St. Mary's River revival as Atlantic salmon river still in jeopardy even after decades of hard work
When you see environmental stories on the news, most often it's bad news – biodiversity and habitat loss, pollution and species at risk.
But concerted conservation efforts can make a difference and decades of stewardship is paying dividends for the wild Atlantic salmon returning to eastern Nova Scotia's St. Mary's River and it may soon pay off for anglers too.
"People on this river will tell you 'should we be reopening a catch and release fishery on this river?'" Tom Cheney said.
Decades of stewardship is paying off for the volunteers of the St. Mary's River Association (SMRA), like president Scott Beaver and director Deirdre Green.
"Our group has been doing a lot of hard work for 42 years now," Beaver said.
Green started angling in 2015, which gave her a new appreciation of Nova Scotia's wild places.
"I think it's important to work to restore our rivers because we want them to be healthy and productive and beautiful aesthetically for future generations to enjoy," Green said. "And it's mind-boggling to me stepping out of HRM and coming to an area like the St. Mary's River how you are transported a beautiful pristine natural paradise."
A new video released along with the Atlantic Salmon Federation documents how concerted efforts can help assist the species, which has disappeared altogether from so many maritime rivers.
The St. Mary's River is about 250 kilometres and long flows through five counties -- Guysborough, Antigonish, Colchester, Pictou and Halifax Counties.
Improving habitat has been a major focus.
"That's rock structures, holding these spots for Atlantic salmon, spots of refuge," Beaver said. "That's 23 km or river work. More work to do, but we're very happy with where we're at and what we've accomplished."
But pressures remain on the wild Atlantic salmon, like over-logging, a proposed gold mine, and acid rain.
"We just started liming last year," Beaver said. "Over 200 acres with about 850 tonnes of lime to bring down that acid problem that we're having."
The SMRA hopes continued improvements will make it possible to open up a catch and release fishery much like the one that exists on Cape Breton's Margaree River.
"Perhaps we can open up a recreational model for the future," Beaver said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.