Rivernotes, Uncategorized
Rivernotes August 27, 2026
Tom Cheney
August 27, 2026
Editor's Note
by Tom Cheney
Welcome back to another edition of Rivernotes. With Phil out of the office this week, I'm happy to be back in the editor's chair for this issue.
Although we're well into the dog days of summer, activity on our rivers continues to be steady. This week's Rivernotes has full reports from throughout the region, covering angling, conservation, as well as research.
Reminder: The row of buttons you see above will help you find exactly what you're looking for. Simply click a button and be whisked directly to the section you want to read first.
An International Salmon Exchange
Ashley Hallihan shares a great story about the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Schools Network (ASCSN), an international initiative to connect students and salmon rivers. Read the full article here(opens in new tab).
Angling Reports
A Matapédia Die-hard
Contributor Michael Baytoff offers a great profile of an angler on the Matapédia River in Quebec.
Sebastien Berard, from Granbey, Quebec—Sebas, as the locals call him—is an extremely fit and sprite forty-nine-year-old. A general manager of a major construction company, Sebas works seven long days a week all year, and then uses most of his accumulated days off to fish the salmon season on the Matapédia. Sebastien lives in his custom van in a campground along the river during his time on the Matapédia. His quiver of rods, reels, along with tackle, and hundreds upon hundreds of flies would be enough to start a mobile fly shop. Each day, Sebas is up before dawn, a power protein drink and energy bar, then on the river at first light. It does not stop there; he fishes all morning until about noon, then grabs another protein shake, some oatmeal and fruit, along with more power bars, and is back on the river until dusk, day in and day out during his stay along the Matapédia. He fishes all the Matapédia’s public waters from the Bridge to the Forks. I even tried to keep up with him one day, but ended up being worn out by afternoon. This season, Sebastien has gotten into five good fish.
Also, a rare and exciting report from Causapscal local, William Landry, is that he has landed over 30 salmon this season on the Matapédia, his best season ever.
Québec
La directrice des programmes du Québec, Caroline Côté, décrit un projet de science citoyenne sur la rivière Malbaie, ainsi que des remontées encourageantes dans la Matane.
Se serrer les coudes pour la rivière Malbaie
Près de Percé, en Gaspésie, Conservation de la nature Canada (CNC) protège et gère un territoire dont fait partie la rivière Malbaie, une rivière à saumon fermée à la pêche. La présence du saumon atlantique ajoute ainsi une dimension aquatique importante à la conservation de ce territoire.
Protéger les milieux terrestres et les bandes riveraines demeure essentiel, mais la santé du territoire passe aussi par celle de la rivière. Température de l’eau, refuges thermiques, niveaux d’eau, érosion des berges et observations de saumons contribuent à mieux documenter son évolution.
Cet été, CNC a lancé une initiative de science citoyenne invitant les personnes qui fréquentent le territoire à contribuer à cette connaissance. Les observations recueillies sur la rivière et ses environs viennent ainsi compléter le travail de conservation réalisé sur le terrain.
L’Atlantic Salmon Federation est heureuse d’appuyer cette mobilisation en offrant quelques prix aux participants, mais aussi en mettant son expertise sur le saumon atlantique à la disposition de CNC pour l’accompagner dans la protection de ce territoire qui abrite une rivière à saumon.
C’est aussi cela, la conservation : des partenaires et des citoyens qui partagent leurs connaissances et contribuent, chacun selon ses forces, à protéger un même territoire.
Des rivières — Matane, 23 août
Ailleurs au Québec, la saison offre aussi des signes encourageants. Au 23 août, la passe migratoire de la Matane avait dénombré 1 404 saumons, dont 582 grands saumons. Ces derniers sont déjà plus de deux fois plus nombreux que les 249 grands saumons recensés pendant toute la saison 2025.
Depuis 2023, une partie de la fosse Cap-Seize est fermée à la pêche du 1er août au 30 septembre. Les saumons peuvent ainsi s’y réfugier dans une eau plus fraîche pendant les périodes chaudes.
Québec (English)
Québec Program Director Caroline Côté describes a citizen science project on the Malbaie River, and encouraging numbers on the Matane.
Working Together for the Malbaie River
Near Percé, on Quebec’s Gaspé coast, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) protects and manages a property that includes the Malbaie River, a salmon river closed to fishing. The presence of Atlantic salmon adds an important aquatic dimension to the conservation of this property.
Protecting terrestrial ecosystems and riparian buffers remains essential, but the health of the property also depends on the health of the river. Water temperature, thermal refuges, water levels, bank erosion and salmon observations all contribute to documenting how the river is changing.
