Concerns raised over new sportfishing regulations aimed to curb invasive species

Just months after a pilot project was launched to reduce the spread of invasive chain pickerel and smallmouth bass, rules around tossing the fish back have expanded provincewide.

Anyone fishing under a sportfishing licence this year will have to agree to retain chain pickerel, meaning the fish will have to be euthanized when caught and then taken with the angler when they leave. 

There are also new restrictions on tossing back smallmouth bass. In the southwestern half of the province, they can be released in all watersheds except the western branch of the Lahave River, an area that was a part of the pilot project in 2024.

In waters east of Highway 102 from the junction of Highway 104, 118, 107, and 328, smallmouth bass must be euthanized and retained when caught. The move is meant to address concerns about the smallmouth bass spreading to areas where salmon habitats are at risk. 

"We know that eradication through angling removals is not possible," said Andrew Lowles, a resource manager with the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. "Rather, the intent here is to reduce the pressure.

"The science demonstrates clearly that when you reduce the number of individuals in a population … their impact, their desire to move and to spread, is reduced."

Smallmouth bass were found in Lake Ainslie 20 years ago and have since been spreading into the Margarees, one of the few places still available for salmon fishing in Nova Scotia. 

Paul McNeil, president of the Margaree Salmon Association, said a smallmouth bass was found last year in a salmon trap lower in the Margaree than they'd ever seen one before. He's hopeful the new regulations will help.

"We know that [smallmouth bass] have expanded their territory," said McNeil.

"We're hoping that trout stocks will improve back to where they used to be and we're certainly hoping that the salmon stocks will maintain what we have today."

Smallmouth bass were introduced to Nova Scotia legally in the 1940s. It was an attempt to try to boost sportfishing after logging and damming hurt native fish stocks. 

While there are specific places smallmouth bass can still be released, chain pickerel must be retained across the province. That's a concern for professional fishing guide Matthew Szeto.

Szeto primarily fishes chain pickerel and smallmouth bass in Kinsac Lake, the Stewiacke River, as well as saltwater in the Antigonish area. He's also the president of the Nova Scotia Guide Service.

He believes he and other guides will lose business from the changes. 

"A lot of my clients that come with me are strictly catch-and-release (anglers).… They're uncomfortable with killing any fish, especially if it was unnecessary," said Szeto.

Szeto is disappointed in the lack of consultation on the changes. An online petition against the new regulations has garnered more than 500 signatures. 

Anglers will have to agree to the new regulations upon purchasing a sportfishing licence this year.