Atlantic Salmon Counts from Newfoundland and Labrador Rivers

Encompassing annual counts of Atlantic salmon from monitoring facilities on rivers in Newfoundland and Labrador. The data is used for stock assessment and conservation management across 15 Salmon Fishing Areas and over 400 rivers. Monitoring occurs for downstream smolt runs starting in April or May and upstream adult runs starting in June or July.

Use Cases

• Analyze annual salmon return trends across the 15 Salmon Fishing Areas (SFAs) for stock assessment.
• Model the impact of environmental factors, like elevated water levels, on monitoring facility operations and count data.
• Compare upstream adult run counts with downstream smolt run counts to study population dynamics over time.
• Identify rivers with incomplete annual data to assess gaps in the monitoring network for conservation planning.

Strengths

• Data is collected by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in partnership with government, indigenous, and community stakeholders.
• Covers a broad geographic scope of over 400 rivers across 15 distinct management areas (SFAs).
• Provides time-series data for both downstream smolt and upstream adult salmon runs.

Limitations

• Not all of the over 400 rivers are monitored annually, leading to potential spatial and temporal gaps.
• Data can be incomplete for specific years due to environmental factors like fence washouts.
• Counts of zero may be ambiguous, representing either no fish or facility closures.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Counts from monitoring facilities (counting fences or fishways) on selected rivers.

Time Range

Annual monitoring starting in spring (smolt run) and summer (adult run); specific years not provided.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Rivers within Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, organized into 15 Salmon Fishing Areas (SFAs).