MSA/ASF Kelt Tracking
15th May 2008
Dear Friends of the MSA:
Just a quick update on our kelt tracking program. Before any transmitters could be placed in salmon kelts this spring, all the receivers needed to be placed in the Northwest Miramichi, Southwest Miramichi, Miramichi River and Miramichi Bay. Due to ice conditions, all the receivers were not placed until May 6 and angling began on May 7 in Red Bank on the NW Miramichi. A total of 53 transmitters were available to be installed this year, 33 from the MSA and 20 more from ASF, with about half to go on fish from the Northwest and the other half to the Southwest. The plan was that MSA would coordinate the angling of kelts and the ASF surgery team of Steve Tinker and Keelan Jacobs would install the transmitters. Keelan Jacobs is also the MSA Jack Fenety Scholarship recipient and is the project leader, as part of his Masters program at McGill. The first day 13 transmitters were installed at Red Bank, with help from MSA Director Axel Lerche who caught 9 and from the guests and guides of Upper Oxbow Adventures who provided most of the remaining fish. On May 8 we went to Quarryville, but only successfully caught 2 fish. There were a number of boats fishing, but they were scattered and fishing was poor, so few fish were captured. On May 9 we went back to Red Bank and caught 12 more, with the majority of the fish caught by MSA Conservation Corps employees Andrew Haddad and Matt Ward from Red Bank. On Saturday, May 10 we went back to Quarryville but no fish were captured. A cold east wind blew up the river and there were many fishermen that showed up to fish, but most didn’t stay long - no fish and too cold. We went back to Quarryville on May 13 and were able to get 8 more transmitters installed, again help from MSA Conservation Corps employee Grant Patles and DFO Biologist Scott Douglas.
Seeing that getting half the transmitters on at Quarryville was going to take too much time, we went back to Red Bank today, May 14 and caught the remaining 18 fish for the study. Thanks goes out to Manley Price and Vince Swazey who joined us and caught fish, Matt Ward who caught the majority of fish, guide Brett Silliker and his guest from Upper Oxbow that kept me transporting fish for most of the morning and even I caught a salmon and a grilse, when not consumed by being the water taxi for the fish.
Tomorrow is the last day of the spring salmon season, but there are still plenty of fish in the river and angling is still quite good, when the weather cooperates.
On another note, the MSA smolt wheels have been installed, but few smolts are moving yet and the Millerton trap net will be fishing by Friday. We are over one week behind of last year in regards to fish movements.
Take care,
Mark Hambrook
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- First Bright Salmon - May 30th, 2008
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