Archive for month: August, 2015

The good news is more salmon have been recorded so far this year in comparison to last.

“We can’t say it’s a good year,” said David LeBlanc, the Executive Director of the Restigouche River Watershed Management Council (RRWMC). “Last year was a really poor year. It was one of the worst in many many years.”

However, there is still some encouraging data.

“The good news is we seem to have a good grilse run,” LeBlanc said. “The best since 2011.”

Grilse are typically 98 per cent male. They are young fish that have spent one winter at sea. A good grilse run could be an indication of a good smolt run the previous year. If so, it could mean there will be a good salmon run the following year, when the predominantly female fish start returning after two winters in the ocean.

These numbers are based on two estimating methods.

“Counting Barriers” on the Causapscal River and the Northwest Upsalquitch River block fish that are moving upstream. They’re then counted before the barriers are opened and the fish are allowed to continue on. These are operated by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans with the help of the RRWMC.

Visual counts in pools with canoes and snorkels are also conducted in the middle of the season on the Matapedia River by the The Corporation de Gestion des Rivières Matapédia et Patapédia (CGRMP). Another snorkelling count will be done in all the tributaries in September, and another in October.

LeBlanc said the results of these counts are only considered minimum numbers. It is not 100 per cent accurate.

“But at least it gives us numbers to compare year after year,” he said.

A smolt wheel is also operated to get a rough count of the young fish leaving the river systems for the first time.

“The result of the spring of 2015 were much higher than previous years,” said LeBlanc. “That’s positive.”

Reports from fishing camps also help provide a better picture of the salmon populations.

Overall, the rough estimate is that the population seems to be about 30 per cent better than last year.

“One of the fishermen did say that they did notice some pretty decent returns this year,” said Kirt Dedam, the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy Coordinator with Listuguj Fisheries. 

Dedam said the Fisheries is just in the early stages of getting organized around the salmon file. Right now, the focus is solely on talking with the community, to determine what – if anything – it would like to do with the fish.

An end of season salmon harvesters meeting was held on August 13.

“That was  a first,” Dedam said.

In September a post salmon season discussion will be held. At the end of that month a consumption study workshop will be held. This will be a vital step to help determine how a consumption study will be conducted.

“It’s going to be a very important study for us,” Dedam said. “It’s going to help us talk about sustainability, and those types of things.”

The results of this study is entirely for Listuguj-use only.

“The raw data that comes from this is internally for us,” Dedam said. “We’re not doing it because government wants a number, or to put numbers on things. We’re doing it for the community.”

It is all to be able to talk accurately about the salmon, and understand the community’s wishes when addressing it. That’s why it’s so important to get involvement.

“I can have all the ideas, but I work in the best interest of the community always,” Dedam said. “That’s why we have to have these community meetings, to find out what people want to do.”

There will also be community salmon summit in October, and a management salmon summit in November.

A lawsuit filed by the Mig’mawei Mawiomi Secretariat (MMS) is simple – the crown did not consult First Nation’s people before developing on their land.

Executive Director of the MMS, Troy Jerome, refers often to several legal precedents when explaining the grounds for the lawsuit. The key is a ruling that the crown must consult First Nation people when developing on their land.

“Chaleur Terminals” in Belledune is moving forward, and the Mi’gmaq have not been consulted.

The company did hold an information session.

“The crown cannot delegate its duty to consult,” Jerome said. “How does Chaleur Terminal, or any of its parent companies know how to deal with an aboriginal right?”

Another source of contention is the New Brunswick Government’s insistence that the matter is for the federal government, according to Jerome.

“They should of engaged with the feds and made sure the feds engaged with us before they issued any permits. You cannot just say, ‘we’re issuing permits, you go talk to the feds,’” Jerome said. “You’re the crown … It’s the crown that has a legal obligation. It’s the crown that has a fiduciary duty.”

“It’s the province in this case, which represents the crown, that removed us from our land, put us on these reserves, and it has the fiduciary [duty].”

Jerome said there is a misconception that Mi’gmaq people oppose all projects.

“[We’re] looking for where they can be involved in. Where we can benefit, but at the same time, not ruin our way of life.”

There are concerns over the actual project – 110-car trains moving along the Restigouche River twice a day, carrying product from the Alberta tar sands, to be stored and exported. Jerome – and many others – would like to know the various impacts such a project could have on the area.

Jerome said he has not been given any such information. He does, however, have a document

But that is not the basis of the lawsuit.

“It is based directly on the authorization the provincial government gave to build that terminal.”

The court date is set for January 18th.

“We are going into a project management kind of scenario with our lawyers.,” Jerome said. “We’re not going to wait until December to prepare ourselves. We’ll be ready way early.”

He said an important aspect to the preparations will be the principle of Etuaptmum – two eye seeing. Using the strengths of multiple perspectives when understanding or explaining anything.

“From the aboriginal perspective – we know what it is,” said Jerome. “But we need to show western science to a western judge so that he can look at it and say, ‘ok, what they’re saying is backed up by science.'” 

Experts in multiple fields are being lined up.

As of July 30th Jerome had not received a response from any of the parities

Bonnie Doyle Creber, a Communications Director with the NB Government said it would not be commenting on the matter while it is before the courts.

Michelle Perron,  a Media Relations representative with  the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, decline to comment and stated the federal government was not named in the litigation. She also provided this link about the government’s duty to consult.