Grassroots Movement On The Miramichi Demands DFO Take Notice

 A new movement on the Miramichi is gathering steam in the wake of announcements by some groups, particularly the Miramichi Salmon Association that the staus quo should remain in effect for the 2016 fishing season; that being that no Atlantic Salmon should be retained at all; catch and release should once again be mandatory.

 According to their website miramichiriver.com these folks contend that the resource is being mismanaged with the majority of influence in the decisions made by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans belonging to user groups like the M.S.A and Atlantic Salmon Federation, while discounting input from the people who live and in many cases grew up along the mighty Miramichi and it's tributaries. The website lists a number of points that the group believes D.F.O isn't taking into consideration including factors including the majority of grilse are male and naturally aren't laying eggs, while at the same time may interfere with large adult males fertilizing eggs.

 The group has some popular backers- including W.W. Doak, the Doaktown fly and tackle shop almost as well-known as the river itself. The website contains some interesting anecdotes, including the fact skewed data was being used to calculate return numbers for 2014 by "ignoring" the late-run fish, not to mention the loss of some valuable mid-summer data in 2014 due to trap losses in the wake of Tropical Storm Arthur and another flood and trap damage in September of 2015 which resulted in data loss. This contributed to creating a "doom-and-gloom" outlook when the data was assessed (and subsequently acted upon.)

 If you get a chance to browse their website at www.miramichiriver.com I would urge you to do so. While it's my opinion the Miramichi Salmon should be protected and preserved I thoroughly believe all stakeholders, particularly those who live on the river should have a greater say in the overall decision-making process. While I generally support catch and release fishing, particularly for Atlantic Salmon numerous points are raised that leads me to believe this approach may not be the best for the Miramichi Salmon in either the short or long term. The people who reside along the river as it's traditional stewards possess an intimate knowledge of the river and the intangibles that can't be measured in traps...or in dollars and cents.

I'll keep you posted....

US FDA Approves GMO Atlantic Salmon-Fish to be raised in Northeastern PEI

 The US Food and Drug Administration announced on November 19, 2015 that it had approved, for the first time ever, a food genetically modified from an animal. This genetically modified Atlantic Salmon grows exponentially faster than ordinary salmon, They (apparently) managed to stick a Chinook Salmon gene into an Atlantic Salmon.  Under a special agreement with Aquabounty, the company responsible for developing the salmon and various other agencies these fish are to be reared in two special facilities, one in Prince Edward Island and the other in Panama.

It is stated that these fish are sterile and pose " no threat to the environment whatsoever" according to an article on Business Insider and that they are being raised in land-based tanks. But ...on the FDA website regarding the fish it says this:

3. What did the FDA consider to be the potential environmental impacts?
In compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the FDA evaluated the potential effects on the environment of the United States from an approval of the application related to AquAdvantage Salmon. Specifically, the FDA asked the following four questions:

1. What is the likelihood that AquAdvantage Salmon will escape the conditions of confinement?
2. What is the likelihood that AquAdvantage Salmon will survive and disperse if they escape the conditions of confinement?
3. What is the likelihood that AquAdvantage Salmon will reproduce and establish if they escape the conditions of confinement?
4. What are the likely consequences to, or effects on, the environment of the United States should AquAdvantage Salmon escape the conditions of confinement?

Based on the multiple forms of physical and biological containment proposed by AquaBounty Technologies in the application, the FDA found that an approval of the application related to AquAdvantage Salmon would not cause a significant impact on the environment of the United States. This finding is based on the extremely low likelihood that AquAdvantage Salmon could escape into the environs surrounding the PEI and Panama facilities and survive in an ocean or waterway and interbreed with wild Atlantic salmon due, in part, to the physical and biological containment measures specified in the approved application, and thus affect the environment of the United States. Based on the agency’s conclusion from the final Environmental Assessment, the agency issued a final Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).

That bit doesn't mention them being "sterile"-it just says they "probably won't" get away.

