Salmon Preservation Association for the Waters of Newfoundland

Enforcement Blitz at Big Falls

On Sunday July 4, 2010, the Provincial Inland Fish Enforcement Division of the Department of Justice conducted a check station at the Sir Richard Squires Provincial Park, Humber River, for the purpose of inspecting salmon/licenses and to ensure compliance with the provincial Wild Life Act and Regulations.

The check point was conducted from 7:00 pm until 11:30 pm and a total of nine IFE officers were involved in the operation with two separate locations.

IFE officers have received numerous complaints from the area involving alleged breaches of provincial salmon angling legislation.

For the duration of the check station a total of 44 vehicles were checked. A total of 15 Atlantic salmon were inspected. Two written warnings were issued and charges being laid for the failure to comply with the conditions of a salmon inland fishery licence and possession of improperly tagged salmon. Two Atlantic salmon and fishing related equipment were seized.

The check went very smoothly was very well received by those checked, with many anglers expressing their thanks to the officers and stating that it was good to see. (Well done!. This is something we've wanted to see for a long time and hopefully it will send the message that infractions won't be tolerated - Editor)

Since a recent inspection at the Corner Brook Stream trap on June 6th we discovered that vandals broke off the barbed wire supports, flattened the wire and got over the fence surrounding the compound. SPAWN member Keith Piercey witnessed that the culprits took a ladder which we had tied on an inside fence and used that to get out. They also got rid of the front door to the trap. It slides into the front of the chamber. Whatever they would want it for is beyond us.

There is basically nothing of value in the compound, unless they figured they'd get salmon. The trap access door is locked and we start operating it June 14th.

Since the break-in improvements have been effected, such as the installation of a winch for lifting the trap platform. It's difficult for one person to raise it and this simplifies things considerably. DFO will construct it for us since they built the original trap and have far more expertise.

If anyone has any information as to who is responsible please contact us or the RNC Corner Brook office.

Paul William Russell of St. Jude's NL learned it really doesn't pay to poach! Russell plead guilty to several Provincial offences, including possession of untagged salmon and not tagging a salmon. Mr. Russell was apprehended by IFEP officers during the takedown of Operation "Click" on August 22, 2008. Operation "Click" was a 15 month investigation conducted by the IFEP into salmon poaching on the Humber River at the Deer Lake Tailrace.

His Federal offence was for retaining more salmon than the quota allowed. The Federal offence "netted" him a $1,500 fine plus he had to forfeit his 1992 pick-up truck and fishing gear (rod, reel, vest).

Other court orders said that over the next 5 years he must stay at least 10 metres from fisheries waters except for ferry and coastal boat travel, crossing over ice while snowmobiling and crossing bridges. He was also told not to fish within 500 metres of The Tailrace for 10 years. (The area known as The Tailrace is just below the Deer Lake powerhouse).

Under the Provincial offences he was ordered to pay a $200 fine, a $2,000 fine and forfeited the four salmon that were seized by officers.

And it didn't stop there - Russell is banned from buying a fishing license for five years. In administering judgement Judge Catherine Allen-Westby stated - 'Our salmon stocks are sacred in this Province. A message must be sent loud and clear that this sort of behaviour is unacceptable."

SPAWN couldn't agree more and we are more than pleased to see poachers pay for their dirty work. We congratulate IFEP (Inland Fish Enforcement Protection) for effectively carrying out "Operation Click".

Well done!

Concerned that cutting operations in the CBP & Paper five-year plans would affect spawning areas, SPAWN has met with their Woodlands Division several times since February.

The result was that we were supplied with cutting maps that gave us an opportunity to identify critical areas. Using the results of three years of Redd surveys, which contained data from nearly all of the Harry's River tributaries, we could quickly identify areas of concern. At the last meeting between the two organizations we presented our findings to Mill officials and the result is that the buffer zones on sections of tributaries identified will be increased to protect them.

In addition, we were informed at one of the earlier meetings that the buffer zones adjacent to the main stem of Harry's will be 300 meters. Good news indeed.

