Cape Breton groups alarmed as more Atlantic salmon deemed endangered
CBC
A federal advisory committee has expanded its list of endangered Atlantic salmon populations, raising the alarm among conservation groups in Cape Breton.
They fear the change could lead to the end of recreational fishing for one of the East Coast's iconic species in most of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says that is one possibility, but it's not an inevitable outcome.
The change in assessment status was spelled out at federal fisheries meetings with stakeholders earlier this month, after the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) reassessed salmon populations, including those along the entire coast of Nova Scotia and throughout the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Cheticamp River Salmon Association president Rene Aucoin was at one of those meetings.
"Most of it was general information that we received, except for at the very end, where they dropped the bomb on us," he said.
Aucoin said salmon populations on Nova Scotia's Atlantic coast are in trouble, but it's a different story on the western side of Cape Breton Island.
"Over the last 10, 15 years, our rivers have been doing very well and in fact, in 2023, I believe that we probably had the strongest return of salmon in our rivers in 50 years and here we are two years later, we're being designated as endangered," he said.
"It doesn't make any sense whatsoever."
Bill Hailey, vice-president of the Margaree Salmon Association, agreed.
He said salmon in New Brunswick's Miramichi River are being devastated by a booming striped bass population, but the Margaree is in good shape.
"This is just bad news and it's unfortunate, because it could have been good news for the Margaree, but unfortunately we're being lumped in with some unhealthy rivers," Hailey said.
COSEWIC is an independent advisory body of wildlife experts that makes recommendations to the federal government on species at risk.
Hailey and Aucoin say they're worried the committee will recommend the government go a step further and add the Nova Scotia and southern Gulf salmon populations to the Species at Risk Act.
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