Saint John River Chapter Research

Sport Fishing and Research

Muskies Canada, Saint John River Chapter, is an angling club whose interests extend beyond the mere catching of fish. We also share an interest in the preservation of our target species, Muskellunge, and we hope to enhance this fishery by our direct involvement in the management of the species. The projects and programs we are managing have all been designed to raise the public's awareness of the muskellunge fishery as well as to protect it.

As a member you have access to the information in both the release log and tagging studies which can help you better understand the species which in turn can help you become a better angler. Become a member by contacting the Membership Director

 

 

Click On Image

Click on the icons below to view graphs representing some data gathered by the Angler Log program:

             

 

 

In 2015, The Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI) confirmed what Chapter members have long suspected for years - That muskies are spawning in the Saint John River. The CRI captured muskie eggs and juveniles between Fredericton and the Mactaquac Dam. Also in 2015, Chapter member Chris Turner and his son captured video of muskies exhibiting spawning behaviour (see below)






On August 14-15 2014
, the Muskie world came together at Carleton University for a series of very informative presentations and discussions. The theme of the symposium was "Muskellunge Science and Management; Progress Through Partnership". The agenda and abstracts from the presentations is available HERE. More details on the symposium are available HERE.


 

From 2006-2015, the SJRiver Chapter MCI has held either a UNB research license to tag or a DFO license to tag and record Muskellunge data. In 2016, the St. John River Tagging Project Report was drafted to discuss the tagging study data collected from 2006-2015.

 

A video of the tagging procedure can be found here:

 

Saint John River Muskellunge have been genetically traced to the Saint Lawrence strain of Muskie through DNA testing of scale samples collected by MCI - SJR Chapter members who participate in the ongoing Saint John River Tagging Study. However research and study to-date shows that SJRiver Muskies tend to have a larger girth profile, and thus tend to be approximately 10% heavier on average then weights estimated from weight prediction charts, tools, formulas, and calculators.

 

 

Starting in 2015 the Chapter is conducting a weight study and a scale sampling study in conjuction with the Canadian Rivers Institute at the University of New Brunswick. We hope to add a stomach contents study as well in the near future.

New Brunswick Muskies Study Papers:

The Muskellunge, Esox masquinongy, Distribution and Biology of New Brunswick

Using movements and diet analyses to assess effects of introduced muskellunge on Atlantic salmon in the Saint John River, New Brunswick

 

 

Other interesting links:

Paper on Muskellunge Ageing from scales

Muskellunge Biology

Muskellunge Catch and Release Tips

Weight Estimation Chart

Weight Calculator