The Margaree Salmon Association in northern Cape Breton has been utilizing electrofishing to monitor fish populations in the Margaree River for several years. This method involves using an electric current to briefly stun fish, enabling crews to safely capture, measure, and identify them before releasing them back into the water.
Michael Fabiano, the association’s conservation coordinator, mentioned that electrofishing operations run from May to late September with a two percent mortality rate among the thousands of fish processed each season. Fish safety is prioritized, and electrofishing is avoided when water temperatures are too high.
Crews carefully regulate the electric current to momentarily immobilize the fish for a few seconds. To ensure safety while working with electricity in water, crew members wear heavy rubber gloves and chest waders. No serious incidents have occurred during Fabiano’s 18-month tenure with the group.
Surveying various locations along the 120-kilometer river helps identify the most productive streams and evaluate overall fish health. The catch mainly consists of trout and Atlantic salmon, with occasional eels and lampreys. This season, the association has caught and released around 1,800 fish across nine streams, a decrease from the previous year likely due to challenging conditions such as low water levels and high temperatures.
Paul MacNeil, the association’s president, explained that they intensified their scientific research efforts due to reduced data collection by Fisheries and Oceans Canada over the past five years. Established in 1982, the group aims to gather reliable data to monitor river health amid changing climate conditions.
To bridge the data gap, the association collaborated with the Chéticamp River Salmon Association to acquire electrofishing equipment. While members also conduct fish counts by swimming in the river, electrofishing provides more precise data on juvenile fish populations.
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