This summer, NCC launched a citizen science initiative, inviting people who spend time on the property to contribute to this knowledge. Observations gathered along the river and surrounding areas complement conservation work carried out on the ground.
The Atlantic Salmon Federation is pleased to support this community effort by contributing a few prizes for participants, while also making its Atlantic salmon expertise available to NCC as it works to protect a property that includes a salmon river.
This, too, is conservation: partners and citizens sharing knowledge and contributing according to their strengths to protect the same landscape.
From the Rivers — Matane, Aug. 23
Elsewhere in Quebec, the season is also providing encouraging signs. By August 23, the Matane fishway had counted 1,404 salmon, including 582 large salmon. That is already more than twice the 249 large salmon recorded during the entire 2025 season.
Since 2023, part of Cap-Seize Pool has been closed to fishing from August 1 to September 30, giving salmon a quiet place to find cooler water during the warmest part of summer.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador Program Director Kim Thompson shares a full report from her region, including an update from the Kenamu in Labrador, as well as a great family fishing story.
It is hard to believe that the summer recreational angling season is winding down for most scheduled salmon rivers in Newfoundland, with the season set to close on September 7th. What a season it has been, providing anglers and salmon conservationists with renewed hope and encouragement for the future, as reflected in the Atlantic Salmon Fence and Fishway Counts(opens in new tab) through August 16.
The fall angling season on the island remains open on the Gander, Exploits, and Humber rivers from September 8 to October 7. For specific regulations, season dates, and angling details, please refer to the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Anglers' Guide 2026-2027(opens in new tab).
A report from the Kenamu
While the angling season continues in Labrador until September 15, Tony Chubbs of the Labrador Hunting and Fishing Association shared the following update from the Kenamu River:
"The Kenamu River has stayed true to its form, a continuing late-run Atlantic Salmon River, despite an early spring. Early water levels remained high well into July, with Gerard Morrisey reporting no fish observed on either July 18 (one rod) and July 25 (3 rods). Neil Purchase reported one fish jump at Rope Pool on July 27, the first fish of the season!
On July 30, Gerard reported seeing three fish in the morning but no rises. That same day, Darryl and Alex Reardon along with Michael Young fished all day, tented out for the night at Pleasure Steady, and fishing improved in the evening and following day. Darryl and crew hooked a respectable 14 fish over the two days, all grilse.
Back down on the river near Triangle Rock pool on the 3rd of August, Gerard saw six fish and managed to hook two grilse; not a bad morning! All grilse were fresh and silvery!
Recent reports from anglers fishing at Salmon River, a tributary running into the Kenamu, posted slow fishing with a few hook-ups, but the river was full of grilse and some salmon frequently breaching in the steady.
Water temperatures on the Kenamu remain cool through August due to cooler overnight temperatures and frequent evening thundershowers. Late August and September look to be the most productive angling period again this season!"
Three Generations, One Labrador Adventure
Inspired by the last edition of Rivernotes, Robert Foster of Ontario reached out to share a recent fly-fishing adventure in Labrador that he was excited to tell me about.
During our conversation, Robert joked that when your fishing buddies start getting up there in age and mobility becomes a challenge, there is nothing like having grandchildren with young legs on the river to help keep you young at heart.
With three generations of Fosters on the trip, there was some concern that the youngest grandson, Si, at 12 years old, might be too young for the adventure, especially since he had never fly-fished before. Si, however, was determined not to be left behind. He practiced his casting beforehand with help from his older brother, and once he arrived on the river in Labrador, he was hooked. In fact, he didn't want to leave.
For the Foster family, this memorable experience was just the beginning. As their story reminds us, "the family that fishes together stays young together."
Celebrating Atlantic Salmon, Mi’kmaq Culture, and Community
It was a pleasure to participate in the Intervale Associates Salmon Conservation, Mi’kmaq History & Science Camp in Benoit’s Cove last week. Participants of all ages had the opportunity to learn about Atlantic salmon, conservation, Mi’kmaq history and culture, while taking part in fly tying, fly casting, outdoor learning, and exploring the importance of protecting our rivers for salmon and other species that depend on them. The time, knowledge and support provided by elders, instructors, volunteers, community partners, presenters and continued support from FCAS-FCSA made for an incredible learning environment and experience!
New Brunswick
New Brunswick Program Director David Roth reports cooler nights and improved angling conditions in the province, with anglers hoping for more rain to usher in the fall fishing season.
Since the last round of Rivernotes, David has heard plenty of good news from across the province. As predicted in the last notes, we appear to have left the hottest part of the summer behind us. The last warm-water restrictions have now been lifted, and if everything follows its usual course, we should not expect any further closures for the remainder of the season.
