Grilse Returning to Bartholomew River Monitoring Facilities, 1961-83
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1983 RESEARCH ON ANADROMOUS FISHES, GULF REGION E.M.P. Chadwick, D.R. Alexander, R.W. Gray, T.G. Lutzac, J.L. Peppar and R.G. Randall Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans Gulf Region Research Branch Freshwater & Anadromous Division P.O. Box 5030, Moncton, N.B. E1C 9B6 DECEMBER 1985 Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No.1420 Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Technical reports contain scientific and technical information that contributes to existing knowledge but which is not normally appropriate for primary literature. Technical reports are directed primarily toward a worldwide audience and have an international distribution. No restriction is placed on subject matter and the series reOects the broad interests and policies of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, namely, fisheries an~ aquatic sciences. Technical reports may be cited as full publications. The correct citation appears above the abstract of each report. 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Les numeros I a 456 de cette serie ont ete publies a titre de rapports techniques de I'Office des recherches sur les pecheries du Canada. Les numeros 457 a 714 sont parus a titre de rapports techniques de la Direction generate de la recherche et du developpe ment, Service des peches et de la mer, ministere de l'Environnement. Les numeros 71 5 a 924 ont ete publies it titre de rapports techniques du Service des peches et de la mer, ministere des Peches et de I'Environnement. Le nom actuel de la serie a ete etabli lors de la parution du numero 925 . Les rapports techniques sont produits a I'echelon regional,. mais numerotes a I'echelon national. Les demandes de rapports seront satisfaites par I'etablissement auteur dont Ie nom figure sur la couverture et la page du titre. Les rapports epuises seront fournis contre retribution par des agents commerciaux. " Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 1420 December 1985 1983 RESEARCH ON ANADROMOUS FISHES, GULF REGION by E. M. P. Chadwick, D. R. Alexander, R. W. Gray, T. G. Lutzac, J. L. Peppar and R. G. Randall Canada Department of Fisheries & Oceans Gulf Region Research Branch Freshwater & Anadromous Division P.O. Box 5030, Moncton, NB E1C 9B6 This is the second Technical Report from Fisheries Research Branch, Gulf Region, Moncton, New Brunswick ii (c) Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1985 Cat. no. FS 97-6/1420E ISSN 0706-6457 Correct citation for this publication is: Chadwick, E. M. P., D. R. Alexander, R. W. Gray, T. G. Lutzac, J. L. Peppar and R. G. Randall. 1985. 1983 Research on anadromous fishes, Gulf Region. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. No. 1420: xi + 69 p. iii CONTENTS List of Tables v List of Figures x Abstract/Resume xi 1 • Introduction 2. Bartholomew River . .................................. ~ ......... 2.1 Background •..•....... 1 2.2 Downstream migrations 1 2.3 Upstream migrations 1 2.4 Densities of juvenile s~lmon 1 2.5 Stocking of juvenile salmon 2 3. Nepisigui t River .............................................. 2 3.1 Background ....••••. 2 3.2 Upstream migrations ......•• 2 3.3 Densities of juvenile salmon 2 3.4 Biological sampling of fisheries 2 4. Miramichi River 3 4.1 Background ......................... 3 4.2 Upstream migrations •••••••.•••••.••• 3 4.3 Densities of juvenile salmon 4 4.4 Biological sampling of fisheries 4 5. Restigouche River 4 5.1 Background ••.•..•..•..••.••• 4 5.2 Densities of juvenile salmon 4 5.3 Biological sampling of fisheries 5 6. Margaree River 5 6.1 Upstream migration of gaspereau 5 6.2 Stocking of juvenile salmon 5 iv 7. South River and Northumberland Strait Rivers .......•........... 5 7.1 Upstream and downstream migrations .....................•.• 5 7.2 Habitat improvement ....•.......•.............•.......•.... 