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“Get out of here,” Jon Carr said, as he knocked over a five-foot chunk of ice that shattered on the rocks.
Jon, ASF’s Senior Research Scientist, and Kris Hunter, the Regional Director for the Wild Salmon Watersheds program, were using chainsaws to cut away a chunk of ice that stretched completely across the road down to the Nepisiguit River in northern New Brunswick. Brandon Landry, an Environmental Technologist with Pabineau First Nation, was sending sprays of ice into the air as he worked away with a pick axe. It took an afternoon of hard work to clear the path, but the team got it done .
It’s spring, and the smolts are making their way out of the rivers to salt water. Even if ice blocks the road, or the extra fast current is trying its best to sweep away the metal cable and the eight people holding onto it, smolt wheels have to go into place if we hope to count the fish and implant trackers, so we can monitor their progress for years to come.
ASF’s Wild Salmon Watersheds program—with plenty of help from local partners—installed three wheels this season. These include the one on the Nepisiguit River that “kicked our butt a little bit,” according to Kris, one on the Terra Nova River in Newfoundland, and one on the Chéticamp River in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, a first for this location. It had already captured 72 fish just days after being installed.
« It’s off to a strong start there, which is really positive. » said Kris « For a first time install, it went as smooth as you can expect.”
In this week’s Rivernotes, we have some photos and reports from Wild Salmon Watersheds smolt wheel installations, as well as data from other smolt wheels, such as those on the Narraguagus River, which has captured nearly 200 fish so far at two different locations. The fish passages in Maine have been also registering the passage of many other fish, including 5 Atlantic salmon.
We have angling seasons opening on some rivers today, with more to follow in the coming weeks. But there are reminders that many rivers strictly prohibit recreational fishing for wild Atlantic salmon. We also have a reminder to always keep track of fire bans and recommendations in your area, as some places in Atlantic Canada have extremely dry conditions.
We have some highlights from the ASF and NSSA 34th Annual Fundraising Dinner in Halifax, as well as news about the discovery of a culturally significant Atlantic sturgeon in Nova Scotia waters.
There are some upcoming events listed, including some more showings of “Scale of Change,” a film produced in partnership with Hooké.
This week, we also have a first-hand report from a fly fishing guide on the Miramichi River, and a first-hand look into some of the issues and considerations that can pop up when coordinating some of ASF’s projects, and some great photos from Quebec.
With more favorable angling conditions on the horizon, be sure to send any photos or stories to us at riversnotes@asf.ca.
New Brunswick
A lot has been happening over the last couple weeks in New Brunswick. Ellen Mansfield, the Office Manager for Research & Environment at ASF, brings us a report of the research team’s activities. They’ve been busy with the installation of smolt wheels and preparing the trackers and receivers for the salmon tracking programs.
Ellen writes:
« April showers may bring May flowers, but May showers may bring headaches for the research team!
Spring is in full swing and that means the ASF research team is too! Things change fast in the spring, and then nature throws us a curveball. Lots of rain and wind have hampered the deployment of receivers. It will get done though!
To follow smolt with acoustic tags throughout their migration, we must also deploy receivers to detect the fish as they migrate out of the river systems. Graham Chafe and Siobhan Hourihan, our summer intern, have been out deploying receivers and coordinating with the University of New Brunswick to get all the gear we need out. Both the Southwest and the Northwest Miramichi River are completed and the Miramichi Bay receivers will be deployed May 13.
Ellen continues:
« The weather has hampered tagging as well. The heavy rains have raised the river levels and the smolt wheels had to be raised due to the high water and debris coming downriver.
Smolts are running on many rivers, and the research team is deployed across the region to help tag fish! The team coordinates with Wild Salmon Watersheds and external partners to cover all the sites. On Sunday 994 smolt were PIT-tagged near the Wayerton Bridge area on the Northwest Miramichi.
The research team has recently acquired a Matrice 4T drone, and Aaron Clausen and Graham Chafe have been learning how to obtain data with this amazing tool. From getting cool photos and videos from our field work, our drone can be used to map rivers, create topographic maps of the river channels and acquire thermal imagery to better understand the distribution of warm and cold Atlantic salmon habitats. We are planning to use the research drone for a variety of activities. Stay tuned! »
We also have a special contribution from Ian Cavanagh, a guide on the Miramichi River.
