P.E.I. trout angler calling on province to better protect fish and waterways

It's been 60-something years now, but Melvin Arsenault still remembers it as if it were yesterday. He was six years old, fishing on Point Deroche Pond off P.E.I.'s North Shore,reeling in all kinds of trout.

"You could almost fill a boatful of them," he said. "It was very good fishing all the time."

But things seem different now, he said.

"The last three years I fished it, there's hardly any. I think I caught five trout in about 15 trips. One time, I would catch 100 in that many trips."

Arsenault said he thinks the shift he's experiencing has to do with the state of the waterway.

Point Deroche Pond has a history ofblue-green algae, whichcan produce toxins with nasty side effects. The algaelikecalm water; Arsenault said there used to be more of a current flowing through the area but that's changed too.

Longtime angler and watershed group call for better protections for P.E.I. waterways

11 days ago

Duration 2:25

Fish stocks seem to be diminishing in Point Deroche Pond, near Tracadie Harbour on P.E.I.'s North Shore. CBC's Sheehan Desjardins spoke with angler Melvin Arsenault and Raena Parent from the Winter River-Tracadie Bay Watershed Association about what's happening in the water there.

"It flowed from the east to the west here at the bridge and there was a good flow of water because it was flowing out to Tracadie Bay so it kept moving the water," Arsenault said.

"Now it's stopped."

No evidence trout declining, says province

The local watershed protection group in the area agreeswater flow is an issue,and one that can affect the ecosystem.

"If there is any sediment runoff that's coming in or sometimes streams are just moving sediment and they might get stuck along the way then all of that's just going to pile up and stay in one place," said Raena Parent with the Winter River-TracadieBay Watershed Association.

"Sadly, right now that seems to be where it's headingDeroche Pond."

Parent said there appears to be more beavers this year too, so workers have been busy dismantling dams.

Some experts say beavers should be left alone when possible, so it's a tricky balance.An artificialchannel to Tracadie Bay could also get blocked by debris and affect the water flowthat way.

As for the number of fish, Parent said the watershed group hasn't noticed anything specifically, but it doesn't currently have the resources to track population numbers.

Meanwhile, P.E.I.'s freshwater fisheries biologist said she has no evidence to suggest the trout population has changed drastically in Point Deroche Pond or other areas of the Island.

"I have other people that tell me that they catch fish out there as they have before," said Rosie MacFarlane."I don't have specific concerns about Point Deroche."

'Do more work for the environment'

MacFarlane said the province does have a small stocking program. Typically, they put young brook trout in rivers that are heavily angled, have experienced a fish kill, or are going to be hosting big fishing events.

Arsenault wants to see the province restock Point Deroche Pond, but MacFarlane said that's not something the province would do.

"The small amount of fish that I could put in there, they would just disappear," she said."If someone wants a sudden impact on fish stock, you're not going to see it in a water body that size."

Still, Arsenault feels more needs to be done. He goes fishing with his grandson these days and said that while they do manage to catch some good trout on the Island, it's hard work finding them.

"I can't show my grandson what I caught here," he said, pointing to the water in Point Deroche Pond.

"Do more work for the environment ... If we don't help the trout population, it's gonna go down more."