Visit the Grand Falls-Windsor
Salmonid Interpretation Centre
and Fishway
Watch Atlantic salmon migrate
upstream by viewing them through
underwater observation windows
on the lower deck of the Salmonid
Intepretation Centre, just 4 kilometres
south of Grand Falls-Windsor on
the Exploits River. Open from
mid-June to early September, the
Centre also features exhibits
of the history, biology, ecology
and habitat of Atlantic salmon,
and highlights one of the largest
salmon enhancement projects in
North America.
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A Spectacular Surge
in Salmon
For Atlantic salmon, migrating inland from
the North Atlantic Ocean, the cool, swift-flowing
waters and rocky riverbeds of Newfoundland's
largest watershed offer ideal spawning conditions.
But prior to the 1950's, only about 10% of
the Exploits River and its tributaries functioned
as Atlantic salmon habitat. Natural barriers,
such as the 43-metre waterfall at Grand Falls,
and man-made obstacles - hydroelectric power
plants at Grand Falls and Bishop's Falls and
a dam at Red Indian Lake - prevented the salmon
from using all but the lower part of the waterway.
A thriving Exploits commercial salmon fishery
in the 1700's and 1800's was concentrated
at the mouth and lower stretch of the River,
with nets and weirs used to block the upstream
run. Aggressive harvesting techniques near
the coast were so successful that by the 1870's
stocks of salmon were showing signs of serious
decline. The development of the pulp and paper
industry at the lower end of the River in
the early 1900's halted the commercial salmon
fishery before the Exploits' stocks were completely
destroyed.
Throughout much of the 20th century, the Exploits
salmon run remained unremarkable. But In the
past few decades it has increased dramatically,
from a few hundred to as many as 33,000 in
the late 1990's. The Exploits is now one of
the most outstanding salmon rivers in North
America, part of a legendary Newfoundland
group of waterways that also includes the
Gander and the Humber. The remarkable surge
in Exploits salmon is the result of several
enhancement initiatives throughout the watershed:
• Fishway Installations -
Since 1960, fishways have been built at Great
Rattling Brook, Noel Paul's Brook, Bishop's
Falls, Grand Falls and Red Indian Lake, providing
spawning salmon with access to the lower,
middle and upper sections of the Exploits.
• Stocking and Transfer - Between
1957 and 1965, 3,000 spawning salmon were
transferred to the upper reaches of the Exploits,
and ongoing stocking programs using both adults
and fry have resulted in successful salmon
colonization of several stretches of the river.
• Commercial Fishing Moratorium -
The termination of the northern cod fishery
in 1992 eliminated the by-catch of Atlantic
salmon in cod fishing gear, resulting in a
surge of migrating salmon into freshwater
inland rivers.
• Pollution Control
- Secondary waste water treatment at the
Grand Falls pulp and paper plant, introduced
in 1995 downstream of the Grand Falls fishway,
has improved water quality by reducing suspended
solids and biological oxygen demand (BOD).
• Sport Fishery Management - Strictly
enforced bag limits and catch-and-release
policies are applied throughout the watershed.
Retention limits are adjusted to reflect annual
salmon runs.
A
Bog Full of Bakeapples
Plump, juicy, and packed with
vitamin C, the golden orange berries
of the wild bakeapple plant ripen
in the bogs of the Newfoundland
interior each summer. Single white
5-petalled flowers appear on the
plant early in the season, followed
by a raspberry-shaped fruit that
ripens from red to yellow-orange.
The bakeapple plant, a member
of the rose family, prefers the
acidic soil of peatland bogs,
and is closely related to the
raspberry, blackberry, and thimbleberry.
Bakeapples are highly prized for
use in jams and tarts, and are
considered to be a delicacy of
Newfoundland and Labrador cuisine.
In Scandinavia, bakeapples are
known as cloudberries. |
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Caribou Country
With its dense stands of mature spruce forests,
abundant supply of lichens and low-growing
shrubs, and balanced blend of uplands, lowlands
and wetlands, the Exploits River valley provides
an ideal habitat for caribou. The province
of Newfoundland is home to the world's most
southerly herd of woodland caribou, one of
7 subspecies of caribou found worldwide.
While woodland caribou numbers in western
regions of Canada's boreal forests have dwindled
to the point of endangerment (due to timber
harvesting, oil and gas exploration, mining
and other development), Newfoundland's caribou
herds have remained robust. East of the Exploits
River, in the province's 2,895 square kilometre
Bay Du Nord Wilderness Reserve, 15,000 - 20,000
woodland caribou of the Middle Ridge herd
breed and winter on the rugged terrain. The
total caribou population of Newfoundland is
estimated to be 60,000 - 100,000, with more
than 15 herds roaming the island. Once found
only in the dense forests of the interior,
the antlered animals are now frequently sighted
along busy roadsides and populated coastlines.
Miracle
Moss
Although it is commonly known
by the misnomers "caribou
moss" or "reindeer moss,"
the dietary staple of the woodland
caribou is actually a lichen.
