Some good news this week from the Millerton trap. On Sunday 47 grilse and 25 salmon were put through the trap and on Monday 20 grilse and 17 salmon went through. Cassilis also saw a small increase with 5 grilse and 5 salmon being put through on Sunday. These fish did not have lice on them and some had been tagged earlier at the Chatham trap so is thought they were not new fish coming in but rather hanging around in a pool somewhere. It is estimated that these traps catch approximately 7% of the fish going up the river. Barriers / Traps The Dungarvon Barrier was completely wiped out on Saturday the 5^th during Tropical Storm Arthur. The upper barrier was reinstalled on the 18^th and a new fish trap was installed and staff were counting fish again on the July 24^th. As of July 5^th there were 79 fish at the barrier. DNR has sent some historical numbers of salmon arriving at the barrier from July 6^th to the 24^th – the window that the barrier was not counting salmon this year. From 2002 – 2013 an average of 151 grilse, 32 small salmon and 25 large salmon (for a total of 208 fish) arrived in that 19 day period. Only 6 new fish were counted from the 24^th-27^th (3 grilse, 1 small salmon and 1 large salmon), with all of them coming on the 26^th and 27^th. Dungarvon Barrier Counts as of July 27^th 2014

Twenty one new fish arrived at the Northwest barrier from July 21^st to the 27^th – 16 grilse, 3 small salmon and 2 large salmon. Northwest Barrier Counts as of July 27^th 2014

  Satellite Tagged Fish In May, as you may remember, we tagged 11 kelt on the Northwest Miramichi with satellite tags. One of the fish – a large female we have named Margaret – entered back into the system and hit a receiver at Cassislis on July 18^th, hit again on the 19^th at Cassilis and 5 minutes later 2 km upstream of Cassilis. MSA and ASF staff have been checking other receivers up and downstream and canoeing the river with portable receivers trying to locate her but have had no luck. If you catch her or even see her laying in a pool please let us know – the tag is easy to spot – I have attached a picture. The satellite tags are set to pop off if the fish dies (does not move) or at the end of September but will not pop off in fresh water. Therefore it is vital we find her and salvage the data. Striped Bass Just a reminder that a retention season for striped bass will open again on August 1^st and run until the 21^st. The retention limit is one fish a day with a possession limit of one – 50cm to 65cm size slot. Fishing will probably be best along the coast this time of year though we have reports of bass still being caught in the Southwest and Northwest Rivers and our trap near Chatham has been full of bass. Fredericton Dinner 19th Annual Fredericton Conservation Dinner is taking place Tuesday, September 26th at Fredericton Inn, where we are again honouring an individual who has served the cause of salmon conservation with great distinction.  It is both a pleasure and an honour to receive the Hon. Keith Ashfield, Member of Parliament for Fredericton and past Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada as our special guest, and we look forward to his message regarding the importance of the wild Atlantic salmon to New Brunswick, both in economic and environmental terms. For tickets, please contact Jo-Anne Linton at jo-anne@miramichisalmon.ca; or call 506-457-2220.