The History of Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) Conservation and Management in Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick, Canada

Abstract

The Kouchibouguac region, located in Atlantic Canada on New Brunswick's eastern coast was declared a provincial game refuge in 1969 and a National Park in 1979. Morone saxatilis (Striped Bass), a species of ecological and socio-economic importance, has long been considered a conservation priority within the park and the surrounding region. The creation of the National Park resulted in the closure of the region's commercial Striped Bass fishery and regulation of recreational fishery retention, turning the area into a key focal point for monitoring and conservation of Striped Bass within the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the early 1990s, the Northwest Miramichi River was confirmed as a key spawning location for Striped Bass and the likely origin of all southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Striped Bass, a discovery which would remove the burden of local Striped Bass conservation and recovery from the park. Now, following a precipitous population decline, a 13-year fishing moratorium, and an unprecedented population recovery, Striped Bass have returned in great numbers to the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. This review summarizes the history of the study of Striped Bass in Kouchibouguac National Park to prompt the continuation of research of Striped Bass under the climate of a presently recovered population. It remains possible that the recovered population could once again re-colonize spawning habitat within the rivers of Kouchibouguac National Park that may have been occupied historically.