The low-growing, foamy, gray-green,
sponge-like plant that grows throughout
Newfoundland (and around the globe
in arctic and northern temperate
regions) is a "fruticose"
lichen, with a structure that
resembles a miniature tree or
shrub. It is composed of both
an alga and a fungus. The alga
produces chlorophyll, and the
fungus is made up of spongy threads
that keep the plant from drying
out.
The tissues of caribou moss
can survive cold temperatures
and low light conditions, allowing
it to survive beneath the snow.
The plant is low in protein
content, but high in carbohydrates,
providing caribou with the energy
they need to survive long, cold
Newfoundland winters.
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In the Exploits River valley, and throughout
Newfoundland, human hunters are the woodland
caribou's most significant predators. The
optimal habitat conditions that produce trophy-sized
animals also attract big game hunters from
far and wide. (Newfoundland is one of the
few locations in the world in which sport
hunting for caribou is permitted. Success
rates approach 100%, but non-residents must
be accompanied by licensed guides.)
Black bears and lynx also prey on caribou,
but the most deadly natural threat to the
province's herds disappeared in the 1930's,
when the Newfoundland wolf became extinct.
Caribou Characteristics
•
Woodland caribou are members of the deer family.
Other caribou subspecies around the world
include barren-ground, Svalbard, European,
Finnish forest reindeer, Greenland, and Peary.
• The woodland caribou is short
and stocky, with a flat muzzle and prominent
antlers. Its summer coat is dark brown, with
a white neck, chest, belly and rump. The white
mane of the males becomes more pronounced
during breeding season. The caribou's coat
fades to grayish-white during the winter.
Big Game Balance
With about 120,000 moose, 80,000
caribou, and 5,000 black bear
roaming the forests of Newfoundland,
big game hunting is both a way
of life and a thriving commercial
business. Each year, provincial
government big game managers use
information derived from aerial
surveys and annual hunter reports
to determine population numbers
and trends. Hunting license quotas
are set, based on a balance between
the mortality rate and the "recruitment
rate" (the number of animals
being produced and surviving to
adulthood). Quotas are adjusted
so that target populations will
be achieved over a 10-year period. |
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• Woodland caribou are about 1.2 metres
tall, and 1.8 metres in length. Males (bulls)
weigh on average, 180 kilograms, females (cows)
average 130 kilograms. In Newfoundland, where
environmental conditions are optimal, males
can grow to weigh 250 kilograms.
• Caribou are the only members of the
deer family in which both sexes grow antlers.
Mature bulls shed their antlers after breeding
season in early winter, while young bulls
drop theirs in mid-winter. Cows retain their
antlers during the winter, dropping them in
the spring when calving is completed. The
antler racks of both bulls and cows are large
and intricate, but the bull's antlers are
larger than a cow's, growing to a width of
1 - 1.2 metres.
• Unlike barren-ground
caribou that migrate vast distances in large
herds, woodland caribou live in small bands
and inhabit a limited territorial range.
• The woodland caribou is an herbivore
(plant-eater). Its diet consists of ground
and tree lichens, shrubs and grasses, with
60% -70% of its calorie intake provided by
lichens.
• The woodland caribou is highly adapted
to rugged terrain and harsh winter weather.
Its keen sense of smell allows it to detect
snow-covered lichens, and its digestive system
contains microorganisms that enable it to
process large quantities of the carbohydrate-rich
plants. Its large, crescent-shaped hooves
allow it to maintain balance and speed over
snow and muskeg, to paddle quickly through
rivers, streams and bogs, and to dig through
deep snow to reach winter food. Short, fur-covered
ears, a short tail, and a coat of hollow air
minimize heat loss and provide excellent insulation
in cold temperatures, and a slowed metabolism
reduces wintertime energy requirements.
Protecting
the White Pine
Forestry and fungus - in central
Newfoundland, both have contributed
to a major decline in the once-dominant
white pine. Aggressive harvesting
in the early 20th century, combined
with the a lethal parasite fungus
known as white pine blister rust,
has devastated much the region's
remaining white pine.
In 1999, the provincial government
introduced a white pine protection
policy, designed to prevent
further decline of the tree
species. The policy calls for
all juvenile white pine in pre-commercial
thinning areas to be left standing
and for white pine reforestation
in mixture with other species.
The protection measures also
provide for continued research
into blister rust management,
a moratorium placed on the issuing
of any new commercial permits
for white pine harvesting, a
moratorium on harvesting of
white pine by domestic cutters
on both Crown and industry limits,
and the possible establishment
of protected white pine preservation
areas. |
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• Woodland caribou have a low reproductive
rate compared to other ungulates such as
moose, deer and elk. Most cows give birth
to only 1 calf per season. Calves weigh
approximately 5 kilograms at birth, but
double their weight within 10 days.
• Woodland caribou can live up to 15
years, but their average lifespan is just
under 5 years. |
