Canadian Manuscript Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 1695
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DFO Library MPO B bliotheque III 11 !! 1111 II Adult Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Investigations, Restigouche River System, New Brunswick, 1972-80 r) • 15 Fi J. L. Peppar I. Freshwater and Anadromous Division Fisheries Research Branch Department of Fisheries and Oceans Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 2S7 March , 1983 Canadian Manuscript Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No.1695 ski r7,555 'Dr/ Government of Canada Gouvernement du Canada Fisheries and Oceans Pêches et Océans Canadian Manuscript Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences These reports contain scientific and technical information that represents an important contribution to existing knowledge but which for some reason may not be appropriate for primary scientific (i.e. Journal) publication. 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La page couverture porte le nom de l'établissement auteur où l'on peut se procurer les rapports sous couverture cartonnée. Canadian Manuscript Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 1695 er. March, 1983 ADULT ATLANTIC SALMON (SALMO SALAR) INVESTIGATIONS RESTIGOUCHE RIVER SYSTEM, NEW BRUNSWICK, 1972-80 J.L. Peppar Freshwater and Anadromous Division Fisheries Research Branch Department of Fisheries and Oceans Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2S7 4 @ Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1983 Cat. No. Fs 97-4/1695 ISSN 0706-6473 iii CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ABSTRACT/RÉSUMÉ vii INTRODUCTION 1 METHODS 1 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 2 Wâter Temperatures Recorded at Trap 2 Relative Size, Timing and Composition of the Adult Salmon Run 2 Large Salmon Run 2 Grilse Run 2 Total Run 2 Biological Data From Salmon Sampled 3 Adult Salmon Tagging and Recapture 3 Large Salmon Data 3 Distant-Water Recaptures 3 Home-Water Recaptures 4 Grilse Data 4 Distant-Water Recaptures 4 Home-Water Recaptures 5 SUMMARY 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • . 6 REFERENCES 4 • 6 APPENDIX À - HOME-WATER RECAPTURES OF LARGE SALMON TAGGED AND RELEASED IN THE RESTIGOUCHE RIVER SYSTEM 19 APPENDIX B - DISTANT-WATER RECAPTURES OF LARGE SALMON TAGGED AND RELEASED IN THE RESTIGOUCHE RIVER SYSTEM 25 APPENDIk C - HOME-WATER RECAPTURES OF GRILSE TAGGED AND RELEASED IN THE RESTIGOUCHE RIVER SYSTEM • • • 27 APPENDIX D - DISTANT-WATER RECAPTURES OF GRILSE TAGGED AND RELEASED IN THE RESTIGOUCHE RIVER SYSTEM • • 29 APPENDIX E - STATISTICAL DIVISIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC FISHERIES (ICNAF) 31 APPENDIX F - NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERIES STATISTICAL • DISTRICTS 33 k LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. Mean maximum water temperatures recorded at the Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1972-80 TABLE 2. Mean minimum water temperatures recorded at the Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1972-80 7 TABLE 3. Large-salmon catch statistics, Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1972-80 8 TABLE 4. Catches per fishing day of large salmon, Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1972-80 8 TABLE 5. Percentages of total season catches of large salmon taken during successive semi-monthly periods at Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1972-80 9 TABLE 6. Grilse catch statistics, Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1973-80 9 TABLE 7. Catches per fishing day of grilse, Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1973-80. 10 TABLE 8. Percentages of total season catches of grilse taken during successive semi-monthly periods at Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1973-80 10 TABLE 9. Average lengths and weights and sex composition, determined on a semi-monthly basis for large salmon sampled (accidental mortalities only, 1972 & 1977-80) at Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, during the period 1972-80 11 TABLE 10. Average lengths and weights and sex composition, determined on a semi-monthly basis for grilse sampled (accidental mortalities only, 1974-80) at Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, during the period 1973-80 12 TABLE 11. Scale-data analysis, average fork lengths by sex, for each sea-age group, for samples collected 1972-80, Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick 13 vi TABLE 12. Scale-data analysis, average weights by sex, for each sea-age group, for samples collected 1972-80, Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick 14 TABLE 13. Restigouche River adult salmon tagging at Dalhousie, 1972-77, and recaptures to January, 1981 15 TABLE 14. Recaptures from Restigouche large salmon (2- and 3-sea-winter fish) tagging, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1972-77; tag returns to January, 1981, by year of recapture 15 TABLE 15. Recaptures from Restigouche River large salmon (2- and 3-sea-winter fish) tagging, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1972-77; tag return to January, 1981, by method and year of recapture 16 TABLE 16. Sport-fishing recoveries of large salmon tagged 1972-77 at the Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick; tag returns to January, 1981 17 TABLE 17. Recaptures from Restigouche grilse (1-sea- winter fish) tagging, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1973-77; tag returns to January, 1981, by year of recapture 17 TABLE 18. Recaptures from Restigouche River grilse (1-sea-winter fish) tagging, Dalhousie, New Brunswick, 1973-77; tag returns to January, 1981, by method and year of recapture 18 TABLE 19. Sport-fishing recoveries of grilse tagged 1973-77 at the Restigouche sampling trap, Dalhousie, New Brunswick; tag returns to January, 1981 18 vii ABSTRACT Peppar, J.L. 1983. Adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) investigations, Restigouche River system, New Brunswick, 1972-80. Can. MS Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. No. 1695. viii + 33 p. Trapping and tagging of ascending adult Atlantic salmon was conducted near the head of the Restigouche River estuary (near Dalhousie, New Brunswick) each year over the period 1972-80. As part of a program of salmon investigations to collect stock-assessment data over the period of the Restigouche commercial salmon-fishing closure, this study provided a basic index of run timing, relative run size and run composition; and assessed, through tagging, the migration routes and sites of potential exploitation by home- and distant-water fisheries. The investigation also enabled the gathering