Atlantic Salmon In the Time of Pandemic

Atlantic Salmon In the Time of Pandemic

The rivers of Eastern North America are open, full of melted snow, and rushing out to the sea. Mother Nature and wild Atlantic salmon are not shut in like us.

Driven by longer days and warmer temperatures, kelts that have spent a winter under river ice are on the move, out to sea to break a year-long fast.

Smolt have begun their transformation from freshwater homebodies to ocean roamers. They lose colourful parr marks for a silver-blue sheen, their body shifts shape for better distance swimming, and a burst of hormones triggers smolt to turn and face downstream for the first time.

On rivers like the Miramichi, there will be no anglers casting for the kelts. For the first time since 2004, ASF and DFO will not be tagging juvenile salmon on the Restigouche. These are strange and rare days for people, but life goes on for wild Atlantic salmon.

See the full report here: https://www.asf.ca/news-and-magazine/river-notes/asf-rivernotes-17-apr-2020