Rising water temperatures lead to salmon river closures in eastern Newfoundland

Dangerously high water temperatures have closed several salmonangling rivers in Newfoundland and Labrador as officials watch water levels and salmon mortality rates across the province.

According to a media release issued this week by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, eight rivers were closed to day anglers due to rising water temperatures over a three-day period. The rivers range across angling zones 5 and 6, including rivers in Port Blandford, Trinity Bay, Alexander Bay, Trinity Bonavista Bay and Indian Bay, A full list of closures can be found in the 2021 Anglers' Guide.

Jackie Kean,resource manager responsible for inland fisheries and marine mammals at DFO, said the rivers were closed to help minimize stress on salmon and protect mortality rates in warmer waters.

"If the water temperatures exceed 20 degrees Celsius over two to three days, we'll consider closing that river to angling." Kean told CBC Radio'sThe Broadcast. "We'll take into consideration the water levels, and we'll also look at the long-range forecast before we make any decision on closing."

While the rivers are closed during the day, Kean said affected rivers are still open to morning angling from one hour before sunrise to 10 a.m. as water temperatures are often cooler in the morning hours.

Along with water temperatures, Kean said officials are also closely monitoring water levels affected by a dry summer across Newfoundland. A total of 43 of 186 salmon angling rivers are closed.

While that's not unusual, Kean said, it's worth keeping an eye on as the calendar moves through August.

"This time last year, there was 76 rivers closed. We had 127 rivers closed at some point last season," she said.

"If you go back to 2019, we had 43 rivers closed for the whole season. It's all weather-dependent, it all has to do with the environment. We heard the news last night we're getting a bit of a heat wave on some parts of the island. So that's going to definitely have an impact on the rivers."

If anglers do want to use the rivers during the morning hours, Kean said, they should check the status of the river before heading out.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador