Salmonid counting fence on Parker’s river Newfoundland and Labrador

Parker’s River is home to Newfoundland’s southernmost confirmed anadromous population of Arctic char (also Atlantic salmon and Brook trout). Salmonids in this system are subject to cumulative stressors (fishing, climate change, and habitat degradation). The char population reached critical levels by 2007, resulting in the formation of a conservation group, the Save Our Char Committee: an initiative to monitor and preserve char (and salmon) locally. A survey was conducted in 2009 and found that that fishers in Pistolet Bay supported the listing of Parker’s char as a species at risk.

Concerned citizens recently highlighted new threats that have emerged for this riverscape: salmonids have suffered die-offs at the river mouth. In response, an assessment was performed identifying the cause, and a restoration project is planned for 2021. DFO has also initiated community-based monitoring plans in this system. A counting fence is needed to understand the current status of Parker’s salmonid populations.

Contact:  Sam Elliott, s.elliott@nf.aibn.com