Since 1953 the Miramichi Salmon Association (MSA) has worked toward the preservation of the wild Atlantic salmon and the enhancement of salmon habitat. At the MSA we are constantly striving to build and strengthen our membership, so we encourage you, if not already a member, to please join our ranks. 
Your monthly resource for MSA conservation updates, Miramichi Watershed Information, upcoming MSA Events and much much more.
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Vol. 32 March 2021
A Note from MSA President -
Dr. Robyn McCallum
Hello MSA supporters,

It’s hard to believe March is already here- it feels like this winter is flying by. I am focusing on getting outside when I can to find peace amidst the chaos of this pandemic- enjoying time in the woods certainly helps, but I will be glad to get back on the water too.

We’ve celebrated a number of achievements since the last Leaper- we held a board meeting February 6th with excellent director turn out. Thank you to all directors for your dedication to MSA. It does not go unnoticed.

We welcome back Lyndsay Jay-Keating to our team here at MSA- Lyndsay has been a summer student for the past four years and is now growing into our biologist role for summer 2021. Lyndsay will join our team in moving important field research projects forward, and we will keep you updated on our progress as the season unfolds.

Our Atlantic Salmon celebration has been a huge hit. Thank you to all our supporters of this event (livestream and auction), and a special thank you to Brad Burns and our team behind the scenes for pulling off a successful event. If you’d like to view our livestream event, you can catch up on our YouTube channel as well.

Our AGM is tentatively booked for May 1st and we will be sending out details as planning progresses.

We’ve been working hard on updating our website and enhancing our communications. Be sure to follow along with our website and social media feeds for daily news from the MSA.

Take care,
Robyn
David Roth Awarded
MSA's Jack Fenety Scholarship 2021
Jack T. H. Fenety Conservation Scholarship from the Miramichi Salmon Association
 
The Miramichi Salmon Association offers a major scholarship for salmon research in honour of its long-time former President, Jack Fenety.
 
The Jack T. H. Fenety Conservation Scholarship is awarded annually to a graduate student conducting meaningful research about Atlantic Salmon and/or its habitat, with relevance to the Miramichi watershed.
 
The MSA is pleased to announce Mr. David Roth, PhD Candidate at the University of New Brunswick, as the 2021 recipient.
 
David’s research investigates the Smolt-to-Adult Supplementation (SAS) strategy. David has compared adult Atlantic Salmon reared through the SAS strategy to wild anadromous adults and is currently examining techniques to improve SAS adult female quality in terms of reproductive success rate.
 
SAS is a conservation strategy to address Atlantic Salmon population decline. Adult Atlantic Salmon face high mortality rates at sea, and by protecting the marine migratory phase in monitored rearing facilities, the Atlantic Salmon population in the Miramichi could benefit from the implementation of this strategy.
 
David is committed to further improving the SAS strategy via his research. He believes that the strategy can help to prevent the further decline of the wild Atlantic Salmon populations in the Miramichi by supporting the number of adult spawners in the river.
 
David is particularly interested in identifying differences in elemental composition of SAS eggs and eggs produced by wild females. “A better understanding of any potential differences could lead to changes in the rearing environment of SAS fish to increase egg quality and survival rates of SAS progeny,” David said.
 
Ms. Laura Gilks, MSA’s Education Committee chair, would like to thank all the applicants. As a recruiter for graduate students at UNB, she recognizes the value of the Jack T.H. Fenety Scholarship to PhD Candidates like David. “David’s application clearly shows his passion for the Atlantic Salmon, and the Miramichi River,” shared Laura.
 
David’s work directly addresses the goals of this scholarship- research investigating the ecology of Atlantic Salmon, current-day issues, and building a better understanding of the relationship between Atlantic Salmon and the environment to enhance the abundance and sustainability of the Atlantic Salmon resource.
 
“I am very pleased to present this award to a student so committed to Atlantic Salmon and the Miramichi watershed”, said Robyn McCallum, President of the Miramichi Salmon Association. “Mr. Roth’s work speaks to the legacy left behind by Mr. Fenety, and to the goals of our organization.”
 
Financial support for this scholarship comes from member contributions and volunteer efforts from Canada and the United States. If you’re interested in supporting our scholarship fund, please contact the Miramichi Salmon Association at (506) 622-4000 or visit our website at miramichisalmon.ca
Atlantic Salmon Celebration 2021
On Saturday, Feb 20, 2021 the MSA US hosted The Atlantic Salmon Celebration - a virtual live stream event. The event was well attended and provided a much need escape from winter and the isolation that the COVID 19 pandemic has forced upon us.

It was great to see scenes of people fishing, hear a few tales told by Miramichi personalities, and to share stories about our experiences with the Miramichi and Atlantic Salmon. Judging from the feedback we received, it was both an entertaining and informative evening!

The MSA would like to thank the dedicated MSA US committee who put this all together; Brad Burns, Rip Cunningham, Dave Fenderson , Ralph Vitale and, of course, our enigmatic host Gary Tanner. Thank you to everyone for helping to support salmon conservation efforts in the Miramichi watershed.

If you missed the live stream, you can view it by clicking the link below or by visiting the MSA website or YouTube channel.
MSA Welcomes Lyndsay Jay-Keating
to the MSA Team
The MSA would like to welcome the newest member of our team - Lyndsay Jay-Keating. Lindsey will be working with the MSA in the role of staff biologist. This is a great fit for the MSA, as Lyndsay has been working as a summer student with us since 2016 so she is familiar with our field programs and knows her way around our hatchery.

