Search

The salmon are returning from the sea. It's up to us to give it a chance.

Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jun 7
7 min read

When the survival of the salmon still depends on us

The first week of salmon fishing for the 2026 season is now behind us. Yet, once again, social media is flooded with photos of salmons completely out of the water for a few seconds of fame.

What is even more concerning is that many of the most important measures to reduce the impacts on salmon survival during their upstream migration remain unclear, incomplete, or simply unofficial at the Quebec level. Yet, in a context where smolt returns are historically low and the exact causes of mortality at sea continue to be studied, every spawning adult that reaches the river represents a valuable resource.

We know that the main factors responsible for the decline of Atlantic salmon are likely at sea. However, until these causes are fully understood and addressed, it makes sense to do everything possible to maximize the survival chances of the salmon that manage to return to spawn in our rivers. Every spawning fish lost today is a fish that will not participate in tomorrow's reproduction.

Meanwhile, clear messages on best practices are slow to arrive. The Federation's (FQSA) only significant announcement so far concerns the crushing of barbs. Yes, you read that right. The measure that probably has the least impact on salmon survival when compared to fight duration, out-of-water handling, heat protocols, or the use of appropriate equipment has become the first major awareness campaign of the season.

For its part, the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks had the audacity to impose mandatory catch and release for all Atlantic salmon in Quebec. However, some exceptions remain on certain rivers, as if there were still a fear of treating all rivers equally. Once again, this demonstrates that, for many stakeholders, protecting a culture, tradition, or folklore seems to take precedence over protecting the salmon itself. Yet, without salmon, there will be no more salmon culture, no more tradition, and no more folklore. Only memories will remain.

While the main problems lie at sea, long-term solutions must also come from the sea. But until we identify and address these causes, the very least we can do is protect as many of the salmon that still manage to return to our rivers as possible. Every spawning salmon lost today reduces the chances of recovery tomorrow.

The measures that should be prioritized

If the goal is truly to protect the resource, here are the measures that should be prioritized, particularly in rivers that are not reaching their egg-laying threshold, but also in those that are just barely reaching it. When a river is already not producing enough eggs to ensure optimal population renewal, caution should always prevail.

1. Complete suspension of salmon harvesting, including subsistence fisheries

Every salmon that survives has the opportunity to participate in reproduction. When runs are low, a few dozen additional spawners can make a significant difference for the next generation. When several rivers are no longer reaching their spawning threshold or are barely reaching it, no harvest should be considered negligible. Protecting the resource must take precedence over all types of harvesting, whether for sport, commercial, or subsistence purposes. (Native Fishery)

A declining population makes no distinction between different types of harvesting. Each salmon that escapes harvesting retains its reproductive potential and increases the river's chances of recovery.

2. Comprehensive protection of spawning and migrating salmon

Large salmon often carry the majority of a river's eggs, and migrating salmon are exceptional survivors that can return to spawn a second or even a third time. Unlike a smolt that leaves the river and whose return is never guaranteed, a migrating salmon is already a confirmed survivor of mortality at sea. Each protected migrating salmon represents a real opportunity to add an extra spawner during a future run.

With the recruitment of new breeders dependent on an increasingly uncertain return of smolts, the protection of migrating salmon is one of the few measures capable of offering a relatively rapid gain for the population.

3. Closure of fishing during periods of heat and severe low water levels

When water reaches critical temperatures or flows become extremely low, salmon are already struggling for survival.

During periods of extreme heat, salmon gather in thermal refuges, areas of cooler water that allow them to survive otherwise deadly conditions. Any disturbance then becomes problematic. Fishing, but also swimming, canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, repeated river crossings, or even a significant presence on the banks near these refuges can cause stress and drive salmon away. When a salmon is forced to leave a thermal refuge, even temporarily, it is often compelled to return to much warmer water. In the most critical situations, this simple disturbance can become a fatality.

Above 20°C, salmon already experience significant physiological stress. Their ability to recover after a fight decreases rapidly, and the risk of mortality after release increases considerably.

Every angler should carry a thermometer, just like pliers or a knotless landing net. When the water level approaches or exceeds critical thresholds, sometimes the best course of action for salmon fishing is to leave the rod in the vehicle.

