Miramichi Fishing Report for Thursday, April 9, 2015

The magic day on the calendar is close, but Mother Nature has other ideas about when we may get to the river.  All water is safely under ice and snow, and it could be a week or two before anglers can head out at the earliest.

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One development this week has finally been the release of regulations regarding salmon and striped bass.  Information from DFO is as follows:
Notice to Recreational Anglers

New Conservation Measures for Atlantic salmon Recreational Angling in the Gulf Region
Moncton, NB – April 7, 2015 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada wishes to inform the public of important changes in the management of Atlantic salmon recreational angling in the Gulf Region in 2015.

The new conservation measures in the Atlantic salmon recreational fishery are the following:

New Brunswick

• The yearly fishing quota for small salmon (grilse) will be reduced from four to zero in the Atlantic salmon recreational fishery. It is now mandatory to release all Atlantic salmon during the angling season;
• The use of an artificial fly with single barbless hook is now required in rivers and streams where it was already mandatory to use an artificial fly to angle.

Nova Scotia

• The yearly fishing quota for small salmon (grilse) will be reduced from two to zero in the Atlantic salmon recreational fishery. It is now mandatory to release all Atlantic salmon during the angling season;
• The use of an artificial fly with single barbless hook is now required in rivers and streams where it was already mandatory to use an artificial fly to angle.

Prince Edward Island

• The use of an artificial fly with single barbless hook is now required in rivers and streams where it was already mandatory to use an artificial fly to angle.

The management measures announced today will help with the efforts of achieving conservation objectives for Atlantic salmon in the Gulf Region.

To report any suspicious fishing activity, please contact the nearest Fisheries and Oceans Canada office or to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

For more information on this fishery, please contact:

Pierre Bélanger
Regional Senior Fisheries Management Officer for Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Moncton, New Brunswick
(506) 851-2002
http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Gulf/FAM/Recreational-Fisheries/2015-Salmon-Angling-Gulf-Region

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The striped bass regulations are as follows:

Increased Recreational Fishing for Striped Bass

PRESS RELEASE – FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA
April 7, 2015

Minister Shea announces increased recreational fishing opportunities for 2015 and 2016 striped bass seasons in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

The Government is acting on Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic salmon recommendations

MONCTON, New Brunswick – The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced management measures for the striped bass recreational fishery that will take place in 2015 and in 2016 throughout the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. This area includes the Maritime Provinces adjacent to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Compared to 2014, seven days to the retention fishery and 31 days to the catch and release fishery for both 2015 and 2016 have been added.

Additionally, a maximum retainable fish size of 65 centimeters has been set to protect the large spawners in the system that produce the largest amount of eggs and offer the greatest contribution to recruitment. A minimum retention size of 50 centimeters has been set to minimize the catch of fish that are not yet mature.

These management measures were recommended to the Minister by her Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon. They are also consistent with the most recent scientific information for this stock, advice from three recreational fishery advisory meetings and online consultations. The two-year plan is in line with the Department’s multi-year planning for fisheries to provide improved stability and predictability for anglers and other stakeholders.

Following each striped bass fishing outing, anglers are encouraged to fill out a survey found here: http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Gulf/FAM/Recreational-Fisheries/Creel-Census. This will help provide valuable information on angling activities for striped bass.

Quick Facts

• On March 9, Minister Shea launched the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic Salmon. The mandate of the Committee is to focus on conservation and enforcement measures, predation, strategy to address international, unsustainable fishing, and focused areas for advancing science.
• The Committee has so far held meetings in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and will produce a report at the end of the consultation period. However, considering the urgent need to make management decisions for the 2015 angling season, the Minister asked the Chair to produce an interim recommendations.

Management measures for the 2015 and the 2016 recreational striped bass fishery are as follows:

Fishing season

• The recreational striped bass fishery will take place from May 1 to October 31, 2015.
• Striped bass can be caught and released throughout the fishing season.
• From May 11 to 31, from August 1 to 23, from September 24 to 30, and from October 24 to 31, 2015, anglers will be able to retain a maximum of one striped bass per day and prohibited from possessing more than one striped bass at any given time.

Gear restrictions

• For both the retention and the catch and release fisheries, it is mandatory to use a single non-offset barbless circle hook (when using bait) throughout the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• This type of hook decreases the chances of mortality when a fish is returned to the water, especially important during catch and release periods.
• As described in the conservation harvest plan, additional gear restrictions apply in the tidal waters of the Miramichi River.

Striped bass diet study

• In addition, results of the three-year striped bass diet and tagging study will be completed in 2016. This work is expected to provide a clearer picture of the interactions between striped bass and salmon.
• Since the start of this study, sampling has been extended from beyond the Miramichi River system. This year, sampling covers different river systems and coastal areas from the southern entire Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Illegal activity

• Enforcement activities will be carried out to reduce illegal activities. The public is encouraged to help protect this and other species by reporting any illegal activity by calling toll-free1-800-222-8477, or by contacting the nearest Fisheries and Oceans Canada office found in the blue pages of their phone book.

Quotes
“Our Government understands that recreational fisheries are at the core of Atlantic Canada’s economy and culture. We are pleased to increase significantly the retention and the catch and release fishery for the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence striped bass. We have heard the concerns expressed by stakeholders and remain committed to finding the right balance between increased fishing opportunities, ensuring the sustainability of this species as well as balanced ecosystems.”
The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans

To help anglers get into the angling mode, the Miramichi Valley High School Fly Tying Club will host their Sportsman show this Saturday at the MVHS Cafeteria.  Information about the event is as follows:

The 2015 Miramichi Fly Fishing & Sportsman Show will be on Sarurday, April 11th at Miramichi Valley High School (345 McKenna Ave.).  Key features to the show include:  door prizes (TFO rod top prize), raffle draws (Ducks Unlimited Print, TFO Rod/Reel, MSA Print, Fly Boxes with Flies), silent auction (lots of great items), on site displays (boats/motors/atvs/utvs/mini car racing), canteens run by MVHS groups (BBQ outside main entrance and store between gym offices), local youth fly fishing clubs, MVHS class projects, community fly tiers corner, casting in the gym, archery in the mezzanine and antler scoring in the gym.  It is the first time in Miramichi where the public can bring in their antlers/mounts to get scored and possibly be an official record (be a part of the 5th edition of the NB Big Game Club book).  We are building a huge rack to display all of the submissions to compliment the mounts already on display (#2 moose record and a deer over 100 years old will be part of the show).

All exhibits will be showcased in the cafeteria area along with our silent auction and raffle ticket tables.  We will also have boats/motors/mini racing car on display in the school and some atvs/utvs outside the main entrance.  The cafeteria will have a fly tying corner for both the youth fly fishing clubs as well as community members.  The NB Big Game Club display and booth will be in the gym.  We will also have fly casting aisles in the gym and archery lanes in the mezzanine for everyone to try.  Those who come to the show will be able to travel through the school to access both the cafeteria and gym/mezzanine areas with an admission cost of $5 (kids under 15 and student workshop participants are free).  Entrance for the show will be through the main entrance as well as the entrance with parking in front of the school.

Ashley Hallihan
Miramichi Valley High School

Need for Greater Transparency in Salmon Aquaculture
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ASF has called for greater transparency in the aquaculture industry on the reporting of escapes and instances of outbreaks of ISA. For more details on the issue:
http://asf.ca/nb-salmon-farm-in-quarantine-after-virus-detected.html

Next week I’ll update the ice conditions

Tight Lines

Doug