With cooler nights and some welcome rain across large parts of New Brunswick, catch reports have been coming in from the Miramichi, Nepisiguit, and Restigouche systems and their tributaries. Anglers have reported rolling dozens of fish in a day, with some reaching their daily catch limits in no time. Not only have fish already holding in the rivers become more receptive to flies, but anglers are also seeing fish that had been holding for much of the summer beginning to move farther upstream. At the same time, reports suggest that new fish continue to enter the rivers from the tidal zones.
It is especially encouraging to talk with anglers on the Miramichi who are enjoying a productive season throughout much of the system. With September just around the corner, everyone is hoping for a little more rain to provide a steady rise in water levels and, with it, hopefully another good run of fish for anglers to enjoy as we move into the fall season.
For David and many of our partners and affiliates, the arrival of September also means preparing for one of the busiest—but most beautiful—times of the year on New Brunswick’s rivers. Along with the changing colours and fall salmon runs comes the need to make sure our research and monitoring equipment is ready for autumn conditions, including securing and maintaining gear so it can withstand the higher discharge events that often accompany fall rains.
Maine
ASF Habitat Restoration Manager Catherine Morse gives an update on a restoration project at Stinking Brook, in the Penobscot watershed.
Construction at Stinking Brook is past the halfway point. Last week, the project team was busy reconstructing the new river channel: boulders, rocks, and tree trunks are used to add habitat complexity and provide structural support to the riverbanks until they are revegetated. Now, the coffer dams are removed, and water is flowing. Cat and Josie already saw fish swimming in the new stream channel! This week, the second set of abutment blocks will be placed along with the bridge deck.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Program Director Matt Russell provides an update on warm-water closures on the Margaree, as well as an engaging science workshop.
Following a brief partial closure of the river, the Margaree has fully reopened for salmon angling. The closure was enacted due to river temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius for two consecutive periods of 24 hours. This triggered a meeting of the Warm Water Protocol Committee, which unanimously decided to enact a partial closure of the river until conditions improved. Fortunately for salmon and salmon anglers alike, this did not take long; after only four days, temperatures fell back bellow the threshold required for reopening.
The partial closure allowed angling to continue in section 2 (Northeast Margaree) from the hours of 6:00 am to 11:00 am, while no angling was permitted in sections 1 (Lower Margaree) and section 3 (Southwest Margaree). This was the first time a partial closure on section 2 has been enacted. This decision reflects the differing thermal conditions of the varying river sections. Due to is dependence on groundwater, section 2 often remains cooler than sections 1 and 3. Throughout this period, section 2 saw decreases in temperature during the night and into the morning, providing an ethical angling window when temperatures were at their coolest.
MART Workshop
ASF staff recently attended the Margaree Aquatic Research Team’s (MART(opens in new tab)) 4th Annual workshop in Margaree Centre. MART is a multidisciplinary research unit out of the University of Windsor and led by Ph.D. candidate Kristen Cyr. While centrally focussed on the general themes of climate change and invasive species related impacts to Atlantic salmon, MART works in a collaborative manner bringing together rights-holders, stakeholders, commercial fishers, locals and conservation organisations. A broad focus and holistic approach have allowed MART and their research to continuously evolve to evaluate emerging issues and best represent the research needs of the local community.
This workshop was an opportunity for Kristen and her team to share their research, experiences and preliminary findings with local stakeholders and rightsholders as well as guage the attendees on their perceptions of identified issues.
Some of the research projects that were shared included:
- Characterising the effects of aquatic invasive species on juvenile Atlantic salmon within cold-water refugia.(opens in new tab)
- A spatial distribution and behavioural study of smallmouth bass.(opens in new tab)
- A comparative analysis of gill biopsies and mucous swabbing with hopes of determining the most effective and least invasive way of sampling for gene expression. (opens in new tab)
Versions of these projects were all presented recently at the IAGLR & SCAS-SCSA(opens in new tab) conference and recorded. These presentations can all be found on YouTube via the hyperlinks above. For anyone who has interest in learing more about MART and their work, please reach out to Kristen Cyr at cyrk@uwindsor.ca.
Prince Edward Island
Kris Hunter—who serves as both Regional Director of Wild Salmon Watersheds and Program Director for Prince Edward Island—was recently on the ground in PEI, lending a hand with some conservation projects.
This past week, I spent some time visiting watershed groups on PEI to lend some support to the conservation work happening there. While often overlooked due to their small rivers, the 25 PEI watershed groups, with core funding from the PEI government and support from the PEI Watershed Alliance and numerous other government and non-government organizations, are quietly achieving a lot in the name of conservation. As part of my trip, I got to go out with a couple of groups from Western PEI and assist on several projects that showcased this great work.