« The 2025 spring salmon season at Country Haven Miramichi Lodge, nestled in Gray Rapids, NB on the legendary Southwest Miramichi River, proved to be a surprisingly good one! The season opened on April 15th and anglers were greeted by a perfect mix of weather and water conditions. With perfect river levels and some colour to the water, anglers found success from Boiestown to Quarryville hooking into salmon, some over 40 inches, in what proved to be one of the most action-packed openers in recent memory.
After the first week, we saw a mix of cold, rain, and wild winds, but the spirit of spring salmon season endured. Both Atlantic salmon and trout were landed across the system throughout the season, which suggests a decent return of fish, despite last year’s low trap counts. As the river began to warm and stabilize into late April and May, both seasoned anglers and newcomers were still being rewarded. It’s truly special for us when guests land their first-ever Atlantic salmon, forging memories and traditions that will last a lifetime!
It proved to be a busy season with many returning and new guests from across the US and Canada. Longtime guests included Craig Williams from Bristol, New Hampshire and the ever-charismatic « Wild Bill” Mather from Elgin, Ontario who celebrated his 76th birthday and 17th visit! We also welcomed many first time guests to the lodge including Gord Ellis who drove all the way from Thunder Bay, Ontario to experience the thrill of landing his first ever Atlantic salmon!
By early May, the striped bass began their upriver migration, while brook trout continued to offer excellent sport. With water levels and temps favourable and fish in the system, the 2025 fishing season has started off on a positive note!
The Program Director of Nova Scotia, Deirdre Green reports:
« Nova Scotia’s rivers were in the spotlight this past week—from the discovery of a culturally significant Atlantic sturgeon to a milestone fundraising event for salmon conservation. Efforts to safeguard Nova Scotia’s wild species and their habitats continue to gain powerful momentum.
On May 5, an Atlantic sturgeon was discovered by local resident Shawn Morgan along Sonora Road in Sherbrooke. This rare species, considered an ancestral being in Mi’kmaw culture, carries both ecological and cultural importance. Thanks to swift action from community members, including St. Mary’s River Association President Scott Beaver, the sturgeon, which was dead when discovered, was secured for scientific study. Academic and government partners—including St. FX, Mount Allison University, and DFO — have expressed interest in examining the specimen and displaying it for World Oceans Day at St. FX. Alanna Syliboy, Indigenous conservation advocate, is also coordinating a ceremonial return of the remains to the river after study—a meaningful fusion of traditional knowledge and ecological research.
Deirdre continues:
« Later that week, Halifax hosted the ASF and NSSA 34th Annual Fundraising Dinner, drawing a strong show of support. We were proud to honour Eric Thomson, dedicated ASF director, passionate angler and tireless advocate for salmon conservation across North America. The event featured the city’s first-ever paddle raise, with proceeds directed toward developing a modernized population assessment for wild Atlantic salmon on the St. Mary’s River.
The evening celebrated province-wide restoration efforts, with special recognition for the work being completed on the Margaree River, and a special focus on the St. Mary’s. Since 2015, over $4 million has been invested to restore more than 30 kilometers of vital habitat. In a major step forward, the St. Mary’s was recently named the first national candidate for Ecologically Significant Area designation—a powerful acknowledgment of its biodiversity and potential.
But despite these promising developments, a critical knowledge gap remains: we do not have a reliable estimate of salmon abundance. The population assessment funded by the paddle raise will be led by the same trusted coalition—ASF, NSSA, and the St. Mary’s River Association—and will lay the foundation for informed management, government engagement, and long-term protection.
« In the midst of these efforts, a reminder to all anglers: recreational fishing for wild Atlantic salmon is strictly prohibited in specific rivers. This includes all forms of targeting, even catch-and-release. Conservation-minded anglers are urged to follow current regulations.
Trout fishing remains open under regulated conditions, and seasonal pool closures are in effect in select rivers to protect salmon habitat. Anglers should consult the Nova Scotia Anglers’ Handbook and Maritime Provinces Fishery Regulations for full details.
Ancient fish are returning, and more salmon are being observed in several rivers—proof that local action is making a difference. But protecting our rivers is a shared responsibility. If you see someone targeting Atlantic salmon where there is no open recreational fishery for Atlantic salmon, report it to DFO. Have questions? Join your local river association or connect with ASF or NSSA to learn more.
