South Nation River fishery has clean bill of health

The South Nation River is becoming more popular for recreational and sport fishing and results of the latest survey of the river’s fish population explain why.

Technical staff with the South Nation Conservation Authority (SNC) released results of their latest survey study of the 120-kilometre river and its tributaries. Every year the SNC monitors fish populations and fishing activity within one of the six reaches of the river, which include Plantagenet, Lemieux, St-Albert, Berwick, Hyndman and Spencerville, located between the headwaters north of Brockville to where the river empties into the Ottawa River near Plantagenet.

“Our regular monitoring provides insight into the health of our waterways and local fish populations,” stated Michelle Cavanagh, SNC team lead. “Data recorded helps guide long-term management decisions to ensure the sustainability of the fishery.”

Results of this year’s survey at the Plantagenet reach indicates a health fish population for the South Nation River. More than 100 fish were caught using hoop nets over a 24-hour period, identified, weighed, measured, and examined to determine their age before released back into the river.

The most abundant fish species collected during the sampling period were Pumpkinseed, Black crappie, Smallmouth bass, and Channel catfish. The largest fish in the survey sample was a 560-millimetre Channel catfish, weighing 3.175 kilograms. The smallest was a 20-gram Pumpkinseed.

Un poisson-chat de canal dans son élément natif.