Salmon return to eastern P.E.I. river

Salmon are spawning in Clarks Creek, east of Charlottetown, for the first time in years.

Members of the local watershed group found salmon eggs in the waters near Fort Augustus earlier this year. The group attributes the presence of the eggs to an improvement to the fish habitat.

Part of that improvement is due to work on Cape Breton Road, an unpaved section of road that runs through the area. The entire road was shut down in 2011 and work started on diverting sediment running off it and into the brook. Much of the road is now open again, but a 700-metre section was permanently closed.

"With the control in place now to prevent that extra sediment run off from the Cape Breton Road, and some other work that's done on the watershed, we have basically nowhere to go but up," said Clarence Ryan of the Pisquid River Enhancement Project.

"That's what we're hoping for."

Ryan said more spot checks on fish populations should be done to determine the health of Island waterways.

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