Hmmmm....Ok so they won't affect the environment of the United States. Well isn't that special? They also say there's a "low likelihood" of them escaping- I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with that. A little more digging indicates this facility in PEI is located along the Fortune River near where it flows into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. While this is not immediately near New Brunswick or the Miramichi basin it is not far from many salmon rivers in Nova Scotia. Part of the rationale behind the "low risk" assessment is , apparently, that farmed Atlantic Salmon do not adjust well to switching to a "normal diet" versus being "hand fed." However the study fails to mention for example, how (escaped) farmed Atlantic Salmon have established themselves in places like the Patagonia Region in South America- or how escapees on the west coast have frequently been seen intermixed with wild Pacific salmon in places such as Washington State and British Columbia-where they have successfully reproduced in three rivers.

There seems to be little in the way of any Environmental Impact Assessment done on this side of the border-and little mention about it-most of the battle, based on info in the (Canadian) media is the proverbial battle over whether GMO foods are safe to eat, and not the possible effects of them interbreeding with wild fish. This fosters a certain complacency ( "If I don't like it I won't eat it") but that does little to protect wild salmon stocks.

Deer Harvest Numbers Down in New Brunswick for 2015

This small piebald doe braved deep snow
to eat bread crusts discarded for birds.

Harsh winter conditions in 2013-2015, declining habitat blamed for decrease in New Brunswick Deer harvest.

New Brunswick saw it's lowest deer harvest in nearly half a century in 2015, with the total deer kill plunging an estimated 38% compared to 2014. Final numbers will not be available until around January 1, 2016 but based on preliminary data this seems to be the ballpark figure. The province is currently assessing the remaining herd and additional restrictions may be placed on the 2016 hunt; the breadth of such measures will no doubt depend largely on the severity of the upcoming winter.

Deer populations had generally been on the rebound until 2013 following back to back severe winters in 2007 and 2008 however the protracted winter of 2014-2015 ,which saw snow in the woods in some areas into June placed an excessive strain on the herd. Hunters reported a shortage of yearling deer based on sightings and trail camera pictures. As well many adult does did not seem to be accompanied by fawns with the difficult conditions no doubt contributing to a low birth rate and /or low survival rate of fawns that were born.

There is a growing backlash against the forest industry's use of glycophosphate herbicides, commonly used to control hardwood growth in New Brunswick forests. These are cited as a contributing factor as these methods cut down on the amount of available browse for deer leading to starvation and additional stress to deer seeking food.

I'll be updating this article as soon as the final numbers are published.

New Brunswick Black Bear and Moose season changes announced for September 2014

Black Bear and Moose season changes announced for September 2014

The New Brunswick government announced changes for September seasons affecting black bear and moose hunting. The moose season was extended to five days ( Tuesday- Saturday ) from the previous three.Correspondingly this resulted in a higher harvest percentage than previous years, however it was 6 % lower than predicted partially due to significantly higher than normal temperatures during the last three days of the new 5 day hunt.

 Clay Harrison, the owner/operator of  Long Lake Adventures, a New Brunswick Moose hunting outfitter located near Plaster Rock told me " We welcomed the new five day season but traditionally we've had little difficulty tracking down good bulls within the three day season". This held true again in 2014 as their non-resident hunter took a fine bull at 10 A.M on the first day. "The season extension certainly has tweaked the interest of more non-residents", he added.

 Changes affecting the bear season took the form of both an extended season as well as the addition of a second licence being available. The fall season was extended by a full month to commence around September first whereas in previous years it started in the first week in October. The fall season runs until about November first. The spring season remains unchanged commencing April 15 and running until the end of June. Hunters may also now purchase a second licence from select outfitters; previously hunters were limited to one bear/one licence per calendar year. This change was enacted in response to an increasing bear population and subsequent increased incidents of human/bear contact.

Frank Hathaway, proprietor of Haley Brook Camps, a long-time New Brunswick black bear hunting guide who's camps are near Riley Brook says the changes should help draw more non-resident hunters to New Brunswick " The opportunity to harvest a second bear gives us an advantage over other provinces and states that allow only a single bear to be harvested" he said. The second licence does not have to be purchased until the first bear is harvested according to New Brunswick DNR. .In the nearby state of Maine black bear hunting regulations state that a hunter can only harvest one bear per year.

 As of this writing ( December 3, 2014 ) no announcement has been made regarding the 2015 Moose season dates but they will be posted on this blog as soon as they are available.