Rivernotes, Uncategorized
Rivernotes August 13, 2026
Phil Monahan
August 13, 2026
Editor's Note
by Phil Monahan, ASF Managing Editor
Welcome to Rivernotes, our weekly roundup of Atlantic salmon news and information from Québec, Atlantic Canada, Maine, and more.
We seem to be at the turning point of the summer, when cooler nights begin to bring water temperatures down, making rivers more hospitable for salmon and anglers alike. Current warm-water protocols on several waters will hopefully be lifted in the coming days, as a result.
There's no doubt that, so far, 2026 has been a big improvement over the past two years, as reflected in salmon counts and angler reports we've been reporting for months. But this edition of Rivernotes is mostly about the important conservation and restoration work that's vital to ensuring that—no matter what Mother Nature brings—Atlantic salmon can continue to thrive throughout their range.
One thing emphasized by this week's updates is that everyone has a role to play in this process—from anglers helping to control invasive species, to project managers working to replace culverts and add in-stream structures, to scientists seeking a better understanding of habitat and fish behavior. At the same time, we need to bring up the next generation to be equally passionate about and committed to the future of Atlantic salmon.
Programming Note
As usual at this time of year, Rivernotes will be published bi-weekly for a few weeks. The next post will be on August 27.
Don't Miss Our Latest Giveaway!
Here's good reason to be following ASF on Facebook(opens in new tab) and Instagram(opens in new tab): a giveaway from the Youghall Beach Co.(opens in new tab) Salmo Salar Series—featuring a stunning New Brunswick River Map Hoodie, with a salmon on the chest and a map of river names and the salmon life cycle on the back.
Visit ASF on social media for details. Entering the giveaway is free and easy, and the drawing is tomorrow! After that, we will announce the awesome final prize of the summer.
The Agony and the Ecstasy
In the latest epic episode of Loop Fly Fishing Adventures, ambassador and Hooké founder Fred Campbell returns to the rivers that shaped his life and sparked a lifelong passion for Atlantic salmon. The 49-minute production follows Fred's start to this season on the Restigouche, Matapédia, Petite Cascapédia, Bonaventure, and Grand Cascapédia. Things aren't easy, but the people and the places he encounters along the way make it all worthwhile.
The photo at the top of this page features fly-fishing guide Sam Breault, one of the stars of the film, who shares her passion for Atlantic salmon.
A Peruvian First?
Eric Asnis of Berlin, Vermont, sent in a great photo of his wife with a salmon from a recent trip to the Gaspé:
"I just wanted to share with you a photo of my wife, Betsy Asnis, with her first Atlantic salmon, which she caught on July 27 at Milnikek Pool on the Matapédia River, using a Blue Bomber. We spent five days fishing the Glen Emma Sector, and as she says, “I am hooked.” Betsy is originally from Peru, and she wonders if she might be the first Peruvian to fish on that river. Hard to say, though I don’t think they get too many South Americans."
Nova Scotia
This week's submission comes from Nick MacInnis, Restoration Programs Manager with the Nova Scotia Salmon Association.
Restoration Underway Across Nova Scotia
The 2026 field season is well underway across Nova Scotia, with community watershed organizations working to restore rivers and streams with the Nova Scotia Salmon Association’s Field Programs staff actively involved in Atlantic salmon recovery activities across the province. This year, 18 community organizations are receiving financial and technical support through NSSA’s Adopt a Stream program. Crews and volunteers have been busy completing instream habitat restoration, improving fish passage, restoring riparian areas, and assessing the condition of watersheds that support Atlantic salmon, brook trout, and other native species.
In Cape Breton, the Inverness South Anglers Association is completing instream restoration on Miramichi Brook, a sizeable tributary of the Mull River. Like many Nova Scotia watercourses, Miramichi Brook continues to show the legacy of historic land-use practices and log drives that altered channel form and reduced habitat complexity. Restoration work is focused on improving physical habitat and helping re-establish the natural processes needed to support productive coldwater fish habitat over the long term.
In northeastern Nova Scotia, the St. Mary’s River Association is continuing its longstanding restoration work within the St. Mary’s River watershed. This season, crews are working in the upper reaches of McKeen Brook, a tributary that enters the St. Mary’s River at the famed McKeen’s Pool. Work there will improve instream habitat and build upon years of community-led restoration throughout the watershed.
Farther south, restoration is once again underway in the LaHave River watershed. Instream habitat work is being completed on Fire Brook, an important coldwater tributary within the system. Land-based liming is also planned for Fire Brook this field season to address the effects of chronic acidification. Together, these approaches recognize that restoring salmon habitat requires attention to both the physical condition of a river and the water quality needed to support productive aquatic ecosystems.
