The Medway River Salmon Association (MRSA), founded in 2007, is a volunteer, not for profit organization, dedicated to the conservation, protection and enhancement of Atlantic salmon, trout and their habitat. An affiliate of the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Nova Scotia Salmon Association, MRSA has been active in the Non-Management Advisory Committee (DFO) and the Recreational Fisheries Advisory Committee (Inland Fisheries)
Since 2007 much of the Association’s efforts has centered around the re-population of salmon and trout within the Medway River system.
In this effort MRSA has been engaged in the following projects:
The incubation box ‘hatchery’ project. In 10 years MRSA has hatched 600,000 +/- trout eggs to fingerlings for distribution within the Medway River system. The first 3 years of the project salmon eggs were hatched and dispersed. Since 2013 the project shifted to tout eggs.
MRSA membership has assisted staff at McGowan Lake Hatchery by clipping the adipose fin of the trout since 2008. These clipped fish, totaling near 100,000, have be dispersed within the Medway River system.
In addition to the restocking MRSA membership has engaged in the following habitat enhancement projects:
MRSA membership has dispersed 40 tonne +/- limestone within the Medway River system.
MRSA membership has engaged in an Adopt-A-Highway program since 2015. Membership has cleaned litter from 40 kms of roadside and riverbank within the Medway River system.
MRSA members have installed and emptied garbage receptacles along the Medway River Road and the Mill Village car pool parking lot.
To encourage education:
MRSA membership has engaged in a Fish Friend program within the Queens County school system. Yearly aquariums are set up in the schools. Trout eggs are provided (salmon eggs until 2013) for the aquariums. Students are able to watch as the eggs grow into fingerlings. Once the fingerlings have hatched they are ready for release.
For more detail of these projects go to the ‘Projects’ tab along the menu bar.
Since 2019 MRSA has worked, along with stakeholders, towards the approval of a Salmon Recovery Project. Detail of this project can be found under ‘tab’ Salmon Recovery Project.