The changes that friends were lobbying for finally came through.
2009:
On the 4 Atlantics salmon rivers which drain into the Saguenay Fjord, the limit has been UPPED to 5 per day, BUT only one can be over 14 inches (36cm). June 15th - Oct 15th.
This initiative is being implemented to try to conserve some of the BIG spawners while improving the general appreciation of the outing by anglers.
The affected rivers are: riviere Sainte-Marguerite, riviere a Mars, Saint-Jean and Petit-Saguenay
I always figured that tall people had tall kids and big fish hatched out big fish. I don’t know, but that sounds reasonable to me. Protecting big spawners seem like a good idea if you want to grow other big fishes.
When Sophie did her doctoral thesis here, (tagging etc) she learned that BIGGER spawners had a higer return rate. By C&R the +14 inch sea trout, we hope to get a better multiple return rate.
The egg producing capacity of the big females is also proportional to their size.
Thus, why not let males at any size be taken, … well, in early summer, it’s hard to tell 'em apart and we don’t want ambiguois rules. Also ,… maybe bigger fish spawn BIGGER offspring, so we’ll try. Do BIGGER fish have a really better gene pool for long term survival? … don’t know as size is really just a phenotype.
Still … better than no protection.
On the anglers’ side of things, the daily quota USED to be 3 of any size. Seeing as some of the limited rods zones are pricey, the angling experience should be better (we still have lots of C&BBQ anglers).
Sorry, I can’t find any of the supporting documentation in English, … if you want to brush up on your French, I’ll post the links
