RED BANK, NB -A Miramichi outfitter says this spring’s late ice jams have been hurting business during this salmon fishing season.
“Winter’s here and it won’t go away,” said Debbie Norton, co-owner of Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures.
Norton’s business is located along the Little Southwest Miramichi River. Along the riverbank, ice chunks the size of large cars have washed up along the shoreline. It’s keeping clients from fishing along the river.
The problem has left staff no choice but to transport their customers to more open water. Norton says the icy problem has forced clients to reschedule their visits or cancel their reservations.
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“I have to tell my clients the ice is in the river,” she said. “The fishing is not what it normally is.”
Although the fishing isn’t the best this year, visitors say they are making the best of it.
“We’ve been fishing and managed to fish four days which is great,” said Bill Nelson, who’s visiting from England.
Dennis Daniels says he’s been working around the ice when he’s in his fishing boat.
“You just got to watch out for the ice flows coming down the river that your anchor rope doesn’t get tangled up in them,” he said.
But troubles can be more serious below the surface.
The president of the Miramichi Salmon Association, Mark Hambrook, says ice can disturb salmon eggs along the river bottom.
“If the ice runs and it jams and it scours the bottom it can dig up those eggs and it could be lost,” he said.
But he said the scouring ice can flush out areas and create new salmon pools.
“There’s always been ice jams on the river,” he said. “It’s localized and it does have an impact and sometimes that impact can be a long-term benefit.”
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