Research Document 2018/008
Status of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.) stocks within the Newfoundland and Labrador Region (Salmon Fishing Areas 1-14B), 2016
By Veinott, G.I., Robertson, M.J., Bradbury, I., Dempson, J.B., Grant, C., Kelly, N., Whalen, J., and Poole, R.
Abstract
In 2016, Atlantic Salmon populations were monitored on 17 rivers in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL; Salmon Fishing Areas [SFAs] 1–14B). Seven of 14 (50%) monitored rivers recorded declines in total returns of greater than 30% compared to their recent five-year mean. Declines of this magnitude over a wide geographic range are highly unusual for the NL Region warranting caution in managing stocks in 2017. Conservation egg requirements were achieved on one (25%) of the four assessed rivers in Labrador and seven (54%) of the 13 assessed rivers in Newfoundland. Labrador Aboriginal and subsistence fisheries harvest was inferred from log book returns (70% return rate) at 13,236 salmon (39.6 t) in 2016, which was 7% less, by number, than the previous six-year mean of 14,264 salmon (38.3 t). Estimates of retained salmon in the recreational fishery in 2016 (30,056 or 53 t) and total catch (66,407 salmon) were 14% and 21% greater by number, respectively than the previous five-year mean. In general, annual returns of salmon are highly variable and populations on the south coast continue to decline. Marine smolt survival is considered to be a major factor limiting the abundance of Atlantic Salmon within the region.
Accessibility Notice
This document is available in PDF format. If the document is not accessible to you, please contact the Secretariat to obtain another appropriate format, such as regular print, large print, Braille or audio version.
- Date modified: