net

The Escoumins River Watershed Council, Les Escoumins, QC: $10,000
For collection of data on salmon habitat in the Escoumins River to assist in developing a management plan

The Escoumins River has a problem all too common among salmon rivers in Atlantic Canada. Its wild salmon stocks have declined and no one really knows why. And with most of its data lost (data that was collected over 25 years ago from photos that at the time were 10 years old), the Escoumins River Watershed Council hasn't got much to go on to help figure out why the salmon are disappearing.

Thanks to funding from the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation (ASCF), this is about to change. The Council will use its ASCF grant for data collection and evaluation of spawning grounds in the Escoumins River, to determine if they offer suitable conditions for salmon reproduction and survival. The long-term plan for the Council is to develop a conservation plan for the river and its watershed to assure restoration and sustainability of the river's once-plentiful salmon stocks.

Contact: Amelie Dussault, ERWC
Telephone: 418--233-2323
E-mail: cbre@bellnet.ca

The Etchemin River Restoration Committee, Saint-Léon-de-Standon, QC: $6,500
To develop a program to help anglers identify and learn to conserve salmon stocks in the river's watershed

It's quite a success story. The Etchemin River near Saint-Leon-de-Standon in Quebec has been brought back from the brink of disaster with an aggressive, consistent wild Atlantic salmon restocking program. For the twelfth year in a row, hundreds of children from local schools once again last year poured about 2500 smolt into the river's watershed by the town of St. Claire, in what is now an annual ritual.

Since 2004 the results of these efforts have begun to show. Many anglers have reported seeing salmon at the mouth of the river.

Now the mission is to maintain the restored stock with an awareness campaign so that anglers know that there are salmon in the river again and understand how to recognize them and fish them responsibly, an effort that the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation is more than pleased to support!

Contact: Dominique Lamarre, ERRC
Phone: 418-642-5280
E-mail: crret@globetrotter.net