6 7.3 Biological sampling of gaspereau fisheries ...........•.... 7 7.4 Biological sampling of salmon fisheries •......•.••..•.•..• 7 8. Morell River and Prince Edward Island..... .................... 8 8.1 Upstream migrations •.•.•••••.••....••......••.•.•.•....... 8 8.2 Stocking of juvenile salmon ......•.........•.............. 8 8.3 --Semi-natural rearing - Profitt's Pond ...•..•.....•••....•• 8 8.4 Habi tat improvement •...•••.•................•.• ~ . • . • • . 8 9. Western Arm Brook 9 9.1 Upstream and downstream migrations........................ 9 9.2 Biological sampling of fisheries.......................... 9 9.3 Downstream movement of salmon parr •...•••..•••..•••••••••• 10 10. Torrent River .................................................. 10 10.1 Upstream migrations ...•.•.•..•...•..•...••..•••...•....•.. 10 11. LomondRiver ................................................... 10 11.1 Upstream migrations •.•......•.....•......•.••.•..•.•...••• 10 12. References •....••...........................................•.. 11 v LI ST OF TABLES • Table 1. Estimated weekly counts of wild and marked hatchery releases comprising the Bartholomew River smolt run, 1983. Estimates before the first day of fishing (May 8) were based on daily run stren~th in the early stages of smolt migration for Northwest Millstream (Unpubl. data). ................................................ 12 Table 2. Age and sex composition for wild and marked hatchery releases comprising the Bartholomew River smolt run, 1983. ................................................... 12 Table 3. Weekly counts of wild and hatchery Atlantic salmon returning to Bartholomew River in 1983. 13 Table 4. Numbers of wild and hatchery salmon and grilse returning to Bartholomew River monitoring facilities, 1961-83. (Blackville fishway, river kilometer 0.5, 1961-75, Blackville fishway and Black's Hole, km 2.0 in 1976, Dunn Bar, km 3.6 in 1977 and Ross Place, km 3.7, 1977-83.) ............................................... 14 Table 5. Contribution of hatchery returns to early (before September), late (after August) and the total Bartholomew River salmon run, 1972-83. Numbers of hatchery fish are shown in brackets. ....••••.....•.•..•• 15 Table 6. Smolt age of wild adult Atlantic salmon at Bartholomew River counting facilities, 1972-83. •..••.••••••••.•.••.• 16 Table 7. The large salmon component of the run at Bartholomew River monitoring facilities, 1972-83. .••..•.••..•..•••.• 17 Table 8. Virgin and repeat spawner composition of Bartholomew River Atlantic salmon at counting fence facilities, river kilometer 3.7 in 1983. (Cons. = consecutive year spawner; Alt. = alternate year spawner. Example: Second Cons. is a salmon about to spawn for the second, consecuti ve year a fter first spawning as a two sea- winter virgin salmon.) .••...•.••••.•••..•••...••••.••••• 18 Table 9. Calculated · numbers of juvenile Atlantic salmon per 100 sq. meters as determined by electrofishing in the Bartholomew River system ....................•.•......... 19 Table 10. Calculated numbers of juvenile Atlantic salmon per 100 sq. meters as determined by electrofishing in the Bartholomew River system ••...•.•••••••••.•.•••...••••••• 20 vi Table 11. Calculated numbers of juvenile Atlantic salmon per 100 sq. meters as determined by electro fishing in the Bartholomew River system ••.....•..•.•..••.•••..•.••.•... 21 Table 12. Numbers of juvenile salmon released from regional hatcheries to the Bartholomew River, Northumberland County, New Brunswick, 1956-83 (A, B, C, D stocked at 0-2, 2-8, 8-14 and 14-20 weeks after absorption of yolk sac, respectively. All smolts were distributed as two-year-olds. 1Marked by removal of adipose fin. 2Marked by removal of adipose fin and use of modi fied carlin tag. 3Marked by removal of adipose fin and wire nose tagging). .......................................... 22 Table 13. Weekly counts of wild and hatchery Atlantic salmon returning to Nepisiguit River in 1983. 23 Table