Margaree River Watershed Restoration and Monitoring 2026

In 2026 MSA will continue restoration work that they conduct in the tributaries of the Margaree River, as well as continue to execute the monitoring plan that began in 2023.

The in-stream restoration crew will install new restoration structures as well as inspect, and repair as needed the few hundred structures already existing in the watershed. All in-stream restoration work will be conducted with the support of Nova Scotia Salmon Association’s habitat specialist.

In addition to restoration work, the work crew will assist other community groups (Margaree Area Development Association, Margaree Salmon Museum, County of Inverness) with everyday maintenance including clearing walking trails along the river, mounting highway signage for the county, and helping with general maintenance at the Salmon Museum and local library, both of which are valued meeting places for the community of Margaree.

Field technicians will execute the monitoring plan started in 2023. These technicians will begin in the spring to prepare for the field season. Monitoring will include: eDNA collection (looking for invasive species with a focus on areas most likely to have introductions (public docks, common fishing spots), as well as general distribution across the watershed), habitat suitability assessments (7+ locations), culvert assessments (50), temperature loggers (45+), redd surveys, electrofishing (3+ tributaries- used to estimate juvenile abundance), snorkel counts (assist hatchery with broodstock collection, targeted tagging for researchers, and to understand where the most important holding pools are on the river), water quality monitoring and an angler survey posted in public places.

ASF and NSSA provide MSA with scientific expertise and aid in analysis of monitoring data to ensure that this data is being utilized to inform monitoring and adaptive restoration in the Margaree River and Atlantic Canada in general, keeping climate change impacts in mind. One example is ASF’s Salmon Conservation And Long-term Ecosystem Surveillance (SCALES) program, which aims to “Develop a network of sentinel monitoring stations across Atlantic salmon rivers and populations to monitor and study the health of rivers and populations.”

Field technicians and the MSA coordinator will also assist visiting researchers, DFO, and Inland Fisheries (hatchery) with their field work. This includes but is not limited to acoustic and radio telemetry, habitat characteristics, trap net, catching fish for study, and broodstock collection.

MSA engages with the community to show them all the work that is going into the Margaree River, and educate them on being better stewards of the river. All demographics are targeted, from adults via Facebook, Instagram, and newsletters, to children at events such as the World Rivers Day celebration, which features bouncy castles and educational activities for children.