This year, NSSA has partnered with the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM) to develop a data-driven watershed stewardship plan for the Stewiacke River. The initiative will examine water-temperature patterns throughout the watershed, assess habitat connectivity, and improve understanding of the distribution of invasive species, including smallmouth bass and chain pickerel. Bringing these datasets together will help identify priority areas for future conservation and restoration and support better watershed-scale decision-making.
These projects demonstrate the increasingly comprehensive approach being taken to aquatic habitat restoration in Nova Scotia. Instream structures remain an important tool, but effective restoration also requires understanding water temperature, connectivity, water quality, invasive species, and the historic pressures that continue to shape our rivers.
There is still plenty of field season ahead, but substantial progress is already being made. That work is possible because of the network of watershed organizations, Mi’kmaw partners, anglers, volunteers, government agencies, and conservation organizations working together across Nova Scotia. Collectively, these efforts are not simply restoring individual sections of stream. They are building the knowledge, partnerships, and local capacity needed to restore healthier and more resilient watersheds for wild Atlantic salmon and the many other species that depend upon them.
Québec
AOÛT, LA TEMPÉRATURE : L’ÉLÉPHANT DANS LA PIÈCE
Parfois, un geste de conservation commence simplement par mieux connaître sa rivière.
Au Québec, quatre rivières : Malbaie, à Mars, Petit-Saguenay et Saint-Jean (Saguenay), elles sont formellement couvertes par le protocole de chaleur du MELCCFP : avec la fermeture temporaire de minimum 72h dès que l’eau atteint 22 °C le matin avec prévisions défavorables. Au 9 août, aucune fermeture n’était active (fig. 1). Les 110 autres rivières à saumon du Québec, elles, se gouvernent avec leurs moyens locaux et c’est là que se joue une part essentielle de la conservation.
Cet été, la Fédération du saumon atlantique (ASF) appuie modestement la Société de gestion des rivières de Gaspé et Sipuminu (Société de gestion de la rivière Grande Cascapédia) dans l’acquisition de thermographes, en réponse à des besoins exprimés directement par les gestionnaires. Les questions ne sont pas les mêmes d’une rivière à l’autre, caractériser un régime thermique, documenter les secteurs susceptibles de se réchauffer davantage, suivre des refuges thermiques fonctionnels et l’ASF travaille en parallèle au partage d’un protocole en français pour faciliter la calibration et permettre à des jeux de données comparables entre sites, années et organisations d’émerger.
L’objectif dépasse quelques instruments : renforcer la capacité des équipes locales à acquérir, comprendre et utiliser leurs propres données. Une première série de mesures peut établir un état de référence, révéler une anomalie, puis nourrir un projet de conservation plus large. La souveraineté des données compte : les gestionnaires locaux sont ceux qui lisent la rivière chaque matin.
Et il y a des raisons d’être encouragé. Selon les données de la Corporation de gestion des rivières Matapédia et Patapédia (CGRMP), 1 751 grands saumons avaient été comptés sur la Matapédia au 30 juillet +62 % par rapport à 2025 et +12 % au-dessus de la moyenne 2019-2024 à pareille date (fig. 2). Sur la Grande Cascapédia, juin (408 saumons, +31 %) et juillet (350 saumons, dépassant déjà juillet 2025) confirment la tendance.
James Thomas Lavigne, guide d’expérience sur la Grande Cascapédia, décrit un mois d’août tranquille du côté des pêcheurs, mais une rivière dans de bonnes conditions : températures favorables, nuages, pluies annoncées et niveaux d’eau excellents. Autant de bonnes nouvelles pour les saumons déjà présents comme pour ceux qui poursuivent leur montaison.
Pour approfondir les enjeux liés à l’eau chaude, la Fédération québécoise pour le saumon atlantique (FQSA) — partenaire majeur de l’ASF — leur consacre un récent balado : écouter ici.
Québec (English)
Québec Program Director Caroline Côté provides information on warm-water protocols, as well as positive trends in salmon numbers.
Sometimes conservation starts simply by knowing a river better.
In Québec, four rivers—the Malbaie, à Mars, Petit-Saguenay, and Saint-Jean (Saguenay)—are formally covered by the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) warm-water protocol, which provides for a temporary closure of at least 72 hours when morning water temperatures reach 22°C and forecasts remain unfavourable. As of August 9, no closures were active (Fig. 1). Québec’s other 110 salmon rivers rely on local management and resources, and this is where an essential part of conservation takes place.
