Gates opened for fish passage

As you read this, gaspereau are pushing themselves through the Avon River's turbid waters seeking a place to spawn.

Normally they wouldn't be doing that — at least not this early in the season — because they'd reach the closed gates of the Avon River causeway and have to wait until someone at the Department of Agriculture decided to open them.

In previous years, the department wouldn't open the gates until around May 6.

After complaints were filed by local fishermen last year that the Department of Agriculture was denying passage to spawning fish, Fisheries and Oceans Canada acknowledged “looking into” whether the provincial government could be in violation of the Fisheries Act.

“They denied fish passage last year,” said Darren Porter, a weir fisherman who is working with the Mi'kmaq Conservation Group collecting data on fish passage at Windsor and Halfway River causeways.

But last week, the Department of Agriculture, which controls the gates in the causeway located under Highway 101, began opening them as the tide went down and then closing them about four hours before high tide's return.

This drained most of the water from Lake Pisiquid, created when the causeway was opened in 1970, and allowed the gaspereau to swim upstream to complete their life cycle.

“The Department of Agriculture is working closely with DFO and other partners regarding fish passage at the current Avon River aboiteau,” reads a statement from the

Department of Agriculture.

“Last week, gate operations were shifted to full openings on the outgoing tide. This is peak season for many fish species as they try to access the watershed upstream of the aboiteau.”

In a letter to Porter, the department said it would continue opening the gates into June and potentially July. That's longer than in previous years.

It had Porter, who is often at odds with the provincial government over issues of fish passage through causeways, sounding conciliatory.

“I'd like to thank the minister of agriculture and the entire group of DFO public servants that worked on this issue diligently to recognize and achieve better fish passage in Windsor,” said Porter, who is also spokesman for the Fundy United Fishermen's Association.

“Also the citizens and environmental groups that sent letters and supported this issue. But mostly the Mi'kmaw chiefs and their science team.”

The two members of the Mi'kmaw science team have been living with Porter at his house through the pandemic so they can all work together six days a week on his small open boat monitoring fish passage through the aboiteaus at the Halfway River and the Avon River.

The lengthening of the season for allowing fish passage comes as the province prepares to replace the aboiteau across the Avon River as part of the Highway 101 twinning project.

While construction on the widening of the causeway to accommodate a four-lane highway is scheduled to begin this year, the province doesn't anticipate having a design for the new aboiteau until next year.

At that point the design will have to get approval from Fisheries and Oceans Canada before construction can begin.

“The aboiteau is ultimately a flood control structure and must be able to control water levels, however, it is being designed with the flexibility to both allow fish passage and maintain water levels in Lake Pisiquid under a range of different scenarios,” reads a written statement from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

“The intent is for the new aboiteau structure to be designed in a way that would maintain a similar fresh water system while allowing for significantly improved fish passage. Details are still being developed (for) transparency and documentation with all groups. The window for lowering the lake has moved ahead slightly this year and has on other years as well.”