Anglers must return Atlantic salmon this year

MONCTON, N.B. – Recreational fishermen in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia will only be allowed to fish for Atlantic salmon on a catch-and-release basis this year.

Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea said the restriction is needed to help conserve stocks and it was among a number of measures recommended by a ministerial advisory committee on the species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence region.

She says the measures have the backing of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the New Brunswick Salmon Council, the Nova Scotia Salmon Association and the Miramichi Salmon Association.

The restriction on keeping Atlantic salmon has already been in place in Prince Edward Island and on some parts of the Miramichi river system.

Shea says anglers will also be required to use artificial flies with a single barbless hook during the salmon season.

The federal government says annual salmon counts have reached some of the lowest numbers on record after similarly low counts in 2012 and 2013.

The number of Atlantic salmon has declined by 69 per cent over the past 42 years, down to about 600,000 fish, the government says.

“Our government is committed to protect Atlantic salmon as this resource is of critical economic, historic and cultural importance to Atlantic Canada,” Shea said in a statement on Tuesday.

The steps being taken to conserve Atlantic Salmon “will allow anglers to practise their sport while enabling an increased number of salmon to reach spawning grounds,” she said.