Salmonid Association of Eastern Newfoundland Inc.

Stewardship

Another Successful Year for Stewardship

As the closing of the year rapidly approached, SAEN would like to congratulate the efforts put forth by both the Renews River Conservation Association (RRCA) and the Witless Bay and Area Conservation Group (WBACG).

RRCA

The RRCA brown trout study has completed its first year of studies. Many angler were interviewed and specimens collected which we hope will help the river and DFO with their studies. Over the next few months, the RRCA will be working on some other of its objectives and preparing for year 2 of the DFO brown trout study.

The RRCA has also been awarded the Guenter Behr award from SAEN for their ongoing dedication and commitment for the conservation of sea trout and brown trout.

WBACG

The WBACG have already had several meetings and are creating much needed attention within the area in regards to the Lower Pond. The group plans to meet with various levels of enforcements, local businesses and organizations and hopefully address the issues that have and continue to be raised. The group currently has an active webpage, www.thelowerpond.com so please feel free to have a look and comment.

Locals Working Together to Protect Valuable Trout Stocks

The Lower Pond in Witless Bay Newfoundland, has been home to some of the biggest sea-run brown trout caught in Canada over the past 50 years. Since the 60’s there has been trophy fish landed upwards 26 pounds.

In the recent years, the stocks appear to be declining and for those, who fish this pond and neighboring rivers, would like to know why and how it can be reversed.

On October 11, 2007, 12 individuals from the Southern Shore and St. Johns, met with members of the Salmonid Association of Eastern Newfoundland (SAEN) to discuss the potential of protecting trout stocks in the Lower Pond of Witless Bay and other rivers.

The group came together to form an executive, listed some potential goals and developed a mission statement which they hope to adopt. The mission of the Witless Bay & Area Conservation Group is to protect, preserve and enhance the trout and salmon stocks for ourselves and for future generations through promotion of education, scientific study and public awareness.

The Witless Bay & Area Conservation Group (WBACG) plans to work on their mandates over the course of the winter for the upcoming season. The group and all interested individuals are invited to attend the next meeting November 6th, 2007 at the Witless Bay Recreation Building at 7 PM. If you would like to learn more, please visit our website Lower Pond Witless Bay

SAEN’s Summer Stewardship Initiatives

Renews River Conservation Association (RRCA)

The RRCA has been awarded a contract by DFO to conduct studies on brown trout in the Renews River for a 5 year duration. The first task of the group was to hire a person whose job was to collect information on the recreational fishing activities in Renews River and in the estuary; water quality data from Renews River; and information on the occurrence and abundance of fish eating predators in the mouth of the river and Renews Bay

DFO recently spent a day electrofishing in the lower reaches of the river with limited success. Conditions were not ideal so it was difficult to determine if the lack of success was due to the method employed or to a low density of fish in the lower part of the river. DFO plans to make additional attempts at electrofishing in the fall. Fyke nets has also been employed in an effort to capture more fish. Captured fish will be tagged and released. Tagged fish that are later re-captured will be used to monitor fish growth and track their movements.

DFO also plans to dedicate resources to measuring the physical and chemical properties in the river. A survey will be conducted to look at river width, depth, velocity, pH, oxygen content, salinity, bottom composition, etc. These data will be used to examine the abundance and quality of trout and salmon habitat, as well as to estimate the abundance of spawning habitat available in the river. Such information can be used to estimate the carrying capacity in terms of the trout and salmon population size that the river could support.Later in the fall DFO also plans to conduct a spawning survey to identify the location and number of trout and salmon redds (gravel egg nests) in the river.

Come By Chance

After several meetings this summer, the community of Come by Chance will have a new stewardship committee this fall. With recent developments and growing interest in the area, the need for a group is vital for the conservation of the river. SAEN in cooperation with local stakeholders will hold a meeting this September for all interested individuals to devise a plan on future directions of the group.

Witless Bay

SAEN has met with various individuals from Witless Bay and surrounding areas about the decline in the sea run browns within Witless Bay. The sea run browns that run into the pond in Witless Bay are know for their abundance and size, some are even considered Trophy Fish. Unfortunately this river is now targeted by increase illegal activity. SAEN met with concerned citizens and over the next few months, hope to bring this problem to the general public to help eliminate the problem.

SAEN’S Newest Initiative

SAEN is proud to announce that we will be expanding our stewardship efforts to the area of Come By Chance and neighboring watersheds. After speaking to various individuals there was great enthusiasm in the area to create such a group. The first public meeting was held June 13th, 2007 at the Come By Chance Lions Club where members of the community and SAEN participated. Currently, the community and SAEN are in process of organizing another public meeting in the upcoming weeks.

Renews River Conservation Association Continues To Grow!

SAEN’s first stewardship initiative has had tremendous success this past year. Since the last newsletter, the RRCA is proud to announce that the harbour has been dredged to allow greater water passage into and out of the harbour and estuary. This was a huge accomplishment!

The 2nd annual Salmon and Trout Day had a great turnout with local children and adults, DFO Fishery Officers, members of SAEN, and even a local pet, were able to partake in the events such as fly tying and casting.

The RRCA has also erected new signage in the community and along the river to inform the public about the salmon and trout species that inhabit the watershed. In addition, the first version of the newsletter has been distributed along the Southern Shore.

The greatest achievement thus far is the commitment by DFO to conduct scientific studies on brown trout and salmon in the Renews River over a six year period. Lead scientist Geoff Veinott, is excited about this project and hopes to have underway the second week of June. So if you are in the area, stop by and say hello!

The Renews River Conservation Association Grows Stronger Every Day

Misson Statement Erected in Renews

Left to Right: Willie Squires, President Donnie Devine, and Vice President Eugene Kane

SAEN would like to congratulate the Renews River Conservation Association (RRCA) for their strong commitment of stewardship for their local river. Over the past five months, this group has made leaps and bounds in their goal for the conservation and protection of Atlantic salmon and Sea Trout in the Renews River.

The first major public event was the Salmon and Trout Day in Renews where both young and old attended with full anticipation. There was fly-tying and casting demonstrations, rod building, and presentations for the youth, knot tying and a lot of discussion among the group.

On June 3, 2006, the Grade fours of Baltimore School said their good byes to the salmon fry that they had raised over the past semester. The children were bussed from Ferryland to Rennies River where the children released 83 fry to their new home. There was mixed emotions among the children as Brandan Coady expressed, "We feel like mothers and fathers and the salmon are our children!”

Besides the ongoing community involvement, the group’s membership has reached over 30 members and continues to grow. The group has had public meetings with the Federal Fisheries Minister, various Directors and Managers of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Parliament and local Members, Local Enforcement Officers, and various individuals and organizations of the community. It has become the consensus that enforcement has to be increased and scientific information must be obtained in order to protect the current stocks.

Currently the group has had their mission statement posted within the community and now employs two summer river monitors to help collect scientific data and create awareness among the visitors of the river.

As their mission statement states: “for future generations!” this group continues to move forward with its mandate over the next few years to have a sufficient independent stewardship group.

If you are interested about learning more about this stewardship group or would like to begin one in your area, please feel free to contact Suzanne at 709-722-9300.

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