The Tusket River Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada began formal work on the Big Meadow Brook project on Saturday March 30, with Chapter President Bill Curry and Vice President Gerry Curry placing the signage and the Voluntary Creel Survey stand at the site in East Kemptville. The Chapter is doing a 2 year voluntary creel study of anglers and their catches in the area, in preparation for making the area a Special Trout Management area in 2014. Anglers will be asked to fill out information about their catches and the Chapter and the Provincial department of Inland Fisheries will then study the information and see what difference the proposed regulations make in the years after the new regulations come into effect in 2014.
The Chapter has access to historical records as well, and is working hand in hand with local landowners and businesses as well as with local anglers to make a difference for the trout in the upper Tusket River system.

Photos of the work so far shown below (taken by Bill Curry and Gerry Curry)

Minutes – Tusket River Chapter TUC Annual General Meeting March 30, 2012

 Held at Port Maitland, NS

Meeting convened at 5:05 pm with the President, Bill Curry, in the Chair.

Present:  (9 memebrs)

Regrets:  (1 member)

Agenda: Motion: Approve agenda – approved

Minutes: The minutes of the 2011 AGM were noted and accepted

 Treasurer’s Report: The income statement and balance sheet

The Income and balance sheet were distributed to the members.

2012 Budget: Need to approve expenditures for BMB Project, incl. Memberships and equipment (Signs, sheets, camera, cards and kits) – approx. $3500. Plus $1500 for TUC’s support of River Watch.

It was moved that the executive be empowered to spend the $3500 as allotted for the Big Meadow Brook project, and spend the $1500 for River Watch activities as budgeted. Motion made by Greg, seconded by Andrea – passed.

Motion: Approve the Treasurer’s Report – motion made by Gerry and seconded by Andrea – passed
Current balance $5478.30 receipt of project funds from TUC National and our grants and past account balance. (see Budget sheets)

Presidents Report:

New Project on Big Meadow brook:
Attached proposal and explanation of what we will do

Sample Creel forms

Short River Watch – style training session

Motion: Approve the Presidents Report – passed by concensus (which is our preferred mode of doing motions except for budgetary concerns where we will note mover and seconder and acceptance.) 

Election of Officers:

Bill Curry – President
Gerry Curry – Vice President
Andrea McInnis – Secretary

Bill will act as interim Treasurer until Greg’s operation, at which time he may take over as Treasurer.

New Business:                      None

Motion to adjourn at 6:05 p.m.

February 19, 2012

The Tusket River Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada will undertake a significant and ambitious project in Yarmouth County beginning this Spring on a tributary of the Tusket River. The Chapter’s members have been monitoring informally the trout population of Big Meadow Brook, near Kemptville and the old Tin Mine, for the last four years. With the help of the Nova Scotia Department of Inland Fisheries, the Chapter will begin a formal monitoring of the system in April, with the goal  in the near future of having a section of the stream become a Special Trout Management area. The Chapter is going to do creel monitoring and fish health inventories (asking anglers details about the trout they catch, and measuring and doing scale samples of the trout Chapter members catch).

The Tusket River Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada will be training participants through its River Watch program, which the Chapter runs for the Province, and in this instance will pay special attention to showing people how to do a creel census and weigh and measure trout effectively. The River Watch monitors in this area will then record the catches of people who fish the area of the stream being studied. The stream being looked at is the section of Big Meadow Brook, above (south of) the highway bridge on the 203 (near – N 44° 06.125 W 065° 43.838). The idea is that this very productive stream, which has a good population of trout already, might become even more productive with special protection, such as a gear restriction of single hook, barbless artificial lures and flies, and a minimum size limit. For the next two seasons (2012 and 2013) the Chapter will simply study the current catches, and then it is hoped that by having the new rules in place in the future, the stream might begin to produce more and larger fish.

The Chapter has the backing of people who attended a Regional Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, and of several local landowners and businesses, as well as the Province and Trout Unlimited Canada, both of which are helping financially and with scientific assistance. The Chapter will be holding a meeting to train River Watch participants and explain the details of the project along with its annual general meeting on March 30, 2012 in Port Maitland at 5pm.

Anyone interested in attending the meeting should contact Chapter president Bill Curry before March 10th at:

flyfish@tightlines.ca

or call

902-649-2428