Two men die in car crash

Hundreds of people gathered on a jetty at Halifax’s naval base Wednesday to bid farewell to 240 military members aboard HMCS Ville de Quebec.

Under pouring rain, family, friends and dignitaries waved goodbye as the warship departed in thick fog for the Mediterranean Sea, part of Canada’s ongoing contribution to a NATO mission in central and eastern Europe.

On board was a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, marking the first international deployment of the Canadian military’s new state-of-the-art, twin-engine machine.

RCMP in New Brunswick say two elderly men were killed and two women suffered critical injuries in a highway collision.

Police were called to the accident on Highway 15 near Shemogue, N.B., just before 4 p.m. Tuesday.

They say preliminary findings suggest an SUV with four people was trying to pass when it collided with another SUV making a left-hand turn into a driveway. An 82-year-old from Kedgwick River, N.B., and an 82-year-old man from Ontario died.

A federal Fisheries scientist has recommended ending the Atlantic salmon fishery for the rest of the season in Newfoundland and Labrador rivers after returns indicated the struggling species continues a worrisome decline.

In comparing the current season’s returns to previous averages, scientists found that 55 per cent of the province’s rivers will likely have lower salmon returns than the average from 2011 through 2015.

While some rivers have healthier populations than others, findings indicate salmon populations in all rivers are in decline compared to numbers from 2011 to 2015.

Research scientist Geoff Veinott said the long-term trend suggests that provincial salmon stocks are in trouble.

“Really, we haven’t seen much recovery at all,” Veinott said Wednesday.

The province’s salmon population has seen unprecedented declines over the last few years, with 2017 being the worst year on record due to 30 per cent decreases in returns in 80 per cent of the province’s rivers.

Veinott said scientists were surprised to see such a large decline immediately following similarly low numbers in 2016.

“We are somewhat concerned. Obviously declines of this magnitude can’t continue forever,” Veinott said.

“If you keep seeing declines beneath your recent five-year mean, you’ll eventually have no fish. It’s as simple as that.”

This new review of the population closely follows a June report from the Atlantic Salmon Federation that found a 45 per cent decrease in Newfoundland and Labrador’s salmon population since 2015.

In addition to a possible end of the salmon retention fishery, Fisheries scientists are also recommending continuing with catch-and-release as long as river temperatures remain lower than 18 C.

Federal guidelines earlier this spring capped the retention limit at one salmon per angler, and a three-fish-per-day limit for catchand-release angling.

Fisheries officials are expected to make a decision on federal catch limits for the rest of the summer by Friday.

Provincial Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne has expressed dissatisfaction with the federal Department of Fisheries’ management decision on catch-andrelease limits. Byrne has also criticized the department’s management of this year’s salmon season.

The province for the first time this year set its own catch-andrelease limits, allowing 10 fish per angler before the mid-season review on July 20.