The Margaree and Cheticamp Rivers have been chosen as part of a salmon conservation pilot
(Photo Charles Cusson, Atlantic Salmon Federation)
project.
It’s part of a program created by the Atlantic Salmon Federation called Wild Salmon Watersheds.
A formal launch of the project was held Wednesday at the Cheticamp Visitors Centre in Cape Breton Highlands National Park
ASF spokesperson Kristen Noel says the Cheticamp and Margaree are among four rivers chosen in the region for the pilot.
Noel says this initiative is different; because traditionally, conservation programs focus on restoration where salmon populations have reached critical levels or the habitat is badly damaged. Noel says because climate change poses a threat to all rivers, it calls for a new approach.
In Inverness County, the ASF is working with the Cheticamp River Salmon Association and the Margaree Salmon Association. The federation’s goal is to eventually establish 30 Wild Salmon Watersheds projects throughout Eastern Canada