Cape Breton’s Margaree River closed to fishing due to recent heat wave, dry spell

The Margaree River in Cape Breton is too warm and running too low to allow for fishing.

The famed Margaree River in Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Highlands is currently closed to fishing.

The river levels are too low, and the water is too warm.

“We’ve had temperatures exceed 26C on parts of the river, so the decision was made to close the river,” said Paul MacNeil, president of the Margaree Salmon Association.

The decision was made July 17, when the Island was in the middle of a heat wave and at the tail end of a long dry spell.

With the rock bed still visible in parts of the shallow water, and salmon fishing critical to the area, the river remains closed to fishing.

“Basically, we’re trying to protect the salmon and by closing the whole river we hope that any incidental mortality from catching and releasing salmon will be alleviated by us closing the whole river for a period of time,” said MacNeil.

While river closures are not unheard of in the Margaree, MacNeil said one particular section of the river – known locally as Section 2 – is closed for the first time in the Salmon Association’s history.

“Well, it’s challenging for sure for the tourism industry,” said Destination Cape Breton CEO Terry Smith.

The Margaree River attracts anglers from around the world, which is why Destination Cape Breton recently did a niche market focus on sport fishers. It included trying to raise awareness about other bodies of water on the Island such as the Baddeck River, Middle River and Lake Ainslie among others.

“It’s certainly developmental,” said Smith of the initiative. “The Margaree is certainly the pinnacle of where people want to come, but there’s an education process to letting people know that there are other sport fishing areas on the Island.”

MacNeil said the river is still open for things like swimming and tubing.

“We’ve had recent rain which may change that this coming week,” he said. “There may be another call by Friday where we’ll decide whether or not to keep it closed or to reopen portions of the river.”

The longer-term hope is the river will fully rebound come peak salmon-fishing season in October.

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