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Trap Net Project in St. Andrews Promotes Sustainable Salmon Harvest

Trap Net Project in St. Andrews
The NunatuKavut Community Council of Labrador will pilot the harvest of wild Atlantic salmon by trap net to allow a better product for food, social and ceremonial purposes and to promote conservation through live release of large salmon.

Partners in this first-of-its kind project for NunatuKavut (formerly the Labrador Metis Nation) are the Salmonid Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Salmonid Association of Eastern Newfoundland Inc., and the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation. All partners are contributing to the costs of the project.

Chris Montague, President of NunatuKavut, said, "We are excited to work with our partners to develop more sustainable harvesting methods in Aboriginal fisheries. If the use of the trap net is proven effective, it will encourage our fishermen to use it more consistently in the future."

Donald Hustins, President of the Salmonid Council of Newfoundland and Labrador said, "This is a great opportunity to work with NunatuKavut on our common concern over the decreasing numbers of large salmon returning to rivers in Labrador. It would be great to be able to fulfill Aboriginal food fishery needs with smaller salmon, setting free the big salmon that carry large amounts of eggs to the spawning grounds."

The objectives of the pilot project are to reduce the harvest of the large salmon in coastal fisheries off Labrador, collect biological and genetic samples of fish, and improve management of the NunatuKavut fishery. The trap will be located in Black Tickle, a remote area in southeast Labrador.

Mr. Montague concluded, "We are also keen on having an opportunity to have more of our members trained in technical measurements and fish sampling. As more people are trained, a positive attitude will grow towards fishery science and the importance of basing conservation and management measures on scientific data."

Last year Fisheries and Oceans Canada monitored salmon returns to three scheduled Atlantic salmon rivers in Labrador, and none of these met their conservation limits. Labrador's large salmon that spend two years at sea declined 65% from 2009, according to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

"This trap net project is a positive step in partnering to obtain scientific data, conserve large salmon, and improve the quality of salmon that go to the Aboriginal community for food," commented Don Ivany, the Atlantic Salmon Federation's Director of Regional Programs for Newfoundland and Labrador.