In "the old days" when pulpwood was floated down rivers many of the tributaries had dams built on them to control water levels. At a recent meeting SPAWN held with officials of Corner Brook Pulp and Paper (CBP & P) they agreed to examine removal of wooden dams no longer needed. (floating wood down rivers is now an environmental no-no).

The first one targetted for removal is on Camp 11 Brook, a small tributary that flows into Pinchgut Lake, which in turn is part of the great Harry's River system. This Monday SPAWN representatives and DFO Habitat Coordinator, Darrin Sooley, will conduct an on-site visit to examine how best to effect the removal.

Two 12 lb fish on Saturday, Sept 12th. Today, Sept. 15th two more grilse.

Salmon assessment began on Corner Brook Stream June 25th the first "official' visitor showed up in the trap along with a trout. Number 1, a large grilse, was released to move upstream.

Following the construction of two fishways on two new dams in the stream 12 years ago, fry were reintroduced. Four years ago the first adults began to appear. SPAWN, under a contract with CEE (the Center for Environmental Excellence) at Memorial University, collected samples from the adipose of 50 fish and had DNA analysis done at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

The results showed that the fish had markers from Humber River Fish (understandable since the fry came from Humber stock) and unique markers, meaning some of the original stock either survived in the area below the lower dam or came from landlocked salmon isolated when access was stopped.

We are proud of the work to restore the river and will work diligently to ensure a positive outcome. Editor

Last week technicians from DFO installed tracking transmitters in 30 Atlantic salmon at Torrent River, on NLs Great Northern Peninsula. The work is a continuation of a geological survey done last year to determine whether or not the Clifty Falls area of the river is causing injuries to fish.

The study, commissioned by DFO, determined that the channel the fish go through at Clifty Falls has sharp knife-like porjections which may be the cause of cuts and abrasions witnessed on salmon in the viewing chamber of the fishway.

The telemetry study is to determine if the migration goes through the North or South channel. Once this is determined work can be planned to correct the situation. In addition, the fish will be monitored right to the spawning beds - providing new science data. Tracking data will be downloaded from a satellite.

An unfortunate side issue has developed at Torrent when salmon with the telemetry devices were found dead prompting an outcry from an anglers group in the area. They want the fishway shut down. This isn't a logical decision because figures released by the Torrent River Interpretation Centre say that only 16 fish of 1,300 through the fishway showed injuries. The dead fish are being found down-river of the fishway. The fact over 1,300 have made it through the fishway means those fish will be on their way to the spawning beds. Common sense says that's very important if the the run is to survive.

Further, if the fishway is closed then the salmon will be trying to access up-river by attempting to jump the falls - which, as everyone one there knows, isn't possible (hence the construction of a fishway in the first place).

While people are blaming the fishway and not the Clifty Falls area we can confirm that last year the fishway was drained and an inspection conducted to determine if, in fact, there were rough edges in the chamber slots that could cause damage. The inspection didn't reveal anything that should cause injury to migrating fish.

As part of a committee formed over a year ago to look at the problem it's clear that rushing into a decision isn't the way to go. If it takes time to determine the exact problem, then so be it. Can you imagine the fracas if, as one angler suggested, they throw a stick of dynamite into the Clifty Falls area and things ended up worse. It's far better to go slow and be sure. So far it's been a costly process, however that says something about how serious the committee is to find a solution.

Seeing dead salmon at Torrent is the last thing anyone wants. Of course, everyone is open to any magical solution to the problem and until someone can come up with one we must be cautious. By all means contact DFO if you think you have the answer. Until then the assessment is proceeding in a step-by-step manner. Let's do it right the first time.

The Torrent river steering committee consists of members from DFO (Habitat, Science and Management), SCNL, SPAWN, Town Council of Hawkes Bay and The Salmon Centre.

For more information persons can contact DFO Area Director, John Lubar, who will direct inquires to the appropriate Branch. Mr. Lubar can be reached at: 709-637-4205

The Salmonid Council of Newfoundland and Labrador (SCNL) held its annual general meeting October 2-4 at Camp Hancock, just east of Gander. Anglers can expect changes in 2010 season regarding "Passing-The-Rod", an improved tag (sorry poachers :O) ) and some river classification changes/introductions.

