Mahers River Fishway

Holyrood Park is located on the Mahers River adjacent to the Holyrood Access Road. The park has a swimming pool that is formed by damming off a section of the river using a series of stop logs set into concrete butments on each side of the river. During the summer season the stop logs are put in place and the water elevation in the upstream pool increased to a level where it can be used as a swimming pool.

During this period, fish have no way of migrating upriver past the dam to access rearing and spawning habitat upstream. The objective of this project is to design and construct a fishway that will allow migration of Atlantic salmon as well as resident and anadromous trout species to their natural habitat upstream of the swimming pool.

Atlantic salmon runs are continually being challenged by both natural (e.g. low flow events, climate change) and unnatural (e.g.  man-made obstrcutions, decreased water quality) stresses.

Contact: Jim McCarthy, jim.mccarthy@nl.rogers.com or Marjorie Gibbons marjorie.gibbons@holyrood.ca