Monday, December 09, 2002

The Nova Scotia Acid Rain Campaign Committee, established by the Nova Scotia Salmon Association (NSSA) and the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), recently selected the West River Sheet Harbour watershed, on the province's Eastern Shore, as its first site for implementing a broad-scale liming plan to counteract the negative impacts of acid rain on the Atlantic-coast rivers.

The subcommittee that determined the most suitable candidate watershed for implementing the pilot project based its decision on a report commissioned from the Norwegian Institute for Water Studies (NIVA). Norway, a leader in acid rain mitigation, invests $20 million annually to lime streams and rivers to counter the effects of acid rain.

Dr. Atle Hindar of Norway, who prepared the report on Nova Scotia's acid rain problem, visited Nova Scotia in June 2001 to study four Southern Upland rivers which are considered representative of the region: the West and East rivers (Sheet Harbour), the LaHave, and the Medway. When Dr. Hindar delivered his final report in January 2002, he presented plans for each watershed involving various liming techniques that have been effective in Norway.

After studying the report, the subcommittee developed selection criteria, including benefits to wild salmon, cost effectiveness, benefits to other aquatic animals, chances of success, and funding potential. The West River Sheet Harbour watershed was selected for a number of reasons, including its relatively small size, its proximity to a source of lime, and evidence that a remnant population of genetically unique salmon may reside there.

The committee is also developing a long-term liming strategy, setting out criteria for prioritizing all acid rain affected rivers in the province. Watershed-wide liming is not a cheap proposition. Methods used successfully in Norway include automated "dosers" that meter out powdered lime into rivers, lake liming in the summer, using specially designed boats, and whole-watershed broadcast liming using helicopters.

Lewis Hinks, ASF's regional director for Nova Scotia, co-chairs the Acid Rain Campaign Committee and has been exploring available equipment options. "We are looking at home-grown technology," says Mr. Hinks. "We met with the Dalhousie Innovation and Design Lab and they are considering the project to determine, from an engineering standpoint, what is most suitable to the Nova Scotia situation."

The Atlantic Salmon Federation is an international, non-profit organization that promotes the conservation and wise management of the wild Atlantic salmon and its environment. ASF has a network of seven regional councils (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Maine and New England) which have a membership of more than 150 river associations and 40,000 volunteers. The regional councils cover the freshwater range of the Atlantic salmon in Canada and the United States.

For more information on the federation, please call:

Lewis Hinks

ASF Regional Director for Nova Scotia

902 275-3407 or 902 2757494 (cell)

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