2015 ANNUAL REPORT Atlantic Salmon Federation ASF (CANADA) BOARD OF DIRECTORS ASF (CANADA) OFFICERS RÉNÉ AUCOIN DONALD HUTCHENS ALEXANDER (SANDY) ERIC A. STEVENSON J.W. (BUD) BIRD JAMES D. IRVING JR. O. MILLER BILL TAYLOR JEAN BOUDREAULT TED JOHNSON KAREL NEMEC ERIC THOMPSON HON. MICHAEL A. MEIGHEN, Q.C., CHAIRMAN STEPHEN BRONFMAN BRYAN JONES DEBBIE NORTON JOHN THOMPSON JOHN THOMPSON, VICE CHAIRMAN MARGARET BROWN CHARLES A. LANGLOIS G. ERNEST NUTTER CHRISTOPHER VERBISKI CHRISTOPHER H. MARK LANIGAN BRYAN OSMAR ROBERT WALSH CHARLES LANGLOIS, VICE CHAIRMAN BUCKLEY JR. JAMES LAWLEY BRIAN PORTER BILL TAYLOR, PRESIDENT HON. RÉMI BUJOLD PHIL LIND ANDREW PRINGLE HONORARY: GREG BURK TIM MACDONALD DUGALD RITCHIE WILLIAM MALLORY, SECRETARY & TREASURER ROBERT A. BRYAN RICHARD CARPENTER LOU MAROUN LUCIEN ROLLAND THOR E. EATON LUCIEN G. ROLLAND, CHAIRMAN EMERITUS JOHN CLEGHORN CURTIS MCCONE JEAN-FRANCOIS SAUVE ALAN R. GRAHAM LEONARD SCHLEMM DAVID M. LANK DR. WILFRED M. CARTER, JOHN LORN DAN GREENBURG MCDOUGALL, Q.C. GEOFFREY SCOTT STEPHEN T. MOLSON PRESIDENT EMERITUS (1926 – 2009) GAVIN HIGGS MICHAEL A. MEIGHEN, GRAHAM W.S. SCOTT, KATHARINE D. MOTT JOHN E. HOUGHTON Q.C. Q.C. DAVID F. SOBEY ASF (U.S.) BOARD OF DIRECTORS MARY BARLEY PAUL DIXON DREW MCNALLY PAUL VOLCKER CHRISTOPHER (KIT) HARDY ESHBAUGH MICHAEL A. MEIGHEN, RICHARD J. WARREN ASF (U.S.) OFFICERS T. BARROW MARSHALL FIELD SR. Q.C. THOMAS J. WATSON III ANSON M. BEARD JR. MOLLIE FITZGERALD STEPHEN O’BRIEN JR. REED WEBSTER CHRISTOPHER H. BUCKLEY JR., CHAIRMAN ROBERT BONCZEK PAUL FITZGERALD WARING PARTRIDGE STEPHEN WEST C. AUSTIN BUCK JOSEPH R. PERELLA ROBERT N. WILSON ROYALL VICTOR III, VICE CHAIRMAN LLOYD GERRY CHRISTOPHER H. WILLIAM POUNDS JONATHAN WINTHROP & SECRETARY DAVID GOODMAN BUCKLEYJR. HAROLD GORMAN CHARLES REED FRANCES WOLFSON CHRISTOPHER T. BARROW, VICE CHAIRMAN WILLIAM C. BULLOCK JR. JASON GRISWOLD ERIC ROBERTS BILL TAYLOR, PRESIDENT DONALD CALDER HONORARY: JENNIFER GROSSMAN JESSE SAUNDERS DONALD C. CHRIST E.U. CURTIS (BUFF) PETER HOWELL, TREASURER STEPHEN HIBBARD FRANKLIN SCHURZ TRACEY CLARKE BOHLEN WILLIAM MALLORY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY PETER HOWELL DOROTHY SHIPLEY TRISTRAM C. COLKET JR. ROBERT A. BRYAN & ASSISTANT TREASURER IVAN BOZIDAR (BO) WILLIAM C. SMART HADLEY C. FORD CHARLES CONN IVANOVIC W.B. DIXON STROUD JR. RICHARD J. WARREN, CHAIRMAN EMERITUS LIVINGSTON PARSONS JR. JANE SIMONI COOKE ALAN KANE BILL TAYLOR NATHANIEL REED JOHN CORNELL AARON KENNON REMY TRAFELET CLINTON (BILL) EDGAR M. CULLMAN JR. WILLIAM R. KNOBLOCH ROYALL VICTOR III TOWNSEND JOHN DILLON TURNEY MCKNIGHT ORRI VIGFUSSON JOAN WULFF IFC Boards and Officers 2 From the President and Chairmen 4 IN THE SPOTLIGHT – Heightened Awareness Created Momentum to Save Wild Atlantic Salmon 6 A Blueprint for Restoration 7 Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Salmon Aquaculture 8 Shedding Light on the Causes of Low Marine Survival of Salmon TABLE OF CONTENTS 10 Promoting Sustainable Freshwater Fisheries 11 Removing Barriers to Fish Passage 12 Restoring Watershed Habitat 13 Protecting Migrating Wild Atlantic Salmon from Unsustainable Fisheries at Sea 15 Financials 16 Donors 17 Awards 24 ASF Affiliates IBC ASF Staff COVER Eric de la Cova photographed a shimmering Atlantic salmon being released by Markus Schulte on the Bonaventure River in the Gaspé. The image garnered First Place in ASF’s 2015 Live Release Contest. 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Eric Bolduc FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMEN Salmon conservation gained excellent traction in 2015 in the form of a Special Report on Wild Atlantic Salmon that was commissioned by the federal government to reverse the decline in the salmon populations of eastern Canada. In the US, we moved very close to completing the Penobscot River Restoration Project that has been recognized internationally for its ability to restore fisheries, expand opportunities for outdoor recreation and support energy production in a large ecosystem. Conservation is not a short-term game and no one knows this better than the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), an organization that has spanned 67 years in its fight for the survival of wild Atlantic salmon. ASF has helped form strategic partnerships with riverside communities, other conservation and environmental organizations, and government. These partnerships, coupled with education and public awareness, are fundamental to programs such as restoring the Penobscot River and creating a blueprint for restoration that will help hundreds of salmon rivers in eastern Canada. Our annual report celebrates many conservation activities that occurred in 2015. ASF worked strategically with NASCO governments and NGOs to help cap the catch at Greenland at 45 tonnes and impose stronger monitoring and control measures on the Greenland fishery. This harvest is still too large in light of the state of the resource, but it’s a big improvement over the estimated 96 tonne harvest in 2014. ASF’s work with the Canadian government to decrease harvests in its own salmon