What lurks below
Study of Avon River fish underway
Darren Porter’s metallic-coloured boat enters the muddy brown Avon River alongside the Avondale Wharf.
Two students from Acadia University are running a bit behind, but they arrive with coffee in hand. Porter’s son, Hunter, is up front, helping with the nets and traps as they get underway.
Porter knows the Avon River well, perhaps better than anyone, and that’s why scientists from Acadia are joining him to study the species that call it home.
It’s early, about 6:45 a.m., and the small team heads towards the edge of the Avon River blocked by the causeway, where Highway 101 sits.
The sluice gates are closed for the month of July, and Porter predicts the number of fish they catch will be low, as there will be a lack of fresh water entering the salt marsh side.
His instincts ring true; they only end up catching two fish after being out on the river for about three hours.
They use a large net that snakes along the river, with buoys bobbing above the water, following the currents and the tides. Four small eel traps are thrown into areas close to the shore of the salt marsh and are surprised when all four come up empty.
Porter said the numbers fluctuate every day they go out to collect data for the study, but he’s still surprised by the low numbers.
“We’ve lost a large percentage of our salt marshes to agriculture practices, dams, and stuff like that. It’s a big problem for the ecosystem,” Porter said.
“They claim that the salt marsh that’s formed off the causeway is important, which is true, but what we’ve lost above the causeway is equivalent to and exceeding that.”
Twinning impact?
Twinning Highway 101 with the current proposal could mean expanding the causeway out into the salt marsh, which Porter’s concerned about.
One way or another, he says, the government needs to make sure there is a regular fish passage through the Avon River in order to sustain fish species.
“They claim they don’t want to open up the causeway because of the salt marsh, but they’ll in-fill it anyway,” he said. “We really can’t afford to be losing any more salt marsh.”
The study is being conducted for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal to form a baseline analysis of what species currently inhabit the Avon River. It will also be used by the Department of Fisheries.
Porter said he’s happy to be part of the process, which he calls “comprehensive,” as it incorporates local fisherman knowledge with academic techniques, courtesy of students from Acadia University, and traditional and cultural knowledge from Mi’kmaq conservationists.
Salmon presence
Although they have yet to find wild Atlantic salmon in the Avon River close to the causeway, Porter says he’s caught several closer to the Minas Basin. He argues that if the causeway is open on a more permanent basis, salmon would run down the Avon once more.
Porter is aware that some people doubt the existence of salmon in the Avon River, but he catches them every couple of years at the sluice gates.
“People who say there are no salmon here have an ulterior motive,” he said. “They want the causeway to stay. I’ve seen salmon here, registered salmon here, taken pictures of them here, with the gatehouse behind me. That’s in the last 10 years, three or four salmon reported by me alone.”
Scientific process
Maja Reinhartsen, one of the students from Acadia University working on the study, pulls up fishing line and jots down notes in her notebook.
“We’re using some pretty straightforward data, like the times, the tide levels, the gear types, just to give an indication,” Reinhartsen said. “We’ll use that to indicate what the averages are going to be.”
At one point, they pull up a striped bass, lay it on a wooden measuring stick and write down the details. The specimen is tagged with a small plastic indicator and released.
The study began in April 2017 and will continue until October 2018.
“The previous studies haven’t really captured the sort of data that we’ve been able to show in this,” she said. “That’s mostly because of Darren and having that local knowledge factor; it’s made a huge difference in terms of the amounts of fish and variety of species we’ve seen.”
Data gathering was heaviest between April and June; they went out five or more times a week, as the fish presence is at its height. Between July and October, they’ll continue to gather data three times a week – checking both sides of the causeway.
Reinhartsen said they’ve documented gaspereaux, several varieties of herring, stripers, bass and many more.
They haven’t documented Atlantic salmon as part of this study, but Porter remains hopeful they will.
Other factors
Lita O’Halloran, another student on board, said they’re aware of the underlying controversy surrounding the causeway, but added that the primary goal is to provide data that will help stakeholders make informed decisions.
During the research, she’s noticed a large amount of sediment build-up on the Lake Pisiquid side of the causeway.
“I can see there being flooding issues in that sense because there’ll be nowhere for the water to go,” she said. “We look at the biotic factors, but also the a-biotic factors — or, not just what affects the fish, but also the people that live around here as well.”
Although the field studies don’t conclude until October 2018, the students hope to have some of the findings available by the end of 2017.
Porter’s happy to help out with the study because he cares deeply about the ecosystem of the Avon River.
“I grew up in Mt. Denson, went to school in Falmouth, Windsor; this is where I grew up,” Porter said. “I fish inside (the causeway) commercially, outside commercially; I fished my first striped bass when I was with my grandpa when I was four years old, right off that causeway.”
Porter is hopeful that with good science and a responsive Department of Fisheries, a way to allow fish passage along the Avon will be found.
“To me, this project is near and dear to my heart, you know?” Porter said.