Alarm raised after invasive smallmouth bass spotted in Miramichi

Conservationists are converging on central New Brunswickafter the confirmed identification last Thursdayof an invasive smallmouth bass in the Southwest Miramichi River.

If established the fishcould become a major threat to native Atlantic salmon in the river.

The fish was first spotted, and contained, in Miramichi Lake a decade ago.

Since then the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and conservation organizations have operated a program to prevent smallmouth bassfrom making their way from the lake into the river itself.

Spokesman Etienne ChiassonsaidDFO is now working with conservation partners to evaluate options.

"It is not clear if the smallmouth bass recently discovered below the Miramichi Lake fish barriers is an escapee from the Lake, or a new introduction, " he said. "Ultimately humans are responsible for the introduction of this species in the Miramichi River system."

Following a report thata smallmouth bass had done just that and was caughtby an angler in the river Aug. 16,Canadian Rivers Institute biologist Allen Curry conducted a snorkellingsurvey in the samearea, about eight kilometres downtstream from the mouth of a brook fed by the lake.

On Aug.22, he found and photographed one fish.

Confirmation that smallmouth bass are now in the river was greeted with alarm by Nathan Wilbur of the Atlantic Salmon Federation and Mark Hambrookof the Miramichi Salmon Federation.

They fired off a jointletter to senior Fisheries officials Serge Doucet and Doug Bliss.

"At this point all we know is that there is one fish in the river," said the letter. "This warrants immediate and intense further investigation for other individuals, multiple age classes, young-of-the-year, distribution, etc.One fish is one fish until we learn more."

The Atlantic Salmon Federation's Neville Crabbe saidthere's plenty of evidence already from research on New Brunswick's southern rivers, including theSt John, that smallmouth bass feed on young salmon.

Surveys planned

"There's a biological effect that's indisputable," Crabbe said."It would be another threat to a native population that they just don't need. It would also fundamentally change the character of the river itself."

Crabbe said that beginning Wednesday, a survey of the river using netsisplanned for the McKielBrook area, where the fish was spotted.

That will be followed by electrofishing surveys up and downstream of where Allen Curry's fish was spotted.