Meet Réné Aucoin, a member and director of the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation Board of Directors. Born and raised in Cheticamp, Cape Breton Island, where he now lives in retirement.

His introduction to fly fishing came at the age of about 14 when he happened upon a group of veteran anglers fly fishing for trout and salmon at the tidal pool on the Cheticamp river. “Their casting with old bamboo rods seemed almost magical.” He was introduced to salmon fishing—and the conservation ethic—a couple of years later by an American tourist angler who spent his summers in the Cheticamp area. “His mantra of catch and release and retiring a fly after it caught a salmon, was quite bewildering to my 16-year-old self who had grown up in a culture of catch everything that the law permitted and sometimes even a bit more.”

Réné is now a certified fly-casting instructor with Fly Fishers International. After university, he founded the Cheticamp River Salmon Association and became a member of the Margaree Salmon Associa

Jim Jones lives in Moncton, NB and is president of JBJones Consulting.

He was also a senior executive with Fisheries and Oceans Canada; serving as Regional Director General for the Gulf Region from 1998 - 2009. Jim served as the head of the Canadian Delegation to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) from 2002 - 2008 and was Chair of Finance for ICCAT from 1997 - 2009. He also served as president of the United Way of Greater Moncton from 2010 to 2013. He holds a BA (Economics) from Memorial University (1974) and a MA (Economics) from the University of Alberta (1976).

Jacqueline Girouard, P.Eng.
President, Girouard Consultant

Jacqueline Girouard is a professional industrial engineer and businesswoman. She specializes in business development coaching to New Brunswick manufacturing firms. With over 25 years expertise in time management, project management, strategy planning, technical writing and change management, she has helped businesses improve their performance and make sound investment decisions, through the process of productivity and technology preparedness evaluation and mentoring.

Ms. Girouard has over 25 years of experience with recreational salmon fishing while managing fishing lodges in NB and NL. She is extremely passionate about the Atlantic Salmon conservation work. Some of her current and past work with Atlantic Salmon Conservation include:
• Member of the MSA Executive Committee
• Member of the MSA Moncton Dinner Committee
• FCAS Director, and Policy & Program Committee member, active since 2020
• Member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Atlantic S

Jim Burton & his family were involved in the Outfitting business in NL for over 50 years. Jim is a commercial pilot with 16,000 flight hours, he started North Eastern Sky Services in 2000, its mandate was to fly fishermen into remote areas of Labrador each summer in his 1951 DeHavilland Beaver floatplane.

Jim currently owns multiple RE/MAX Real Estate Offices in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2020, Jim was bestowed the Order of Newfoundland & Labrador. He is Co-Founder of Aviation History Newfoundland & Labrador Inc. and he's also a member of The Foundation for Conservation of Atlantic Salmon and sits on the Financial Investment Committee.

Jim is known for his energetic, enthusiastic and resourceful entrepreneurship and is always open to new ideas, challenges and opportunities.

Lyne is passionate about nature, music, the arts and, above all, fly fishing.

She trained as a teacher, but for the past 6 years, she has put teaching aside to focus on the family business and her passion. She organizes an introductory and advanced fly-fishing event for women, which now welcomes 175 participants.

She is also the mother of 3 children, and her greatest joy is to see them grow up to be good human beings. She loves to laugh but takes her work and challenges seriously. She's genuine, honest, versatile and curious. She loves learning and making a difference.

Lyne also sits on the Program and Development Committee of FCAS.

Ken is a member of the Wolastoqey Nation at Neqotkuk, located at Tobique, NB.

Ken’s career includes 10 years as a Hydrographer-in-Charge with the Canadian Hydrographic Service, specializing in multibeam mapping, and another 10 years with Parks Canada as a Senior Policy Advisor in Atlantic Canada and the Field Unit Superintendent in the Northwest Territories.

Over the past 13 years, Ken has worked directly for First Nations leadership, including regionally as the Fisheries Director for the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs, and nationally as the Fisheries Director with the Assembly of First Nations. Since 2021, Ken has taken the role of Lead Fisheries Negotiator with the Wolastoqey Nation of New Brunswick and is also the Principle/Owner of Pokiok Associates.

Ken continues to support and advocated for Indigenous Peoples regionally, nationally and internationally on all aspects relating to fisheries, aquaculture, oceans governance and aquatic resources as they relate to inherent and treaty rights, legislation, and policy. This includes Indigenous Knowledge Systems, economic prosperity, community engagement and resource management.

Ken has an MBA with St Mary’s University and a BSc from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has extensive training in leadership, policy development, mediation, labour relations, First Nations governance and traditional teachings.
Ken also sits on the Program and Development committee of FCAS.

Fred Cheverie has been an active member of Souris and Area Wildlife Branch for over 40 years and was Souris and Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation's Watershed Coordinator for 16 years. He is a retired schoolteacher with 31 years of experience, focussing particularly on science, maths and outdoor education. He is the Kings County representative of the PEI Wildlife Federation, a Policy and Program Committee member for Foundation for Conservation of Atlantic Salmon and recently developed the “Collaboration with Agriculture Watershed Management” micro credential course for Holland College. Fred was instrumental in developing and establishing the Watershed Management Fund for the Province of PEI, the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund, the ALUS programme for agri-environment projects for farmers, and the Souris Striders Ski Club. He was awarded the Roland Michener Conservation Award in 2021 from the Canadian Wildlife Federation and received the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Medal in 2023.