Research Document - 1999/025

Assessments of Atlantic Salmon Stocks of the Maritimes Region, 1998.

By T.L. Marshall, G.J. Chaput, P.G. Amiro, D.K. Cairns, R.A. Jones, S.F. O'Neil, and J. Ritter

Abstract

This document provides assessments of the Atlantic salmon stocks in more than 40 rivers within the Maritime Provinces. The status of the resource is determined from the annual returns and spawning escapements relative to the conservation requirements, the abundance of juveniles and smolts, corresponding trends in the juvenile stages from measures of sea survival, and the extent of habitat constraints on production. For most of these rivers the probabilities of meeting/exceeding conservation requirements in 1999 and of egg losses for some previously considered management scenarios are also provided. In the absence of river-specific salmon escapement information and where quantitative electrofishing for juvenile salmon has been conducted, the status of stocks were assessed relative to an "normal index of abundance" for Maritime streams.

Many of the stocks of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, especially the Miramichi and Restigouche have declined in recent years, but juvenile abundance is at medium to high levels and most of the rivers are near or above conservation. The rivers along the Northumberland Strait shore of New Brunswick are presently at low abundance but those in Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton generally exceeded conservation requirements. The majority of returns to PEI rivers are of hatchery origin. Assessments indicate that stocks of the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia and outer Bay of Fundy have declined to low levels with reduced recovery potential. Stocks in rivers of the inner Bay of Fundy are all critically low and require immediate action to prevent their extirpation.

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