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....