Le Bel was born in Rimouski, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, and has spent most of his life in the area. He even studied biology at the University of Québec’s Rimouski campus to earn a bachelor’s degree in 1974. During his childhood, he also spent significant time fishing smelt at the mouth of the river.

“It was there that I had my first contact with Atlantic salmon,” said le Bel. “While fishing during a very high tide, a magnificent large female salmon made a round trip in front of our lines. The water was pale green, and I can still see it clearly in my head over 60 years later.”

Le Bel initially pursued a passion for ornithology – the study of birds – and took a position in the summer of 1974 doing an inventory of birds found in Forillon National Park. That led to a position with Wildlife Québec which saw him carrying out inventories of white-tailed deer and moose. In 1976 he took on another position with Wildlife Québec which saw him working on aquatic wildlife and birds in Gaspésie and the Madeline Islands.

“In 1980, salmon management was regionalized and I became coordinator of the management of salmon stocks in the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie rivers in collaboration with biologists from five local offices,” said le Bel. “Those two rivers produced 60% of the fishing days in Québec in those days.”

Le Bel worked with Wildlife Québec on conducting river assessments which then informed management decisions. In the 1990s, he also served as coordinator of a joint federal/provincial economic development program which saw the investment of $24 million into rivers in the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie areas.

He retired in 2010 and soon after received an invitation to join the Foundation for Conservation of Atlantic Salmon as a member of the Québec Advisory Committee. His extensive knowledge of the rivers of Québec made him an ideal candidate.

“Investments in salmon development projects are important to me,” said le Bel. “The Foundation is a relevant tool to do this.”

During his time serving on the Committee, he has helped to facilitate the funding of a wide variety of projects on Québec rivers. He has been particularly happy, however, to see projects that open new salmon spawning areas in Rimouski, La Mitis and the Madeleine rivers.

“The salmon runs can be carried out by means of a migratory pass or transport by truck,” said le Bel. “After a few years, these prove to be a good investment that benefit salmon stocks.”

Le Bel lives in Rimouski to this day.