Lyndsay grew up in the Miramichi area and attended Miramichi Valley High School. She graduated from the University of Prince Edward Island with a degree in biology that included a minor in Business Administration. She also played for the UPEI women's rugby team. When not studying fish, Lyndsay can be found hiking, kayaking or fishing.
For Lyndsay, family and community play a central role in her life. She volunteers for a number of local organizations including the Royal Canadian Legion, as a tutor during COVID online learning, and also at a local veterinary clinic.

Welcome Lyndsay - we look forward to working with you!
Jack Walsh - Memorial Life Member
On Thursday, February 4th, 2021, MSA supporter Jack Walsh, passed away suddenly at the age of 68. Born in Newcastle, Jack was a proud Miramichier and a true gentleman. Jack loved May/June when he could spend some time on the Nor’ West hoping to intercept that June salmon. In true Jack fashion, on his last day on the river, he was able to net his granddaughter’s first ever salmon. 
Jack requested that in lieu of flowers, to cheer for the Habs or, if you’re a Leafs fan, make a donation to the Miramichi Salmon Association. The MSA is pleased to announce that due to the influx of donations to the MSA on Jack's behalf, we are able to award Jack a Memorial Life Membership. We would like to thank all the donors who made this special recognition possible for Jack's family - he would truly appreciate it, despite the fact that donations were mostly from Leafs fans!
Chair Challenge
To help carry out MSA's work, equipment upgrades are required in order to make our office run efficiently and effectively. With current COVID-19 restrictions, and MSA directors unable to travel for meetings, MSA Chair Debbie Norton has decided to put $500 of her travel savings from our typical February meeting toward the 'Chair Challenge'. This money will go toward upgrading some of our office equipment. 

The MSA is asking you to consider contributing to the 'Chair Challenge' if you are able. If you're interested, you can follow the link below for an easy online payment, or you can also mail cheques to our South Esk office at 485 Route 420, South Esk NB, E1V 4L9.

A charitable tax receipt will be sent to donors. 
Your support is always appreciated!  
Hatchery Update
Hatchery operations have been quiet since last fall and personnel is down to 2 people only working 20 hours per week to maintain our current fish inventory. With today’s technology, all of our fish are being fed with automatic feeders, so it is a matter of loading the feeders each day and flushing the tanks. Oxygen is continually monitored and adjusted using technology and if something goes wrong, we are notified through our alarm system and can make corrections. 

We currently are caring for 1,800 adult salmon that weigh approximately 3kg from a collection of smolts from the Little Southwest Miramichi in the spring 2018 and have 725 salmon from a smolt collection last year on the Dungarvon River and SW Miramichi River that weigh approximately 300g. The Dungarvon and SW Miramichi salmon will be grown to the adult stage and will be used as broodstock for a fry stocking program in those rivers. We also have a small number of brook fry that have just begun feeding under contract for a private customer.
 
The original CAST program is now over and the hatchery is awaiting the outcome of the Plamu First Conference in mid-March, hosted by Anqotum Resource Management located in Eel Ground First Nation, where all of the issues affecting the Atlantic salmon on the Miramichi will be discussed and used to develop a 5 year action plan to restore the population. Our facility will respond to the requirements of the 5 year plan.


Mark Hambrook

MSA Face Masks for Sale
In these challenging times of COVID 19 we all have to do our part and follow health guidelines - and these days that includes wearing a face mask. If we have to wear one, why not support the MSA and salmon conservation efforts at the same time? To that end, we have ordered MSA branded face masks. The mask are for sale for $10 a each and can be purchased by clicking the link below.
MSA US Auction
On February 14th the MSA US launched a fantastic auction loaded with fishing trips, works of art, fishing rods & reels and a variety of items of interest to the angler or outdoor enthusiast. Thank you to everyone who participated and made this auction a success!

We are pleased to announce that the auction raised a significant amount of money that will be used to further salmon conservation efforts in the Miramichi watershed.

The MSA would like to thank Brad Burns for his enormous effort organizing such a great auction - this is not an easy undertaking! It was truly filled to the brim with item ranging from fishing trips to works of art and everything in between.

The MSA would also like to thank all of those individuals and businesses who donated items to the auction - without donations from our members and sponsors, fundraising auction like this would not be possible. Finally, we would like to thank everyone who participated in the auction. We truly appreciate ALL your support during these challenging times. THANK YOU!
Creel of Fortune 
As a reminder, the MSA would like to encourage you to participate in our weekly Creel of Fortune toonie draw. It's fun, you could win some money, and it is a great way to support salmon conservation! Please click the link below to sign up or re-up on your lucky number. Good luck!
Question Corner - with Dr. Rick Cunjak
Thank you to everyone who sent in questions for Rick. We chose the following 2 questions to answer this month. Vinton Blackwell asked:
  • Last spring while fishing black salmon I hooked and released a female salmon that appeared to still be bearing eggs. I though all salmon spawned in the fall of the year?
Our second question comes from Emily Rodger and we have asked Dr. Robyn McCallum, MSA President, to provide some insight. Emily asked:

  • I have recently been reading up on the proposed SARA act for Atlantic salmon that was extended until March pf 2021. Can you explain this means for the Miramichi salmon? 
If you have a question you would like answered, please email your question by clicking the button below and Dr. Rick Cunjak (or someone from the MSA ) will provide an answer to your question in the Leaper the following month.
Dr. Richard Cunjak is a retired professor at University of New Brunswick where he held a joint appointment in the Department of Biology and the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Management. Rick has more than 35 years experience working on the behavioural ecology of riverine fishes.
Still not a member of the Miramichi Salmon Association?
 Membership in the MSA is the perfect way to express your passion and support for the Miramichi River, for the Atlantic salmon who make it their home, and for the vital work being done by the MSA to protect and conserve both for today and tomorrow!
Miramichi Salmon Association | 506-622-4000 | |www.miramichisalmon.ca