We’ve been fortunate to enjoy a beautiful summer so far, with enough rain and cool nights to avoid enacting our warm water protocol. During warm water protocols, certain cold-water pools are closed temporarily when weather conditions exceed a pre-determined threshold for a period of time. The warm water protocol committee that MSA participates in meets regularly to keep an eye on protecting our salmon. For more information on closures click here or watch the MSA website and social media channels for closure and reopening details.

Fish continue to move up through the Miramichi system, and the salmon run is trending positively so far. For DFO trap net counts at Cassilis and Millerton you can visit this link: salmon counts

Smallmouth bass eradication planning continues, and our team is in full swing to carry this project out with our working group partners. MSA will be involved in constructing the barrier fence and carrying out fish rescue in the coming weeks, as well as the eradication and monitoring.

Our Tear through Christmas Mountains fundraiser was held on July 24th. This was a great opportunity to explore our region, visit our salmon protection barrier, and take in the beauty of the Miramichi Region. Thank you to our generous sponsors for their support, and all the participants who came together for this event. All funds raised will go directly to our conservation field programs. Thank you also to Debbie Norton and her team at Upper Oxbow for hosting the BBQ and live entertainment at Guagas Lake.

Our field team is busy restoring cold water refuge sites, including revisiting sites previously restored to clear away debris and ensure they are functioning properly. Our team is also beginning our juvenile assessment (electrofishing) and will move on to managing in-stream obstructions and broodstock collection later this autumn.

Each month, Vanessa (Admin Assistant and Member Relations Clerk) processes tax receipts and thank you notes for our supporters. As I review each letter, I am incredibly grateful to our membership and supporters who give of their time, skillsets, connections, and funds to support our conservation programs. We can accomplish so much when we work together, and I’m excited for what the future holds for Miramichi’s wild Atlantic Salmon.

Robyn

On Thursday, October 7th the MSA will be hosting our 25th Annual Fredericton Gala Dinner and Auction at the Fredericton Inn. This will be the first in-person event the MSA has been able to host since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic! We look forward to celebrating this important turning point with you! We hope that you will 'save the date' and be able to join us for a fun and entertaining evening!

This year, the Fredericton dinner committee will recognize the enormous contribution the Wade family and Wade’s Fishing Lodge has made to the Miramichi outfitting industry. For more that 50 years, Wade’s family name has been synonymous with the Miramichi and salmon fishing. We hope that you will consider attending this important dinner in honour of the Wade family. We look forward to celebrating the Wade’s rich Miramichi history together! 

Our MSA field team has been very busy this past month. Our team has been assessing and maintaining previous MSA cold-water habitat restoration sites. Cold-water pools are necessary for salmon survival during hot summer months; these cold-water pools are a refuge for salmon and a variety of other fish species. The MSA team searched within a 1-kilometer radius of the mouth of each restoration site to remove wood debris and obstructions that were impeding water flow. Obstructions are detrimental to cold water refuge zones as the impounded water is heated, and the blockage reduces fish passage during the spawning season.

Our MSA team also performed snorkel surveys and recorded temperature data within our past cold-water habitat restoration sites to assess if the restorations are still functioning to their full capacity. With climate change and extreme heat events warming waters, cold water refuge is increasingly vital considering Atlantic salmon are very dependent on cold water habitat.

In August, the field team will be starting our 2021 Juvenile Atlantic Salmon Assessment along the Miramichi River.

The smallmouth bass eradication project is moving forward - this week we were able to install the fish barrier with our working group partners and a some very dedicated volunteers. Thank you to everyone who came out to lend a hand with this hard work. Many hands made light work! With any luck we will be able to get the fish rescue aspect of this project completed sometime in the next week or so.

Fishing for Atlantic salmon on the Miramichi in 2021 continues to be good. Fishing reports from up and down the river are uniformly upbeat. Eddie Colford of the Black Brook Salmon Club said that fishing there had been good all year. They had a party in recently, and Eddie said they hooked 15 in one day and rolled fish all day long. One they landed weighed 20 pounds. Wayne O’Donnell of Rocky Brook said....click link below to continue reading

 Membership in the MSA is the perfect way to express your passion and support for the Miramichi River, for the Atlantic salmon who make it their home, and for the vital work being done by the MSA to protect and conserve both for today and tomorrow!