The annual river watch season officially begins in New Brunswick this week, but some say it's already a season to remember.
That's because a lot of the heavy ice has already disappeared from many of the province's rivers after a mild winter that featured a lot more rain than usual.
River ice is a scarce commodity in southern New Brunswick. There are vast stretches of open water, or in other locations thin sheets of melting ice.
But it's not always clear sailing. As the break up accelerates, river ferries are plowing through chunks of drifting ice trying to remain in service as much as possible.
Fishermen in Renforth, N.B., say they’ve noticed the ice fishing season getting shorter every year.
"We've been fishing down here for the past 15 years and for the last five years, it seems to be a lot shorter," says ice fisherman Jim LeBlanc. “Right now, all the shacks should be off the ice.”
Authorities in Fredericton have been warning residents to stay off the ice for weeks, saying the winter's mild temperatures did not produce a solid-enough layer to support foot traffic.
Ice fisherman Andrew Han is a newcomer to Canada, who says winter has not lived up to its reputation.
"I think it's not a typical Canadian winter as we expected, or as we imagined"
His friends say erratic temperatures don't make for good ice.
"These days, the temperature is already up to zero. You know, plus one, plus five," says ice fisherman Hao Yu.
The New Brunswick government has ordered fishing shacks off all rivers by March 10 rather than the usual March 15..
"It's definitely time. They made a right call there. That's why we took ours off last week," says Leblanc.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mike Cameron.
