Leonard Nicholas, the fishery strategy director of Tobique First Nation, views Atlantic salmon differently, seeing them as relatives or ancestors. He emphasizes the importance of preserving them due to their long-standing presence in the region. The Tobique River, part of the Wolastoq system, once teemed with tens of thousands of salmon in the 1980s, but now only a few hundred return annually to the river’s Mactaquac Dam, according to data from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Despite the declining population, the Mactaquac Biodiversity Facility by DFO has been instrumental in sustaining the salmon. However, with the imminent closure of the facility in the fall, concerns arise about the future of the salmon population. UNB biologist Tommi Linnansaari likened the situation to keeping a patient alive but unhealthy, indicating the critical role of the facility in the salmon’s survival.
Nicholas expressed disappointment at the sudden announcement of the facility’s closure without proper consultation, which has left him scrambling to find alternative solutions. His team collects juvenile salmon above N.B. Power’s Tobique River dam, with the Canadian Rivers Institute at UNB assisting in transporting the smolts below the Mactaquac Dam.
The struggle to save the Wolastoq salmon is compounded by the species’ uncertain status under the federal Species at Risk Act. Despite scientific assessments pointing to the salmon’s endangered status, political considerations have delayed their official recognition as endangered. John Perley, a former fisheries director, questions why the government has not taken action to protect the dwindling salmon population.
Efforts by First Nations communities, like Kingsclear First Nation, to address the declining salmon populations have been met with challenges, including the closure of vital facilities. The complex decision-making process involving federal ministers and socio-economic factors further complicates the path to securing endangered status for the outer Bay of Fundy salmon.
The closure of the Mactaquac Biodiversity Facility raises concerns about the future of the Wolastoq salmon and the need for continued collaboration between DFO and Indigenous communities to protect this culturally and spiritually significant species.