PROVIDENCE BAY—Spawning salmon are once again able to access the Mindemoya River, after the access to the mouth of the river was opened through a partnership of the municipality of Central Manitoulin and the Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association (MSIA). This has become an annual event.
“The work was carried out last Friday, in partnership with the municipality of Central Manitoulin,” said Seija Deschenes, program coordinator with MSIA. She noted the work was conducted under an approved Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry work permit, which is in place until 2026, when a new permit application will be submitted.
“We monitor the river and water flow, and in early September there was still access for the salmon, and they were able to access the mouth of the river,” said Ms. Deschenes. “We had been in contact with the municipality which had been conducting work on the beach in the same area. They had their machinery down there, so they opened the access dam last Friday, October 4. We are coming to the end of the chinook salmon spawn run, but we still have coho salmon coming in.”
The Central Manitoulin website stated, “A cleaned excavator was used to pull sand out of the mouth of the river and it was deposited on the adjacent beach. Wave action and a low flow rate of the Mindemoya River allows sand to build up at the mouth of the river during critical spawning times. This work will allow Coho and Chinook salmon to migrate into the river system to spawn. The work will enhance the fisheries around Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron and positively contribute to the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of the area.”
“We will monitor the access over the next month to see if a second dredging needs to take place,” added Ms. Deschenes.