Representatives from conservation groups throughout the province, along with Federal and Provincial Govt. officials, will discuss Provincial and Federal enforcment, scheduling of salmon rivers, passing-the-rod, licensing and tags, forestry, aquaculture, plus many other topics related to improving the protection and enhancement of our salmon stocks.

This the place NGOs get to open up about any concerns they may have with the way stocks are managed.

Recent surveillance and undercover operations conducted by the Inland Fish Enforcement agency of the Department of Justice has resulted in significant seizures and a total of 50 charges being laid against seven individuals. These charges are part of the ongoing operations of the agency as it attempts to eradicate destructive poaching activity in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Recently near the community of Quirpon, Inland Fish Enforcement officers conducted a surveillance operation of organized poaching. This operation resulted in 26 charges against three individuals for the alleged offence of illegal netting of Atlantic salmon in coastal waters. Another organized poaching ring in the community of Norris Point was busted and three individuals are facing a total of nine charges for their alleged involvement in the illegal netting of Atlantic salmon in coastal waters. During the course of these operations officers seized three boats, 18 salmon, numerous nets and other poaching related equipment.

An undercover operation near Grand Falls-Windsor resulted in 15 charges against one individual for a range of alleged offences including trafficking-in Atlantic salmon, illegal netting and possession. In total, officers have laid 235 fish related charges against 89 individuals and have issued a number of warnings this season. Also, 126 charges for alleged violations under the Motorized Snow Vehicles and All-Terrain Vehicles Act, the Wild Life Act and the Criminal Code of Canada have been laid. A truck, eight boats, three all-terrain vehicles and many illegal nets have been seized.

Two recent convictions against two individuals resulting from investigations in western Newfoundland have resulted in fines totaling $3,300. One of these individuals is prohibited from fishing inland waters for a year. As well, a conviction last week for a recent apprehension of an individual near Foxtrap has resulted in a fine of $1,500 for jigging salmon.

Inland Fish Enforcement is committed to preserving the province's salmon and trout stocks by targeting and eliminating organized poaching activity. The public can anonymously report suspected poaching to the Inland Fish Enforcement poaching hotline at 1-877-820-0999, by contacting Crime Stoppers or through the Department of Justice website: www.gov.nl.ca/just/inlandfish/violation.htm.

Items seized during investigation by Provincial Inland Fish Enforcement officers

The Department of Justice has recently launched a new television ad campaign to raise awareness of this illegal activity. These ads can be viewed on the Department of Justice website: www.gov.nl.ca/just/inlandfish/.

Media contact:
Ken Morrissey
Director of Communications
Department of Justice
709-729-6985, 685-6612
kenmorrissey@gov.nl.ca

ST. JOHN'S, NL - In provincial court at St. John's on July 9, 2009, Everett Crann and Jeremy Brace of Chance Cove were both convicted of fishing for Atlantic salmon in coastal waters during a closed time. Mr. Crann was fined $2500 and his 12 foot aluminum boat, 50 fathom gillnet, trailer and seven Atlantic salmon were forfeited by the court. Mr. Brace was fined $2500.

On June 25, 2009, fishery officers from the Bay Roberts detachment were conducting surveillance near Chance Cove, Trinity Bay and observed the two individuals fishing Atlantic salmon. Both were apprehended when they landed onshore.

DFO is committed to the conservation and protection of marine resources in Newfoundland and Labrador. Anyone wishing to report suspicious fishing activities may do so by contacting their nearest DFO office or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Two of four brothers from Jackson's Arm charged with poaching salmon have entered guilty pleas, but have agreed to wait until their two older siblings obtain legal representation before proceeding to the sentencing stage of the court process.

Gordon and Maurice Head, aged 53 and 58 respectively, pleaded guilty in provincial court in Corner Brook Tuesday morning to three charges, namely possessing or fishing for Atlantic salmon contrary to the Fisheries Act, fishing for or catching and retaining salmon by a net without a licence for that purpose and fishing for Atlantic salmon during a closed time.

Their older brothers - Cecil, 68, and Hubert, 64 - were charged with the same offences, alleged to have occurred near their hometown July 22. However, they have applied to be represented by a legal aid lawyer and opted to wait until they get some legal advice before entering pleas.

