Hammond River Angling Association
10 Porter Rd E5N 6X1 Nauwigewauk, NB, Canada

Fish Friends Program is now Live Streaming!! Thanks to the New Brunswick Salmon Council, the Canadian Rivers Institute and the University of New Brunswick, you can now check in daily on the progress of Atlantic Salmon eggs! Go to www.youtube.com/channel/UC-m6TuuZfXL2mj9UyLKiQdg Want more on the lifecycle of the Atlantic Salmon?! Head to HRAA's YouTube channel for a video on their lifecycle, and our salmon release movie from 2020, and reach out to us for additional class materials!

Family Fishing Derby June 5th & 6th! Visit https://www.hraa.ca/fishingderby for more info!

Kids' Fishing Club Update! We had an awesome time on the weekend with a fantastic guest speaker, Rick Dean! Rick owns Maritime Memories, and is a fantastic fishing guide! Check him out at www.instagram.com/maritimem3mories or email him at [email protected] to book a guided trip! Rick helped teach the kids about fishing basics, different rod and reel combos, and a really valuable lesson on knot tying ... The kids also got to play some awesome IceBreaker games, Fish Bingo, and go on an egg hunt! Thanks Mrs. McCord for your help! We still have a couple spots open in the Fishing Club! Our next meeting is April 17th - email [email protected] for more info or to sign up!

This is a 10-12 week summer job position. Hours are weekdays between 8am and 5pm. The Lifeguard will be responsible for planning, organizing, implementing, coordinating, and supervising waterfront activities at the Hammond River Nature Camp. They will provide a safe environment for all campers and staff. They will perform safety and security checks regularly and ensure that rules and regulations are understood and followed. They will oversee the care of waterfront equipment,... including floats, first aid kit, spinal board, and other life preserving equipment. The Lifeguard will keep the waterfront tidy and clean including raking the area once per day, bringing forward lost and found items daily and removing any garbage. By participating in a nature-based summer camp, the Lifeguard will develop a knowledge of local environmental issues, flora and fauna, as well as watershed and habitat. The Lifeguard will get training in other activities related to the environmental program like fishing, tree-planting and fly-tying, among others. See more

Here's a quick video for our virtual booth at the Enjoy Life 50+ Event!

Happy World Wetlands Day! Marshes, bogs, swamps and fens - wetlands are super important for so many reasons! They help purify water, help filter pollutants, help defend against climate change by reducing greenhouse gases, help protect ecosystems from floods and droughts, they give us awesome areas to explore nature, and they are home to so many species!! ... Check out this beautiful picture of a wetland area in the Hammond watershed, from Top Notch Photography Happy #WorldWetlandsDay!

Hey Members! The faculty of Foresty and Environment Management at UNB could use your feedback on the presence of muskellunge in the Saint John (Wolastoq) River and current fishing pressures the species faces. Click the following link to complete a 5-minute anonymous survey. While muskies are technically considered invasive, they have existed in the system for nearly 60 years and have naturalized as part of the ecosystem. Currently, there are few protections in place for mus...kies, including no set fishing season, and no size limit. Many muskies are purposefully killed each year at dams and fish ladders. A study from the @Canadian Rivers Institute examined stomach content of muskies, in which they did not find any trout or salmon. This survey will help shape a resource management plan on muskies- a big, beautiful, trophy fish of a thousand casts that can help draw in new anglers and support guide businesses in the province. https://forms.gle/qCecDfFTLFfZWLnx7

Check out this Ice Fishing Post on CBC!! Our Ice Thickness Chart is getting some coverage! https://www.cbc.ca//waterways-still-unsafe-for-use-1.58843

Happy National Squirrel Day! Squirrels are nature's gardeners, and they play an important ecological role, especially in forests They love taking seeds and burying them for their winter cache, but they often forget where they've stored their seeds, leading to new tree growth! ... Ever see a squirrel rub its face on an acorn? It's actually marking the seed with its scent, to help it find it later! We know we're all feeling a little squirrely with the announcement of red phase, but don't forget the value of getting out in nature- go squirrel watching! It's bound to put a smile on your face

Awesome job Taya Wallace & the Nauwigewauk community! What a great way to spread Christmas cheer!! If you haven't checked it out yet, take a drive to the Darling's Island covered bridge and see it all lit up!! https://www.cbc.ca//darlings-island-covered-bridge-lights-

HRAA is always working hard to improve water quality and protect the waterways in our community and monitoring is a big part of how we do that! Check out this infographic to learn more about what we do and why we do it!