Through awareness, action, and collaboration, we can safeguard these rivers for future generations. »
We also received some great photos from Jimmie Pedersen, who witnessed the installation of a smolt wheel on the Chéticamp River in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Data is coming in from the rivers in Maine. Water levels are high and cold. Jason Valliere, Marine Scientist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, gives an update on Penobscot River fish passage:
“We have had a good start to the river herring run! This rain has slowed things up over the past couple of days, though. We dropped 2 degrees C in river temp and from a daily peak of 307K river herring on May 9th to just 89K in the last 24 hours.
We are up to 5 Atlantic salmon! All of those came before this rain and temperature dip. We haven’t seen one since May 6th.
I thought the saying was April showers… and May flowers… I say we blame it on that dang Ground Hog:-)
All we need is a few sunny days!”
We’ve also received some numbers from smolt wheels on the Narraguagus River. At Little Falls they caught 103 smolt, as of May 12th, and the wheel at the snowmobile bridge on Route 9 caught 96 smolt as of May 11th.
The Narraguagus River counted 32 American Shad. And passages on the Kennebec and Androscoggin have also been registering fish. Jeff Reardon, ASF’s Program Director for Maine, wrote:
“No salmon on the Kennebec or Androscoggin, and only a very few river herring reported.
More importantly, the first shad of the year are being caught in Gardiner, ME, on the Kennebec, and if the ospreys, eagles, and cormorants are any indication, alewife and blueback herring runs are in full swing on the lower Androscoggin.”
Jeff also gave us a little first-hand insight into one of the many obstacles that can pop up during ASF projects, and the thinking that goes into finding solutions:
« It’s Always Something!
It was the kind of call you dread. As we were scrambling to get permits, access, material orders, and the contractor ready to go for two culvert replacements, I got messages from two different partners. The Emergency Services Director in the closest town to the project wanted to talk to me. As I was trying to figure out what the issue might be, I got both a phone and text message from him. So I pulled over and dialed him back.
His concern was completely reasonable. Our project would close the road—a major recreation corridor—for 4 weeks at the peak of the summer season. We’d already reached out to the owners of sporting camps who used the road, the managers of private road networks accessed from it, and the major landowners. But we hadn’t considered that emergency response would now have to come from Greenville—almost two hours on logging roads from our project sites.
Emergency services can average a call or two a week up into Katahdin Works and Gulf Hagas. Sometimes it’s medical issues: injured hikers on the Appalachian Trail, or people who’ve slipped on the rocks by the waterfalls at Gulf Hagas.
All of those responses—into what in Maine is known as the Unorganized Townships, where there is no local police, fire, or rescue service—are provided by the town of Brownville, under contract to Pisctaquis County. Pisctaquis County is Maine’s second largest, at just over 4,000 square miles, and least populated, with just over 17,000 residents. (Think of an area bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined, with a population smaller than a typical suburb of a small North American city. Emergency response services are stretched THIN.)
Fortunately, we’ve done a lot of work in the area. I reached out to two local contacts—the Penobscot Nation, our partners on two dam removals on the mainstem Penobscot River, and the Appalachian Mountain Club, who have worked with us over the past 2 years to replace 26 culverts on their network of forest roads.
“I’m looking at the map—there is an ATV trail that runs from Brownville west towards Greenville,” I said in a meeting with the Brownville Emergency Services Director and the Pisctaquis County Manager. “Is there a way we could get access for a UTV to cut off that road and connect to KIW Road near the bridge over the West Branch Pleasant River?”
Sure enough, it looks like there is, and by the time you read this we think we’ll have an agreement in place to use it for emergency access this summer. »
ASF is a lead sponsor of this year’s White Nose Pete Fly Fishing Festival in Rangeley, Maine, on June 6 & 7. Rangeley is the fly-fishing capital of New England and is right next to the Sandy River, so this will be a great opportunity to engage with and educate anglers about the importance of the Sandy and ASF’s work.