All four persons were apprehended by Inland Fisheries Enforcement (IFE) officers form the Dept. of Justice.

Crown attorney Jarret Hann told the court the facts of the case are sufficient to show all four men were equally involved in the three offences outlined. To avoid any potential conflict within the court process, Judge Kymil Howe asked the two who pleaded guilty if they would mind waiting until their brothers received the advice they were seeking before moving on to being sentenced. The brothers agreed and all of their matters will next be called Nov. 24.

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In our recent Newsletter we left readers with the impression that it was NASCO that was the fundraising leader in the Greenland salmon buy-out. It should have stated that The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) and The North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) were the go-getters when it came to funding.

ASF is a partner with NASF of Iceland in the Greenland Conservation Agreement. Greenland fishermen have agreed to suspend their salmon fishery since 2002 in exchange for funding each year that engages fishermen in alternate employment and to keep their subsistence fishery as low as possible.

As Sue Scott of ASF points out - "Genetic studies indicated that 86% (8,000) of the salmon caught in the subsistence fishery were North American with some coming from endangered populations in the USA and Canada."

She also pointed out that the agreement continues until 2013 - "Dependant, of course, on our raising the required funds."

The subsistence fishery increased from 9 tonnes in 2003 to 26.1 tonnes in 2008. ASF said Greenland is making an effort to improve catch-reporting in their subsistence fishery - "The success in this endeavor may be responsible for the increased harvest in this fishery."

In other words the unreported catches are now becoming part of the recorded catches.

SPAWN and other ASF Affiliates are certainly grateful to President Bill Taylor and ASF for their untiring efforts to improve salmon populations in North America. Editor.

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Fredericton - The Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation (ASCF) opened its third round of competition for funding on November 1, 2009. Stephen Chase, the Foundation's Executive Director, announced a total of $300,000 will be awarded for projects beginning in the spring of 2010.

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To SPAWN it makes perfect sense that the Department conducting the research and providing the funding for it should be managing our trout stocks. In this case we are talking about the Provincial Dept. of Environment and Conservation, which employs biologists dedicated to inland fisheries research. SPAWN feels that given Fisheries and Oceans Canada's inland research is confined to Arctic Char and Atlantic salmon it should relinquish trout management in the Province of Newfoundland and labrador. DFO has stated it will not be funding research on any other inland species but char and salmon.

On the other hand, the Provincial Governments' Inland Fish section of the Wildlife Department has made substantial investments in compiling detailed data on ponds and lakes throughout the province. We feel that control of all trout species (Brown, Rainbow, Brook and Lake) should be in the hands of those who have intimate details on watersheds throughout the province and who are willing to expand on this data. I.E. they have a genuine interest in species that most residents are interested in anyway! Currently, due to the normal bureaucratic hurdles within DFO, when it comes to trout, it means little gets done.

It's really a no-brainer isn't it - Remove the cause of the hurdles and get on with an advanced style of provincial trout management? Please don't construe our comments as insulting DFO because that certainly isn't the intention. What we are saying is, let them be the "caretakers" of the char and salmon while Provincial biologists act as "caretakers" for the trout stocks. Call it cooperative management, for lack of a better description.

"Minimum retention best way to manage trout stocks"

Provincial Biologists conduct yearly winter creel surveys, lake and pond specific research, on the Island and in Labrador. Via this, their Dept. is compiling a very detailed database of information. One important finding is that managing trout stocks is critically dependant on controlling the retention size. Their conclusion is that minimum retention size is the best way to manage trout stocks.

An interesting discovery over the years, from research in the Indian Bay system, is that even though some lakes and ponds may be linked (by brooks or streams) the maximum size of the stock in each water can be very different. For example, one water can have fish that reach several pounds maximum size, while an adjacent one may only have fish that reach a one pound maximum, or smaller - eventhough they could migrate between!

They've also discovered that some watersheds are far more sensitive than others and angling pressure can quickly ruin them. An example of this became clear during their studies and studies conducted by Dr. Tom Knight within Gros Morne National Park. Removing "X" number of fish from places like Western Brook and some of the highland lakes can basically cause havoc because they are so slow to recover. As pointed out, the highland lakes have very limited growth periods because the ice doesn't leave until June leaving only a few months before they are frozen again.

