Parks Canada lifts angling ban on Cheticamp River

— The Cape Breton Highlands National Park has lifted its angling ban on the Cheticamp River and its tributaries.

After a summer of low water levels and higher than normal water temperatures, water levels and temperatures have recently reached acceptable levels and are expected to remain favourable, according to Derek Quann, resource conservation manager for the national park.

Angling on the Cheticamp River is open until the end of the season on Sept. 30.

“Something like this is very rare,” he said. “The last time Parks Canada put (an angling ban) in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park was back in the 1990s, also on the Cheticamp River.”

A hot, dry summer and a smaller than normal spring snow melt all worked together to create adverse conditions for salmon in the Cheticamp River.

“Typically, the effect of the snow melt would cause a spring rise in water levels, and then we would typically get into a summer drought with low water and a high temperature period, but this year, with the low snow pack we had, it produced very little water to start off the drought. So we entered record-breaking low water levels as early as June.”

The angling ban was put into effect on July 7 after park officials were alerted to conditions on the river by members of the Cheticamp salmon anglers association.

“The anglers on the river noticed that the water levels were low, the water temperatures were high and the fish were starting to group up. (The fish) actually couldn’t physically move as part of their annual salmon migration.”

According to Quann, the capacity for the water to hold oxygen is dependent on the water temperature, among other factors. The higher the water temperature, the less oxygen, which causes the fish to become lethargic and puts stress on them. Another factor preventing them from reaching their spawning grounds was that the low water levels made it difficult for the salmon to move from pool to pool on their way upriver.

Quann said the Cheticamp River was closed to all angling to ensure that someone fishing by a line for another species wouldn’t inadvertently hook a salmon.

He said Parks Canada will continue to monitor the situation and plans to work with the local angling community and other experts on a long- term strategy for future years.