Kenemu River Garbage Island Cleanup

Description: This project is to enhance and improve an area frequented by salmon anglers in one of the premier locations of the Kenemu River in central Labrador.

The site commonly referred to as Pleasure Steady and Garbage Island is a small island at the end of Pleasure Steady. It is approximately 80 km south of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. This is the site of a Fish Camp established in the 1980’s by a local man which was in operation for only a couple of years. The Log camp and outbuildings have since collapsed, leaving much debris and garbage. There is currently no title to the land, and it remains property of the crown.

This location was nearly inaccessible 10 years ago prior to the Labrador Highway construction. However, the area is used now during Atlantic salmon season, and it is accessible from the bridge which crosses the river 7 km upstream from Garbage Island.

Garbage Island, as it is now known, is the location where all the camp waste was dumped. It appears that none of the garbage was flown back to Goose Bay but was deposited above ground on this small island directly adjacent to one of the most productive pools on the Kenemu River for salmon.

The intent of this project is for the Labrador Hunting and Fishing Association to remove the above ground trash at Garbage Island and remove all the non-degradable trash at the old fish camp location. This project will return Garbage Island to a pristine state and the camp location will have only biodegradable (i.e. Remaining log material) wood left on site.