Bay of Fundy sees record number of Atlantic salmon for first time in three decades
It’s a wild comeback story that could spawn similar success throughout Fundy National Park.
A hundred endangered wild Atlantic salmon swam upstream in the parks' rivers this year, the most since 1989.
Kurt Samways, the University of New Brunswick Parks Canada research chair, says it's exciting to see all the hard work that's gone into the Fundy Salmon Recovery Project pay off.
"We are seeing record numbers of adults returning to the rivers in Fundy National Park and it's been a long time coming. We've been working on this project now for over five years and really this has been the culmination of a really large collaborative project," said Samways.
"So we're really excited that we're seeing so many positive results."
It targets juvenile wild salmon, known as smolts.
"Our program collects outward migrating smolts in the spring. We raise them to maturity at the world's first marine conservation farm on the island of Grand Manan,” Samways said.
It gives the salmon a head start, but no guarantee of making it home.
John Bagnall of the New Brunswick Salmon Council says there's hope the salmon stocks will continue to rebound and return.
"They survived obviously one or two years in the Bay of Fundy over winter," said Bagnall. "So it's encouraging."
"You can't say much about one year, you've got to have a trend, but it's certainly not negative … maybe we've hit rock bottom and we've started on the way back up," Bagnall said.
Samways says the success was no small feat, it was a collaboration across the province.
"It's only because we are able to work together that we're able to move the mountains that it takes to make such a project successful," Samways said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Toronto police seek suspect vehicle after security guard shot outside Drake's mansion
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
These snakes not only fake their own deaths, they use gory special effects to do it
Awards season may be over for human actors this year, but there’s no rest for some of nature’s most audacious thespians.