fisheries helped set an example for Greenland. In partnership with The Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute, we worked to further reduce the environmental footprint of closed- containment systems through the use of fish-free meal in grow-out trials. Our workshops, presentations to government and creation of public awareness are increasing understanding of and demand for the land-based solution. Our research program that tracks juvenile and adult salmon in the ocean is finding out what is causing significant mortality in the estuaries and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and is mapping the migration route of adult salmon all the way to Greenland. Two new Chairmen of the Boards of Directors of both Canada and the United States recently took up the salmon conservation torch. John Dillon of Greenwich, CT became Chairman of ASF (US) in November, and Alan Graham of Rexton, NB became Chairman of ASF (Canada) in early 2016. The transition has been smooth, thanks to the eminent qualifications, knowledge and experience of the new chairmen, ASF directors and staff, whose long-term planning and action on conservation initiatives are achieving results. The groundwork was set in 2015 for great achievement in 2016 and beyond. ASF is well positioned to be a leader in this exciting progress towards restoring wild Atlantic salmon and their ecosystems in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Change of Chairmanship for ASF (U.S.) Since 2012, Christopher Buckley has steered ASF (U.S.) successfully, with milestones including the completion of the Penobscot River Restoration Project and an expansion of ASF’s significant work in research on mortality at sea. He helped steer ASF’s position on the Greenland fishery and dam removal. Now John Dillon, on the board of ASF since 2010, and with a passionate interest in ASF’s research, is taking on the chairmanship of ASF (U.S.). A former Chairman and CEO of International Paper, he is also a dedicated angler who understands the importance of reducing harvests and restoring salmon runs. John Dillon, Incoming Chairman, ASF (US)/ Président, FSA (EU) MESSAGE DU PRÉSIDENT ET DES PRÉSIDENTS DES CONSEILS La conservation du saumon a fait des adeptes en 2015 grâce à la publication du Rapport spécial sur le saumon sauvage de l’Atlantique dans l’Est du Canada qui a été commandé par le gouvernement fédéral pour contrer le déclin des populations de saumons dans l’est du Canada. Aux États-Unis, nous avons presque terminé le Projet de restauration de la rivière Penobscot qui été reconnu à l’échelle internationale pour sa capacité à rétablir les pêches, à améliorer les possibilités récréatives de plein air et à soutenir la production d’énergie dans un vaste écosystème. La conservation n’est pas un exercice à court terme, et personne ne le sait mieux que la Fédération du saumon atlantique (FSA), organisme qui, depuis 67 ans, lutte pour assurer la survie du saumon atlantique sauvage. La FSA a contribué à la formation de partenariats stratégiques avec des communautés riveraines, d’autres organismes de conservation et organisations environnementales et le gouvernement. Ces partenariats, conjugués à des activités d’éducation et de sensibilisation du public, sont indispensables aux programmes comme le Projet de restauration de la rivière Penobscot et à l’élaboration d’un schéma directeur pour la restauration de centaines de rivières à saumon dans l’est du Canada. Notre rapport annuel célèbre les nombreuses activités de conservation qui ont été entreprises en 2015. La FSA a travaillé avec en étroite collaboration avec les gouvernements des nations membres de l’OCSAN et les ONG afin que le Groënland plafonne ses récoltes annuelles de saumon à 45 tonnes et que des mesures de surveillance et de contrôle plus rigoureuses soient imposées à la pêche qui y est exercée. La récolte est encore trop importante compte tenu de l’état de la ressource, mais cela représente une nette amélioration par rapport à la capture estimée de 90 tonnes en 2014. Le travail que la FSA a effectué avec le gouvernement canadien pour réduire les prises de saumons dans le cadre de nos propres pêches montre l’exemple au Groënland. La FSA a travaillé de concert avec le Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute afin de réduire davantage l’empreinte écologique des systèmes d’élevage en circuit fermé grâce à l’utilisation de nourriture pour saumon ne contenant pas de poisson dans des essais de grossissement. Nos ateliers, nos présentations au gouvernement et nos activités de sensibilisation du public approfondissent notre compréhension du système d’aquaculture en circuit fermé et de la demande à cet égard. Notre programme de recherche qui piste les saumoneaux et saumons adultes dans l’océan est en train de révéler les causes de leur importante mortalité dans les estuaires et le golfe du Saint-Laurent ainsi que de reconstituer la voie de migration des saumons adultes jusqu’au Groënland. Deux nouveaux présidents des conseils américain et canadien de la FSA ont récemment pris le flambeau de la conservation du saumon.