Today we're celebrating World Wildlife Conservation Day! Every December 4th, we celebrate Wildlife Conservation Day, to bring awareness and raise engagement about species that are endangered or under threat of extinction because of poaching, habitat loss, and other environmental factors. Check out these endangered species from New Brunswick: the Canada Lynx, Bald Eagle, Harlequin Duck, Furbish's Lousewort, Anticosti Aster, Piping Plover, and Pinedrops.... Have you seen any of these?! #wildlifeconservationday

We had a great day in the tidal portion of the Hammond River, trying out the new Clean, Catch Baits soft lures! These awesome lures are biodegradable, PVC-free, smell like garlic, and will be sure to put some big fish on your line! These were part of an exclusive offer to our HRAA members. Don't miss out on upcoming offers - become an HRAA member today!

Attention HRAA Members!! Exciting news! If you recently signed up to receive your FREE package of Clean Catch Bait Lures, they are now in our office! Stop by between 9-4pm Monday-Friday to pick up your package! Given Covid guidelines, please knock on our side door and remain outside. ... Did you miss out on this exclusive offer because you're not a member?! Sign up today! Annual membership costs are $5 for senior, $10 adult, $15 family, or $150 for a lifetime membership. You can go online to our website to sign up! https://www.hraa.ca/membership What do our members get?! Subscription to our newsletter 20% discount on renting the Center Exclusive offers, like Clean Catch Baits!

We found some lovely painted rocks around our Conservation Center! What an awesome way to brighten someone's day! Thank you to whomever left these here - they certainly put a smile on all of our faces!

We had an awesome weekend on the Hammond River, with some great volunteers, looking for Atlantic Salmon Redds! In total, we were able to find 14 redds in 4 different locations. Our field crew will be going out again this week to see if we can find more! Thank you to our sponsor, the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation, and to all the wonderful volunteers who came to help us, and we hope to see you all again next year!

We're having a great time teaching kids about the importance of water quality monitoring through our Riverkeepers with the Water Rangers test kits! We set up a table with different samples in cups: Tap Water ... Lemon Juice Salt Water Milk Coffee Vinegar Water They got to learn about water and air temperature, see the differences between each sample for pH, alkalinity, hardness, chlorine, and conductivity, and visual observations on color, to determine what was in each glass! Want to participate in our educational classes? Send us a message to [email protected] or call us at 832-1230!

We hope everyone is safe and dry this morning- what a rain! These pictures were taken at 9am this morning. We advise everyone to stay off the river. Do not approach washouts or culverts, and stay a safe distance back when taking pictures! The brown color of the water is from heavy sedimentation coming into the river- this is NOT good, especially for the success of Atlantic Salmon spawning- their redds may have become completely compacted with silt and sand. Once the water levels have dropped, and if the weather permits, our staff is going to revisit some areas where we documented salmon redds, and see how they were affected from this heavy rain

We've gone quackers at HRAA! Over the past 2 weeks, we had 11 classes come visit us at the Conservation Center, to take part in Ducks Unlimited Wetland Tours! Kids got to connect with Nature through wetland themed games and "Critter Dipping" in our pond! ... We had a blast teaching the kids about the value of wetlands, different types of ducks, and what they can do to help preserve our awesome wetlands! Thanks Ducks Unlimited!

Only 6 days left until our Annual Redd Count Event! Want to help the Atlantic Salmon? Come join us as we carefully survey the Hammond River, to see how salmon populations are doing! ... Comment below, or send us a message if you'd like to join us!