So, the trout research is critically important in implementing protective management measures. Regional management appears a priority if we want to continue to harvest our trout resource to the satisfaction we have in the past.

What the province will have is a database whereby all the data have associated geographic reference points (GPS Points) so that they can examine differences in trout distributions and biology, based on their ecoregion, watershed and lake. What we will have is a knowledge base that researchers can revisit to compare new assessment to old for a specific geo-area. It's management with distinctly improved accuracy.

"One fifth of residents trout fish"

The 2005 Recreational fishing Survey identified that 132,000 residents were involved in the sport fishery. It also estimated that 3 million trout would be harvested that year! It's a valuable economic factor too. Figures showed that $39 million was spent on the sport ($6 m on equipment, $16 m on boating and $17 m on camping).

By far the "honour" of the largest number of a trout speices retained goes to the Brook trout.

Now, look at this bit of information: The province owns the fish and issues the licenses and tags (in the case of salmon). The authority for this comes from the Provincial Constitution - Other reasons to place trout management in the hands of Provincial biologists.

To sum up, the Feds manage using generic measures such as an arbitrary season, bag limits and gear restrictions. You could say the province has an obligation to the people to manage and protect the trout resource. What is really needed and can be provided by the Dept. of Environment and Conservation is data on biology, social impact and geographic detailing. A far more knowledgeable way to run things, don't you think? We're sure you'll hear more on this in the future. It's all about protecting and sustaining what we have for decades to come.

Provincial control is definitely the route to take.

This year DFO NL Salmon scientist Dave Redden did in-river testing of DIDSON recording units. The DIDSON can record accurate migration information on many species, in this case it was Atlantic salmon. These units are about the size of an average suitcase, they require little power and the data can be uploaded for analysis. DIDSON units offer unparalleled opportunity to get accurate full migration counts that, up to now, just weren't possible.

We asked Dave if he could summarize his research on Eagle River this summer.

We have had a very successful field season with the DIDSONs. As you know we decided that this summer should be dedicated to learning their capabilities in various settings, learning how to deploy and implement DIDSON on our rivers, and obtaining information from Eagle River that would allow us to pick a site for next year.

We initially deployed the DIDSONs at the smolt fence on Campbellton River, Nfld in May. We had them operating within a couple of hours and were easily able to pick out salmon kelts released from the smolt trap including smolts. In fact, all the fish released (~ 75) were observed by the DIDSON. We also measured fish of known length which proved very successful. The r=0.9 with very little observed bias. This was done with the Std DIDSON on High Frequency mode. We also tested a site at Salmonier River with the updated software and implemented the extended windows feature which worked out well. At Sand Hill River, we looked at smolts moving downstream which leaves me optimistic that sometime we may be able to enumerate smolts as well. We also tested the power setup required for remote operation.

At Eagle River, we have picked out a site about 200 m below the Gorge and near the Eagle River Salmon Club. The Salmon Club were extremely helpful in providing a base of operations which made life a lot more comfortable then it would have been otherwise. The river at the site is about 84 m wide and we can detect salmon from one side to the other. We have a bottom profile done at the site which will help in aiming the DIDSONs for a best count. We also have shown Atlantic salmon as opposed to some other salmon species utilize the entire river width for migration at least at Eagle River. Unfortunately, this means we have to look at the entire river rather then a section of it as they have been doing in BC and Alaska.

In general, it was very good to have purchased a piece of equipment that actually does what it is advertised to do. Also the support from the company and my colleagues in DFO-Nanaimo and at the Marine Institute, Ireland was terrific and much appreciated. They made our learning curve much easier to climb. I look forward to full implementation next summer at Eagle River.

This year the rules "supposedly" changed so that a person can hook a salmon and pass the rod to another who can land the fish and then use his or her tag on it. We've already had reports of blatant abuse. We're gathering as much information as possible on this practice and would like to hear from you. (All information will be kept anonymous). Email your observations to us directly...Click here..."Tag Abuse". Click here to view your RESPONSES Thanks.. Keith P.