4. Maximum reduction of combat time

Even under favorable conditions, a prolonged fight causes extreme exhaustion, a buildup of lactic acid, and significantly increases the fish's recovery time.

Using appropriate equipment, avoiding unnecessary fights and quickly bringing the fish under control are simple steps that increase its chances of survival.

5. It should be forbidden to remove salmon from the water

Salmon continue to breathe underwater. Every second spent out of the water increases their stress level, compromises their recovery, and increases the risk of post-release mortality.

6. Limit handling and use of knotless landing nets

The less you handle the fish, the less damage you cause to its protective mucus, fins, eyes, and scales. Using a knotless landing net significantly reduces injuries during capture and release. Conversely, nets with knots can abrade the salmon's skin, tear away some of its protective mucus, and cause potentially serious injuries.

These injuries may seem minor at first glance, but they act as veritable entry points for bacteria, fungi, and various diseases. An abrasion caused by a knotted landing net can be compared to an open wound that increases the fish's vulnerability in the days or weeks following its release.

7. Reduction in the number of fishing days

This measure should be particularly considered on rivers that do not reach their minimum egg-laying threshold or that struggle to reach it year after year.

Reducing the number of fishing days does not solve the problem on its own, but it does reduce the pressure on an already weakened population.

8. Mandatory use of single hooks

Single hooks generally cause less injury, are easier to remove, and reduce the risk of damage to gills, eyes, and vital organs.

9. Mandatory Barbless Hooks

This measure facilitates unhooking and reduces certain injuries. It is beneficial and should be applied everywhere. However, its impact on salmon survival remains much more limited than that of previous measures.

A responsibility that belongs to us

No one claims that these measures alone will solve the many problems facing ocean salmon. Climate change, declining biomass, bycatch, predation, and several other factors continue to put significant pressure on the species. However, when smolt return rates fall below 0.2%, when many rivers struggle to reach their spawning threshold, and when some have fewer than 50 or 100 spawners, every salmon that survives becomes critically important.

The urgent matter is no longer debating whether the situation is worrying. The figures speak for themselves. The urgent matter is to act while there are still enough breeding adults to ensure the natural reproduction of our rivers.

Unfortunately, despite the scale of the crisis, many of the most important measures remain voluntary, incomplete or non-existent on a large part of Quebec's rivers.

In this context, the salmon's first line of defense is neither a federation, nor an association, nor even a ministry. It is the angler on the riverbank. Every time a fisherman decides to put away his rod because the water is too warm, to keep a salmon in the water for the photo, to shorten a fight, to avoid a thermal refuge or simply to give up fishing when conditions become critical, he is taking a concrete step for the survival of the species.

We cannot control what happens in the North Atlantic, the Strait of Belle Isle, or the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We cannot control ocean temperature, changes in the biomass on which salmon depend, bycatch at sea, predation, or the many other threats they face during their time in the ocean.

However, we can control what happens at home, on our rivers.
We can choose not to fish when the water temperature exceeds 20°C.
We can keep the salmon in the water during the photos.
We can use a knotless draw, crush our barbs, shorten our fights and avoid disturbing thermal shelters.
We can also adapt fishing pressure on the most fragile rivers and provide more protection for spawning fish that still manage to return.

None of these measures, taken individually, will save the Atlantic salmon. But together, they can make a real difference for the fish that have already survived all the hardships of the sea and managed to return to our rivers. When returns are as low as they are today,

Each spawning adult counts.
Every female that reaches her spawning ground counts.
Every downstream salmon that survives counts.
Every fish that escapes unnecessary stress counts.

We have very little control over what happens thousands of kilometers from our rivers. On the other hand, we have almost total control over how we treat the salmon right in front of us. And in the current context, that responsibility has never been more important.

Today, more than ever, being a salmon fisherman should not just be a privilege. It should be a responsibility. Because without salmon, there will be nothing left to manage, nothing left to protect, and nothing left to pass on to future generations.

Two striking examples from the regions most affected by the decline of Atlantic salmon are the Sainte-Marguerite River in the Saguenay region and the Trinity River on the North Shore. Despite their status as reference rivers for population monitoring, both are now experiencing historically low salmon returns.

Table 1. Trinity River, North Shore (Reference River)