Margaree Salmon Association

The Margaree Salmon Association, established in 1982, is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation, protection, enhancement and habitat of Atlantic salmon and trout. Since its founding, the Margaree Salmon Association has established itself as the voice for the salmon resource and salmon conservation on the Margaree River, including being a lobbying force on behalf of the Margaree Fish Hatchery. An affiliate of the Atlantic Salmon Federation,(ASF), and the Nova Scotia Salmon Association,(NSSA), the MSA has been an active participant in the Regional Fisheries Advisory Committee,(RFAC), the Zonal Management Advisory Committee,(ZEMAC) and the Collaborative Fishing Initiative,(CSI Cape Breton), which is chaired/managed by Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources. The association was also involved in the nomination and eventual designation of the Margaree River-Lake Ainslie System as a Canadian Heritage River. Through armour rock bank stabilization programs and the construction of flow diverters and tree revetments, much of the Association’s efforts have centered on habitat restoration and repair. More recently, the association has put more focus on the tributaries feeding the main river which are, in reality, the river’s “hatcheries”. This work has been carried out in partnership with a variety of government agencies as well as the NS Adopt-A-Stream Program, administered by NSSA. Due to the support of our membership, the river and its salmon resource have taken on a spiritual life of their own. Both yearly and occasional visitors, having come under the spell of the river, have felt compelled to do what they can to preserve the river and its salmon by whatever means they are able, whether physically or financially.