1st place
"Susan Legouffe"
legouffe@globetrotter.net

In my opinion there are many people who are concerned with the plight of the wild Atlantic salmon.
You see, I am not native to the Gaspe, I was born and raised in Northern Ontario where the greatest fishing is done on lakes, and the most common fish are lake trout and splake.
I had never really heard too much about Atlantic salmon. The only salmon I was familiar with growing up was the kind you bought in a can, then I met a Gaspesian and found myself living in a community that revolves, in large part, around this magnificient fish.
From knowing relatively nothing, I now have a much better perspective on how this fish affects my community.
To some, the salmon is just that, a salmon. It is something you fish, it is something that guarantees them a job every year, but not much more. It's always been there and most likely always will.
Then there are also groups of people who live here, but are more on the periphery of the whole issue, these people work at occupations that have nothing to do with the river.
They understand that the salmon plays an important role in their community, they also understand in large part that there are specific threats to it's continued survival. They generally don't get involved in the everyday politics of the whole thing.
Then you have another category of people who understand that the salmon is much more than a fish.
It is a renewable resource that is vital to the survival of our town and our lives as we know them to be.
With proper management and care, we can make sure that many generations to come experience the pleasures and opportunities associated with it.
They are the ones who spend a great deal of their time promoting awareness and fighting for the survival of the Atlantic salmon. These are the true heroes and advocates.
They sit on boards, which involves meetings and negotiations and trying to find a perfect balance between politics and bureaucracy and the survival of the Cascapedia River.
Dealing with the government can often be a frustrating and thankless job, but they do it to try and protect something they love, our community and the Atlantic salmon. These people also fight an uphill battle every year trying to get the big logging companies to stop ruining the river with runoff from their miss managed forestry practises.
This is also a very difficult and most times frustrating job. The logging companies represent big money in the province of Quebec, therefore the provincial government tends to make it's laws and policies in their favor.
So, every year when the logging companies come out with their proposed cutting schedules for the Cascapedia River watershed, we have a group of volunteers who attend numerous meetings trying to get the companies to respect the conditions needed to protect this very important and fragile environment.
After the meetings are over and the conditions are set, these volunteers then spend even more of their time driving upriver to make sure the conditions are met. Again, another thankless job, as the people who make their living in the woods often see this as a threat to their families well! being.
We also have a group of people who are trying to keep the salmon stocks in the River at a healthy level. They are dedicated to promoting catch and release and it's proven benefits, a salmon that is released today will, in all likelyhood, live to spawn tomorrow.
Unfortunately, there are still some guides who don't believe in catch and release.
And that's a real shame, because the guides on our river are the first line of defense for the Atlantic salmon.

They are the ones who can promote the benefits associated with conservation directly to the fisherman, and who's opinion will an angler respect more? Most anglers who come to this river do so for the love of the sport, not the trophy.
In closing, I would like to reiterate my opening opinion. I believe there are many people concerned with the plight of the wild Atlantic salmon. Can we ever thank them enough?