Finally, research announced Feb. 26 suggests that aggressive fish are both important to the populations - and most likely to be harvested. Is this one more very important reason for anglers to practice live release of all wild Atlantic salmon?

Read more here -> http://asf.ca/news.php?id=177

Almost 25 years ago in 1984, DFO introduced the two-grilse limit. I was president of SPAWN at the time and presided over the largest annual meeting we ever had. It was held at the Arts and Culture Centre in Corner Brook and was called to advise members and other anglers of what was afoot for the 1984 salmon angling season.

The hall was jammed and the meeting was interrupted when a Grand Falls angler made a presentation citing that the basic rights of anglers were being ruined and went on to say that anglers should not have the privilege of killing a large salmon taken from them. He was not concerned that the Atlantic salmon stocks were in serious jeopardy but felt anglers had a right to keep them the same as they always did.

I explained to the assembled anglers that really there were only two choices: catch and release or a complete shutdown of Atlantic salmon angling. Here is a part of my presentation:

The large, prized Atlantic salmon is in danger of extinction in most of our rivers. Anglers who fish regularly and have 20 years experience or more say they have not caught a large fish in years. However, they can remember when large runs of big fish were nearly as plentiful as grilse in rivers like the Gander, the Humber, the Codroy and Bay St. George rivers. Where are they gone? Research has shown that the smolt (young salmon leaving the rivers) from all countries of the world destined to become salmon stray far from their home rivers to winter off Greenland. Others feed in the Labrador sea.

Distances travelled are so great that they must, of necessity, stay two or more winters before returning to their streams of origin. Grilse (one sea winter fish) on the other hand tend to feed closer to home and stay at sea only one winter, weighing only 3 to 5 pounds when returning compared to the 8 to 30 pounds of their longer-wintering cousins.

When the Greenland commercial fishery started originally the slaughter of these large fish was enormous, and stocks of salmon all over the world declined sharply. While the Greenland fishery has been on a quota system for some years, salmon have not been able to rally. (The Greenland fishery is now closed thanks to ASF).

North American salmon (including our own) had been further hard hit by the commercial fishery off Newfoundland which had been taking too many large fish, and as a result a major decline has taken place in our stocks. (NL fishery now closed.)

Large salmon are vitally important for spawning purposes since most of them are females and produce large numbers of big eggs. The fry from these eggs are particularly strong and vigorous and produce smolt with a higher survival rate. A 20-pound salmon will produce from 15,000 to 20,000 superior eggs compared to about 2,000 to 2,500 smaller eggs from a four- pound grilse. The solution proposed to overcome this problem was to make adjustments to the commercial fishery on the front end of the season to permit more of the large salmon to come into our rivers. (The large salmon come in mainly in the early runs.) To protect these large salmon and allow them to spawn they also had to be protected from angling kill.

While it was not an easy decision to make for anglers who lived for the big trophy our board agreed they had no choice but to support the 2-grilse limit. It was a decision that was unpopular with many anglers and still is today.

Back to the meeting, when the issue of whether or not the membership would support the board's decision was put to a vote the decision was strongly in our favour. The two-grilse limit became the law here and in the other Atlantic provinces as well. Did it help? I remain convinced to this day that this was the decision that saved the Atlantic salmon in this province.

Is C & R universally accepted here now? Far from it, there are still many anglers who feel they should be allowed to keep everything they catch regardless of the state of the stocks. However it is interesting to note that approximately 55% of all salmon hooked in NL are now being released. This translates to about 20,000 fish released each year in NL alone.

Is catch and release perfect? Far from it, but the situation is improving. More and more anglers are releasing fish without touching them or removing them from the water. DFO need to take a hand here and advise proper procedures. The Angling Guide would be a good spot! Despite all the good reasons for releasing you still have the bitter types who are sneaking big fish up through the bushes or childishly releasing them roughly. They probably fall into the same category of those who keep opening their tags and use them over and over exceeding the catch limits by large numbers.

In this province there will always be people who circumvent the laws, all the rest of us can do is keep the faith, limit our catches while enjoying the fishing to the fullest. The young people coming after us will be the beneficiaries of our efforts.