The first project I helped on in the west was a culvert replacement on the Foxley River. In a great exchange of mutual support and sharing of resources, Kim Curran and her crew from Lot 11 and Area Watershed Management Group worked for several days with Dale Cameron and his crew from the Prince County Chapter of Trout Unlimited (the adjacent watershed association) to remove a problematic culvert that was a barrier to fish passage and was causing temperature and habitat issues, replacing it with a single span bridge. As we worked, Kim shared how this was the last culvert in the system and how over the last few years they have been working to replace all culverts in the Foxley River system to address fish-passage and impoundment issues. The Foxley River used to have a run of salmon but lost that run many years ago when habitat and passage issues mounted. By systematically addressing the causes of that decline and loss, the Lot 11 group hopes to restore their river system and create favourable conditions for fish, and maybe even a return of salmon one day.
Another great example of using this systematic approach to conservation and restoration on PEI is on the Miminegash River. Danny Murphy and his team at the Roseville Miminegash Watershed Inc. have been working with the Province and other partners to understand their system and address limiting factors for salmon and trout. During my time with Danny, we worked to collect data from year-round temperature loggers to understand water temperature changes across his entire watershed over time and in response to conservation activity. This information will help Danny guide future conservation and restoration and help ensure the climate resilience of the Miminegash system.
Research and Environment
ASF's research team closes out this edition with a dispatch from their time in Postville, Labrador, tagging salmon on the English River earlier this season.
The Company We Keep on the River
Fieldwork, although busy, can also be slow; it requires patient work, hours of checking nets and watching the water for a fin that doesn't belong there. It also puts you in one of the best seats around for everything else that lives along a river.
This season, two species made their presence felt strongly enough that we ended up naming our nets after them: the Grey Jay and Spotted Sandpiper.
Singles, pairs and trios of sandpipers regularly commuted up and down the river while we were working, flying low over the water, and unmistakable with their “peep-peep” calls and unique habit of flying with stiff, downcurved wings. Karl Phillips, ASF data scientist, swore that they only stopped and posed on a rock when his camera was elsewhere or when the team started handling fish.
The grey jays were a different story, and it didn’t take long for the team members previously unacquainted with them to appreciate why they’ve attracted so many traditional stories and local names. By Day 2, they were taking trail mix from Karl’s hand, clearing out the raisins before starting on the nuts. From Day 3 onward, they would come and inspect the hut within 10-15 minutes of us arriving in the morning. They would also pay us occasional riverside visits when we were checking the nets and tagging fish, but quickly moved off if no fragments of biscuit, sandwich or fruit were forthcoming. In 2016, a Canadian Geographic poll crowned them Canada’s unofficial national bird, and in 2018, their international name was formally changed to “Canada jay.”
There was more wildlife around than birds. On several of the boat journeys between Postville and English River, we were honoured by good sightings of black bears foraging along the shoreline. Our attempts to drift closer usually resulted in them running back into the woods at quite a distance, but one obliged us by posing on a rock before running off into the woods. Luckily, whilst we kept our non-lethal discouragement options to hand, the bears also honoured us by never putting in an appearance when we were working.
We would have liked it if the mosquitoes had followed the bears’ example and put in fewer appearances when we were working. Unfortunately, as soon as the wind dropped, out they would come. Still, they have their place in the food web, and there is a certain beauty in allowing – subject to caveats around diseases – one to bite and watching it feed. Few would extend that luxury to the horseflies and deerflies, with their meat-cleaver mouths, which also put in appearances on sunnier days – though they do have lovely eyes.
We will need to come up with something new for next year’s planned third net. “Black bear” might be tempting fate, as might “Merganser” or anything else remotely piscivorous. “Mosquito” would be divisive: some might appreciate its irony, but others would prefer to do without the reminder. “Stonefly” might work, but something else may present itself – as long as it’s not “Big Stick”!
- Fun fact about spotted sandpipers: if you see an adult with chicks, it is virtually certain to be dad and not mum.
- Fun fact about Canada jays: they use their unusually sticky saliva to glue food to tree bark as a store for the winter.
- Fun fact about spotted sandpipers v. Canada jays: the sandpipers head to the tropics and subtropics for the winter, whereas the jays are one of the few birds that tough the winter out.
- “Fun” fact about black bears: whilst they’re less carnivorous than grizzly bears, their exceptionally rare attacks on people are more likely to be predatory than those of grizzlies.
- “Fun” fact about blood-sucking flies: only the females consume blood, needing it for egg production.