We are still looking for volunteers to help us with our annual Redd Count on November 8th! Not sure what a redd is?! Read more below!

Beautiful sunrise on the Hammond this morning... what an amazing place we live in...

Looking to Volunteer? Come join us on Nov. 8th! Please send us a message letting us know if you're interested! Check out the details below!!

Hey Everyone! Interested in volunteering and helping our Atlantic Salmon?! Now's your chance! We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help our experts with our annual Redd Count on the Hammond River on November 8th at 1pm! Comment below if you would like to be part of this exciting project, or email projects@hraa today! Not sure what a redd is?! Stay tuned- we'll have an information series coming this week!

We are hard at work assessing culverts within the Hammond River Watershed, and we need your help! Do you know of a culvert that is blocked, eroding, deformed, or does not allow fish passage? Let us know, and our knowledgeable staff will come out and assess the culvert! This project will allow us to prioritize culverts in the watershed for repair, replacement, or renovation with fish ladders!

We had a great time partnering with the Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee, planting willow stakes to help increase riparian health in the Hammond River Watershed!

That's a wrap for the 2020 electrofishing season! Huge thank you to our partner, the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation- with their help, we were able to electrofish 15 sites, identify 14 fish species, and count and document a grand total of 708 fish (including 20 Atlantic Salmon!!) This project has been essential in conserving future atlantic salmon populations through monitoring and education, and we look forward to the 2021 season!

Check out the water levels on the Hammond earlier today after last night's rainfall! We are currently working on project proposals for next year, and we want to hear from you! What projects would you like to see happen? What are your biggest concerns for the health of the Hammond River? Let us know!!

Can you tell the difference between a Brook Trout and Atlantic Salmon Parr? Proper identification can help preserve the Atlantic Salmon! - Brook Trout have blueish halos around their red spots, salmon parr have red spots in between the parr marks - Brook Trout have a square caudal (tail) fin and salmon parr have forked tail - Brook Trout have squiggly lines on their backs (vermiculations), salmon parr do not... - Brook Trout have white edges along their pelvic and pectoral fins, salmon parr do not See more

Contest Time! Can you guess how many black nose dace we found in our 15 electrofishing sites? The person who guesses the closest, without going over, will win a 1-year membership to the Hammond River Angling Association! Put your guesses below in the comments section - winner will be announced this Friday! Good Luck!!

Check out this beauty! This is one of the fish species we encountered in our electrofishing this year, in partnership with the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation!

We are pleased to partner with the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Maliseet Nation Conservation Council to help expand on their Atlantic Salmon Genomics research project within the Wolastoq/Saint John River watershed!

We had to look really, REALLY closely at this little stickleback to see if it was a threespine, fourspine, or a ninespine stickleback fish! These feisty little fish do not have scales, and they tend to prefer brackish waters. The male stickleback will build the nest out of algae and aquatic plants, and will then woo a female by doing a zigzag dance. After mating, the male will fiercely defend the nest and its young from predators!

While we were doing our electrofishing, we noticed some of the fish were covered in raised, black spots!! These spots are caused by a parasitic larvae, known as Neascus. The parasite lives in the gut of fish-eating birds, like kingfishers, herons, loons, and eagles. Parasitic eggs are then released from the bird, and hatch into free-swimming larvae, that infect snails. Once mature, the larvae leave the snails, and enter the fish host, only to begin the cycle again once the f...ish is consumed by a bird! The Neascus parasite thrives in shallow, muddy bottomed, slow moving rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds, and there is a possible link to warm, dry summers producing more parasites. While similar in nature to "Swimmer's Itch", the Neascus cannot live or survive in humans, and fish with the "black spot disease" are generally safe to consume.

Today, we give thanks and celebrate the Hammond River, for all that it provides for us, and the surrounding flora and fauna- we are all connected through the river. Happy World Rivers Day!!

Shout out to Cheryl Bartlett at Gramma's Masks!! Thanks for the lovely Fishing themed masks for the staff here at the HRAA! We love them!! Check her stuff out at https://m.facebook.com/grammasmasks