Governor General visits Natoaganeg First Nation to learn about Miramichi River, Atlantic salmon

Natoaganeg First Nation, NB – On Thursday, June 6th, Governor General Mary Simon and her husband Whit Fraser visited Natoaganeg First Nation to learn about one of Canada’s most productive Atlantic salmon watersheds – the Miramichi.

The Governor General spoke with leaders from Natoaganeg First Nation, the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council’s Anqotum Resource Management department, and the Atlantic Salmon Federation about the river’s conservation challenges including hyperabundant striped bass.

“I am more than happy to welcome the Governor General to Natoaganeg, to see the important work that the team at Anqotum Resource Management has been contributing to the Miramichi Watershed over the years,“ said Jim Ward, General Manager of the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council.

“She saw first-hand the strength of conservation partnerships and heard about the challenge and opportunity presented by striped bass, which prey heavily on native fish species, but also provide food, jobs, and income, especially through the Mi’kmaq commercial fishery,” said Bill Taylor, President of the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

After the meeting, the Governor General and her team visited the wharf where Natoagenag fishers land and process striped bass caught in the community’s commercial fishery. She heard about the limitations to investing in processing and storage capacity because of the year-to-year licenses issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and observed striped bass packed on ice, ready for shipment.

“I’ve been Chief in Natoaganeg for 28 years now, and there hasn’t been a day that salmon is not on our radar. The Mi’gmaq have an important relationship with Plamu that stretches back millennia. We sprouted from this land and have been here as long as the rivers and the salmon,” said Chief George Ginnish, Natoaganeg First Nation.

During her visit, Governor General Simon empathized with the situation facing wild Atlantic salmon in the Miramichi, relating her experience growing up and working in a family-owned salmon camp on the George River in northern Quebec.

Click here for a gallery of downloadable images from the Governor General’s visit to Natoaganeg: https://nsmtc.ca/governor-general-visit-gallery

For media inquiries, please contact:
Vanessa McLaughlin

Communications Officer, North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council

vanessamclaughlin@nsmtc.ca | 506.210.1705