This summer, ASF is providing support to the Société de gestion des rivières de Gaspé and Sipuminu (Société de gestion de la rivière Grande Cascapédia) to acquire temperature loggers, responding directly to needs identified by river managers. The questions differ from one river to another: characterizing thermal regimes, documenting areas susceptible to greater warming, or monitoring functional thermal refuges. In parallel, ASF is sharing a French-language protocol to facilitate logger calibration and help create comparable datasets across sites, years, and organizations.
The goal goes beyond a few instruments: it is about strengthening the ability of local teams to collect, understand, and use their own data. An initial series of measurements can establish a baseline, reveal an anomaly, and eventually support a larger conservation project. Data sovereignty matters, and local river managers are the people reading these rivers every morning.
According to data from the Corporation de gestion des rivières Matapédia et Patapédia (CGRMP), by July 30, 1,751 large salmon had been counted on the Matapédia—62% more than in 2025 and 12% above the 2019–2024 average at the same point in the season (Fig. 2). On the Grande Cascapédia, June and July continue the positive trend with 408 and 350 salmon, respectively.
Experienced Grande Cascapédia guide James Thomas Lavigne describes a quiet August for anglers, but a river in good shape, with favourable temperatures, cloudy weather, rain in the forecast, and excellent water levels. All are welcome signs for salmon already in the river and those still making their way upstream.
For more on warm-water issues in Québec, the Fédération québécoise pour le saumon atlantique (FQSA)—a key ASF partner—recently dedicated a podcast to the subject: listen and watch here. (Use YouTube's translation feature, if necessary).
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador Program Director Kim Thompson shares good news about this year's salmon returns from across the province, and offers an example of hope for the future.
From all reports this past week, salmon continue to enter rivers in strong numbers, as indicated by Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Atlantic Salmon Fence and Fishway Counts. Anglers are also reporting fish sightings and hookups on the Indian River in Central Newfoundland, while large numbers of salmon have been observed jumping in Portland Creek on the Northern Peninsula. However, these fish are behaving much like late-season salmon, making them extremely difficult to entice with a fly. Meanwhile, in Labrador, salmon returns remain strong and are outperforming counts recorded in 2025.
August is a good time to remind anglers of responsible catch-and-release practices to help ensure salmon survival. To minimize injury to fish, use barbless hooks as required, keep the fish in the water whenever possible, and use a landing net with knotless mesh. To refresh your catch-and-release skills, watch the DFO video "Best practices for catch and release of Atlantic salmon."
The Next Generation on the River
In a province with an aging population, it is heartwarming to see young people spending time outdoors and connecting with nature. Time spent on the river offers a welcome break from the distractions of cell phones and replaces screens with the sounds of flowing water and experiences that create lifelong memories.
Nine-year-old Kayden Murphy is living the dream this summer, spending his holidays honing his fly-fishing skills. Kayden loves salmon fishing on the Terra Nova River in central Newfoundland with his pop, who loves feeding the boy's enthusiasm for the river. Their shared connection brings to mind the well-known quote: “We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."
New Brunswick
New Brunswick Program Director David Roth updates warm-water protocols on salmon rivers across the province and reminds anglers that they play an important role in controlling invasive species.
During the past week, we reached what we hope was the peak of this summer’s maximum water temperatures. This led to warm-water protocols being activated or expanded on the Miramichi, Nepisiguit, and Upsalquitch rivers. As always, anglers should make sure to stay up to date on the specific protocols in effect through the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website.
With the cooler nights that usually arrive during the second half of August, we are hopeful that some of these restrictions will be lifted in the coming days and that these are the last warm-water-related angling restrictions of the season.
Do Your Part
As was the case last week, angling effort and success remain rather quiet, given the restrictions in place and salmon largely being in resting mode during these conditions. Therefore, I want to use this week’s notes to remind all anglers fishing the Miramichi about the mandatory retention requirements for invasive fish species in specific watersheds of New Brunswick. More information can be found on the Government of New Brunswick’s invasive fish webpage.
For the Miramichi specifically, this concerns smallmouth bass, which continue to be caught in the river system. It is particularly important that anglers not only retain these fish as required, but also report their catches and, importantly, the locations where they were caught. Reports can be submitted to FishNB-PecheN-B@GNB.CA or by calling 506-453-3826.
Catch reports from the public are extremely valuable in helping us better understand where smallmouth bass are now occurring throughout the watershed. These observations can help identify areas of concern and provide important information for planning future management actions aimed at limiting the further spread of this invasive species, which poses a threat to Atlantic salmon and other native aquatic species in the Miramichi system.