Kim Thompson, ASF’s Program Director for Newfoundland and Labrador, gives us a reminder of how varied the weather conditions can be in the province, and where to find information on the bans, or recommendations, for open fires or fireworks. She also provides some info on past, and upcoming, events to take note of, if you’re in the area:
« Only in Newfoundland and Labrador are there snowfall warnings for places such as Happy Valley- Goose Bay and the Northern Peninsula, while drier areas such as on the Avalon peninsula are recovering from the devastation of wildfire outbreaks.
Currently there is no province-wide fire ban in place, however the NL Fire Commissioner strongly recommends that municipalities, organizations and individuals refrain from any open fires or discharge of fireworks, given the current impacted communities and the early start of the wildfire season. Provincial fire hazard index maps are updated daily and can be viewed at the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture website, along with information about campfires. To report a wildfire, call: 1-866-709-FIRE (3473).
With the summer trout season for Zone 1 (insular Newfoundland) opening today, and less than a month away for the opening of the recreational salmon angling season, there was great interest at the NLOA outdoor show that was held in Gander this past weekend. In collaboration with FQSA, Hooké, NLOA and ASF, a variety of PALM fly festival films were also featured at the outdoor show. Congratulations to the NLOA and all exhibitors on another successful show.
Kim continues:
« As part of the Wild Salmon Watershed program the rotary screw trap (smolt wheel) is now in operation on the Terra Nova River, thanks to the dedicated group at Freshwater Alexander Bay Ecosystem Corporation (FABEC) and the ASF team. »
And finally, Kim leaves us with some upcoming events to check out for anyone nearby:
« Hooké Scale of Change Film Tour May 21st Banished Brewing Limited, Paradise. For tickets go to: www.scaleofchange.org
Salmon Association of Eastern Newfoundland (SAEN) 33rd Spring Dinner and Auction Thursday May 22nd at the Knights of Columbus in St. John’s. Enjoy a delicious three course meal, take part in raffles, a silent auction and a live auction. There’s something for everyone, whether you fish or not. For tickets call 709.722.9300 or email info@saen.org
Salmon Preservation for the Waters of Newfoundland (SPAWN) IF4 International Fly Fishing Film Festival in Corner Brook May 22nd at the Rotary Arts Centre. For tickets go to: Rotary Arts Centre, Corner Brook, Newfoundland
With one fishing season opening today, and two more rivers opening before the end of the month, people are getting excited around Quebec. We have been receiving reports of high water. Charles Cusson, the Program Director in Quebec writes:
« À partir du 15 mai, la saison débutera officiellement sur la redoutable rivière Causapscal. Suivi par les rivières de Gaspé le 25 mai et la Matapédia le 28 mai. Présentement les débits sont forts et les niveaux sont hauts sur les plans d’eau saumon au Québec.
Un contributeur assidu a notre blogue, Éric Meunier, guide de la CGRMP dans le secteur Glenn Emma, me fait rapport que la Matapédia enregistre un débit en date d’aujourd’hui de 233 m3/s. Le débit moyen est de 48,3 m3/s.
La York, pour sa part, accueille les fervents de descente en kayak jusqu’au 24 mai avec un débit de 70 m3/s.
Les prévisions de la météo pour la région de Murdochville indiquent de la précipitation de façon régulière pendant les prochains jours. Dans le coin d’Amqui, où les pluies de ce coin du bas St-Laurent alimentent la Matapédia, de fortes pluies s’annoncent pour la fin de semaine prochaine.
Au plaisir de se voir le long d’une rivière cet été et n’hésiter pas de me faire parvenir vos expériences de pêches et vos photos pendant la saison 2025. »
« As of May 15, the season will officially begin on the small but formidable Causapscal River. Followed by the rivers of Gaspé on May 25th and the Matapedia on the 28th. Currently, flows are strong, and levels are high on most salmon rivers in Quebec.
A regular contributor to our blog, Éric Meunier, CGRMP guide in the Glenn Emma sector, reports the Matapédia flow rate as of today is 233 m3/s. The average flow rate is 48.3 m3/s.
The York, for its part, presently welcomes kayaking enthusiasts until May 24th with a flow rate of 70 m3/s.
The weather forecast for the Murdochville area indicates steady precipitation for the next few days. In the Amqui area, where the rains from this corner of the lower St. Lawrence feed the Matapédia, is expecting heavy rains this coming weekend.
I hope to meet you along a river this summer and please don’t hesitate to send me details of your fishing experiences and photos during the 2025 season.
Tight lines!
