The origin of the striped bass in Quebec is somewhat complex. It is important to understand that there are two distinct populations of striped bass in Quebec. The first population, which is the biggest, is the one located in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Those fish spawn in the Northwest Miramichi River in New Brunswick. In the summer, they move to Quebec, mainly in zone 21, as illustrated in the image below.
This same population is also present along the coasts of Nova Scotia, giving it an impressive distribution. Since 2010, these fish seem to have a growing affection for Quebec's coasts. As a result, there are more and more people joining this fishery.
The second population has been introduced in the St. Lawrence River. This population slightly complicated things. The reintroduction of the striped bass in the St. Lawrence River is at the heart of many research, controversies and lively discussions. To fully understand the situation, let's begin with a bit of history. Striped bass natives from the St. Lawrence River population are now extinct. In the middle of the 20th century, striped bass fishing was very good. At the time, these basses spawned in Lake Saint-Pierre in the fall and spent the winter there. In the summer, they moved down the river and stayed mainly between Quebec and Kamouraska. Fishermen from all over the province came to catch this magnificent fighting fish. Back then, there was even a strong commercial fishery. However, major dredging activities on the river began, destroying several critical striped bass’ habitats. This had the effect of concentrating the fish in certain areas, making them more vulnerable to fishing pressure. The magic of mankind inevitably occurred and the population of the river disappeared.
Shortly after, a reintroduction program began where juvenile striped bass have been captured from the Miramichi River, to be bred at the Baldwin Mills fish hatchery in Estrie. To situate ourselves, let's go with a few dates:
• 1900 to 1950 — The species flourished. Between 5 and 50 tons of striped bass are caught annually for commercial fishing.
• 1955 — Drastic drop in the number of striped basses.
• 1996 — The province of Quebec designated the striped bass population of the Saint Lawrence as extirpated.
• 2002-2007 — Striped basses are caught in the Miramichi River to be cultured to maturity at the Baldwin Mills Fish hatchery. They are then released into the St. Lawrence River.
• 2008 —Spawning confirmed in the Rivière du Sud at Montmagny.
Since that time, other spawning grounds have been confirmed and the reintroduction of the striped bass seems to be going well. In fact, the range of the new St. Lawrence River population may be larger than the old one. Catches have been reported in Montreal as well as on the Côte-Nord. Did you know that the striped bass can travel more than 40 km per day!? It is realistic to believe that one day we will be able to fish for stripers all over Quebec.
Sources and links:
https://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_bar_raye_striped_bass_1213a_e.pdf
https://www.cosewic.ca/index.php/en-ca/news-and-events/press-release-striped-bass-nov-2019
http://planstlaurent.qc.ca/en/state_monitoring/monitoring_sheets/the_successful_reintroduction_of_striped_bass_in_the_st_lawrence_river_from_initial_stocking_to_population_monitoring.html
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