Wild Salmon Watersheds Program Launch and Free Lunch

ASF and our partners are holding three community events to celebrate the launch of Wild Salmon Watersheds, our new freshwater Atlantic salmon conservation program.

Wild Salmon Watersheds is designed to conserve and protect rivers where salmon still thrive and prevent future declines. We will do this by equipping local partners with the knowledge and resources to complete long-lasting conservation projects. ASF’s goal is a North American network of up to 30 partner watersheds in places where wild Atlantic salmon are thriving, fisheries are active, and the connection between people and salmon is strong.

Government, Indigenous, and non-government organizations, including ASF, have traditionally focused efforts where populations have reached critical levels and habitat is badly damaged. This necessary work should continue, but climate change, expansion of industry, and development threaten all rivers and calls for a new approach to Atlantic salmon conservation. Wild Salmon Watersheds is focused on long-term, proactive conservation by building local capacity, protecting important watershed features from harmful industries, and enhancing habitat.

The vision for Wild Salmon Watersheds is an abundant, resilient, self-sustaining North American Atlantic Salmon population that is sustainable over the long-term, utilizing 100-year or 7-generation thinking.

Through the program, we want to develop a network of watersheds with effective protections and strong local organizations that will ensure underlying natural ecosystem functions and their associated human relationships are maintained in perpetuity.

Partnerships were struck with Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations in three watersheds: the Nepisiguit River in New Brunswick, the Margaree and Cheticamp rivers in Nova Scotia, and the Terra Nova River in Newfoundland and Labrador. Come out and join us for some lunch, cake, drinks, and nature walks. You can also try out fly casting at the events in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia!

Hosts: The Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Nepisiguit Salmon Association, and Pabineau First Nation
Location: Pabineau First Nation
Date: August 25 from 9am-12pm

Hosts: The Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Margaree Salmon Association, and the Cheticamp River Association
Location: Cheticamp Visitor Centre, Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Date: August 23 from 12-2pm

Hosts: The Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Freshwater Alexander Bays Ecosystem Corporation (FABEC)
Location: Bonavista Bay Search & Rescue (W Riverside Rd, Glovertown, NL)
Date: August 25 from 12-2pm

For more information, please contact Kris Hunter, director of Wild Salmon Watersheds for ASF – khunter@asf.ca