September 20, 2016 – NB Power says it is working to improve survival rates of wild Atlantic Salmon and other fish species on the St. John River watershed with new facilities at Trouser Lake and the installation of a downstream fish passage at the Tobique Generating Station. Work will take place this fall as well as in Spring 2017.

The project is a joint effort among NB Power, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, local conservation groups and First Nations.

“We are proud to invest in this important project to support the viability of salmon and other species in the St. John River,” said NB Power president and CEO Gaëtan Thomas. “We share our customers’ concerns for the environment and for the health of migratory fish that interact with our generating stations.”

The $9 million project includes the installation of a floating fish guidance boom in the Tobique headpond, a replacement gate in one of the spillways, a downstream fish collection screen, a trap-and-transport facility (an elevated platform supporting a plunge pool and two holding tanks) and a pipe to move fish between the collection screen and the trap.

About 60% of Atlantic salmon habitat in the New Brunswick portion of the Saint John River is in the Tobique River and its tributaries, according to the utility.