Salmon group blames climate change for fishing closures on parts of Cape Breton river

UPDATE, Aug. 1, 2023: DFO issued a notice that the closed sections of the Margaree River would reopen for angling all species on Wednesday morning, Aug. 2, following improvements in water temperature and cooler weather.

From earlier story published on July 28, 2023:

People can still fish in parts of a Cape Breton river famous for its Atlantic salmon, but other sections are temporarily closed due to warm waters and a local non-profit group says climate change is to blame.

Until recently, the Margaree River's cool waters were ideal for trout and salmon, but within the last five years, parts of the river have been closed to angling during the summer, said Paul MacNeil, president of the Margaree Salmon Association.

"Climate change, the way it's going right now, we are starting to see this happening more and more often," he said. "Prior to 2018, very few closures. Since 2018, we've had three closures on the river and this is the earliest we've ever closed the river, this year, by one week."

The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans monitors the river water and consulted local community groups, including the Margaree association, before closing two sections of the river on July 19.

The sections are defined in a DFO variation order, but one is generally the stretch of the Southwest Margaree River between Lake Ainslie and the community of Margaree Forks. The other roughly includes Northeast Margaree River waters around Margaree Forks downstream to the Gallant River.

After the first closure in 2018, DFO developed a protocol along with stakeholders to have an objective way of determining when closures should occur.

Salmon association supports closures

MacNeil said his group supports closing parts of the river when the water gets to be 20 C, because warm water stresses trout and salmon and it could be fatal if they are fished.

"The issue really is the recovery after being hooked," he said.

"If it gets too hot, and we've seen this in Newfoundland, the fish actually do die, but they're more likely to die if they've been hooked and played and then exhausted and they can't recover."

No one from DFO was available for comment this week.

MacNeil said the department will host a call next Tuesday with the Margaree Salmon Association, the Nova Scotia Salmon Association, the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources to decide whether to continue the closure.

The Margaree association also posts the decisions on its website.

Heavy rains on the weekend after the latest closure did cool down the water, but MacNeil said the air temperature remained hot and it was decided not to reopen the river in case it would have to close down again.

Climate change a worry

Last year, a section of the river was closed from the end of July to the first week of September, he said.

If the water temperature exceeds 23 C, the entire river would be shut down to angling and with climate change, that's a possibility that has MacNeil worried.

"We haven't hit that point in the past, but who's to say that won't happen now, this year?"

The Margaree has long been a destination for salmon anglers, especially in the fall, and closing parts of the river could have an impact on tourism and local businesses. But MacNeil said it's important to protect the fish for the future.

"It's all about the salmon for us," he said.

Large portions of the Northeast Margaree remain open to fishing through the summer months and the water is always cool throughout the river system in the fall. But partial closures in August — and now parts of July — are becoming common, MacNeil said.

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