Colin Gilks was kind enough to allow me to share the photo above, which he took following an evening outing on the river this past week. His report is a perfect example of the type of information anglers can provide. Each of these observations represents another valuable data point that can help identify potential smallmouth-bass hotspots and ultimately contribute to developing and targeting future management approaches in the river.
Maine
Habitat Restoration Program Manager Cat Morse offers an update on a culvert-replacement project on a tributary of the Kennebec.
Construction continues at Stinking Brook in Piscataquis County, and last week, Scully Construction was able to install one side of the abutment blocks for the bridge deck. They will continue with installation and then begin digging out the new stream channel.
ASF was there with Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) to oversee construction and assist with additional fish evacuation. They found salmon parr, year-old young, brook trout, and other fish in the downstream scour pool. DMR took notice of the size of the year-old young in Stinking Brook, observing that they are large for this time of year, an indication that the stream is good rearing habitat for juvenile salmon and other coldwater species. With the installation of the new bridge, these fish will be able to utilize an additional 1.27 miles of upstream habitat.
Vice President of U.S. Conservation John Burrows shared a story and photo from a recent trip to a tributary of the Kennebec.
Maine Habitat Restoration Project Manager Jeff Reardon and I recently spent a few days touring the Kennebec and Sandy Rivers with Bob Keating, the producer of ASF’s Saving Salmon podcast. The team visited a number of important sites along the rivers and interviewed a variety of key partners and local volunteers who have supported the restoration of Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish to the Kennebec watershed over the last several decades.
Bob’s trip culminated with a visit to some of the salmon holding pools in the upper Sandy River in the mountains of western Maine, including one that was holding over a dozen adult salmon. To hear more about Bob’s visit to Maine, you will have to wait until autumn, when we launch Season 2 of Saving Salmon.
Our partners from the Downeast Salmon Federation offer an update on work to remove the Cherryfield Dam on the Narraguagus River.
Last week, in Cherryfield, demolition of the dam continued, and crews prepared the site for crane access to begin construction of the new ice piers. As the work area dried out, staff from DSF and our project partners were on site to relocate wildlife from the construction zone. We safely moved American eels, sunfish, snapping turtles, small minnows, and freshwater mussels to habitat outside the project area before construction continued. Next week, crews are expected to begin driving piles for the foundation of the new ice piers.
We've had a few instances of people entering the construction area. For everyone's safety, we'd like to remind the community that Cable Pool Park is closed to the public.
If you'd like to see the project's progress, we hope you'll join us for our next Community Project Tour on Friday, August 28, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. We look forward to sharing updates and answering your questions!
Research and Environment
ASF's Research team describes the value of last month's extensive drone-and-temperature-logger work on the Margaree River. It's an important first step to a deeper understanding of where conservation and restoration work can be most effective.
Revealing the Invisible with Thermal Imagery
From a riverbank, you cannot see a cold-water refuge. You can walk a river reach a hundred times and still miss the groundwater seep that allows salmon to survive through a heat wave. That is the blind spot we keep running into in restoration work: we fix structure and often forget temperature. Thermal infrared imagery helps us reveal these invisible features.
Drones are not designed for large-scale, quantitative, thermal mapping work. This would typically be reserved for a helicopter, which can carry more sophisticated equipment. (This kind of work will be done on the Kennebec and some tributaries later this month.) However, a drone survey can provide a fast, targeted way to first get eyes on a river's thermal behavior, to flag where the real questions are before committing heavier resources to answer them.
Between July 21 and 28, ASF drone operators—led by Aaron Clausen, ASF Environmental Geographer, and Kris Hunter, Regional Director for Wild Salmon Watersheds—completed combined thermal infrared and RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) imagery surveys spanning approximately 65 kilometers of the Margaree River.
The operation required more than 35 hours of flight time, during which the drone travelled a total of 1200 km while capturing over 185,000 images. These images will allow us to create high-resolution temperature maps, revealing cold patches, warm plumes, and everything in between.
Mapping the thermal landscape also helps us locate sources of thermal pollution, and more depending on the technology's use. Overall, the thermal map we create helps us make protection decisions, set restoration priorities, and inform mitigation plans.
This is exactly the kind of work our research team is built for. Vice President of Research and Environment Val Ouellet’s expertise in thermal-imagery acquisition and interpretation, combined with Aaron's expertise in drone operations and drone-data processing, provides ASF with the full chain in-house: from thermal data acquisition in the air to targeted implementation on the ground. From acquisition to action, that full chain is what turns a flight over a river into recovery.
