Is Quebec managing... or is it finishing off its salmon?

Want to be frank? The 2025 report has just been released…and the results are troubling. In Quebec, in 2024 and 2025, 11 rivers saw their salmon populations fall below 100, and of those 11, 7 had fewer than 50. (Average salmon run for 2024 and 2025)

These are no longer populations. They are the last survivors. And yet…we continue to open the waters. We continue to fish. We continue to present ourselves as responsible managers.

2025 Review: Salmon Farming in Quebec 2025

But there's worse.

There's no real protocol during heat waves. No clear and systematic protection of thermal refuges. We know that warm water kills. We know that heat stress weakens fish. We know that releasing them back into the water under these conditions can be fatal. And yet…we let it happen. Why?

Because closing means losing revenue. Because slowing down activity weakens the model. Because this system depends directly on fishing for its survival.

We're no longer talking about protecting salmon. We're talking about protecting an economic model. And that's a political choice.

We talk about raising awareness. We talk about best practices. We talk about individual responsibility. But meanwhile, the key decisions aren't being made.

So let's ask the real question: who is more inconsistent? The fisherman who acts within the framework he is allowed to follow…or the governing bodies—the federation and the ministry—that maintain this framework even when all the indicators are flashing red? Because at this point, it's no longer a lack of information. The 2025 assessment is clear.

That's a lack of courage.

As long as salmon management is financed through its exploitation, there will be a conflict of interest.

And as long as we refuse to close, even in critical situations, we will not be able to conserve.

We will orchestrate the disappearance.