Rotenone scrapped as weapon against invasive fish in Miramichi Lake

A group hoping to spray rotenone on Miramichi Lake to kill smallmouth bass — with the goal of protecting Atlantic salmon from the predator fish — has cancelled the plan.

A five-page statement Friday said partners in the Working Group on Smallmouth Bass Eradication in the Miramichi were unanimous in their decision to halt the project.

But the statement warned of serious consequences now that smallmouth bass, an invasive fish that threatens salmon and other fish, will have free run of the Miramichi watershed.

Smallmouth bass have already been found outside the rotenone project area, one of the reasons for giving up on the project, the statement said.

Smallmouth bass are an invasive species in New Brunswick. (Gord Ellis/CBC)

"Smallmouth bass will now colonize the watershed," said the group, calling the illegal introduction of smallmouth bass to Miramichi Lake "one of the most consequential environmental crimes in New Brunswick history."

When reached Friday afternoon after the statement was released, working group spokesperson Neville Crabbe declined an interview request and said the news release spoke for itself.

The working group includes representatives from the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Miramichi Salmon Association, New Brunswick Wildlife Federation and North Shore Mi'kmaq District Council.

The group, which has been pushing for a rotenone solution to the smallmouth problem ever since the fish was discovered in the lake in 2008, blames both federal and provincial governments for not heeding the call.

Instead of agreeing to the rotenone, DFO tried to eradicate the smallmouth by catching them, which "failed as predicted," the statement said.

The provincial government has not been a proponent of the rotenone applications either, the group said.

The project also worried cottagers and Wolastoqey women whose paddling on the lake, about 90 kilometres northwest of Fredericton, disrupted efforts to apply the toxin.

In a statement, New Brunswick's Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development said aquatic invasive species are under federal jurisdiction.

"The province has acted appropriately with an openness to collaborate and partner when asked," said spokesperson Jason Hoyt said.

"This was recently demonstrated as the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development was integral to the recent Miramichi treatment operations and supported the proponent with staff and equipment for the duration of the project."

Hoyt said it is too soon to comment on what the next steps might be to eradicate smallmouth bass from Miramichi Lake.

Rotenone went into brook

Last fall rotenone was put into a nearby brook, with DFO's permission, but the group was never able to get it into Miramichi Lake.

In January 2023, the group said, it asked for the Department of Natural Resources to take the lead, but after several meetings "no resolution was achieved."

A plan to spray Miramichi Lake with Rotenone has been attempted since summer 2021 but was ultimately unsuccessful when the working group called off its plans Friday. (Shane Fowler/CBC)

"After a second year of frustration, the Working Group knew we could not try a third time and expect different results," the statement said.

The group called out the Wolastoqey paddlers and the court, and claimed the project had public support, citing 1,290 letters.

The statement said the group sought access to Miramichi Lake for the Phase 2 application, but it needed a court injunction from a judge to grant them access to a public boat ramp.

Admitting defeat, the statement said "it is now up to both levels of government to control the spread of smallmouth bass in the Miramichi watershed."

It said several smallmouth were caught in 2023 in the Boiestown area.

Statement from DFO

In a statement Friday night, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans defended its record on the matter.

Spokesperson Isabelle Comeau said in an email that since 2009, DFO "has been working — and continues to do so — in collaboration with the Government of New Brunswick, Indigenous organizations in New Brunswick, the Miramichi watershed associations and other partners to physically contain, control, and monitor Smallmouth Bass in both Miramichi Lake and the Southwest Miramichi River."

DFO has maintained "a physical barrier at the lake outlet, and intensive removal activities in the lake, in the brook leading to the Miramichi River and a 12-kilometre section" of the river, Comeau said.

As the administrator of the aquatic invasive species regulations, DFO's role is to "ensure and maintain independent regulatory oversight" and "cannot be the proponent of an eradication project in New Brunswick."

A spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development did not provide a statement by Friday evening.

Cottager says project 'died a natural death'

Whether the rotenone would be applied again this year had been unclear all summer, and Crabbe dodged questions about the group's plans. Local cottagers said they received no updates.

But on Friday, Miramichi Lake cottager Austin Greenlaw said he was "elated" by the news the project has been stopped.

Austin Greenlaw, second from left, says he is 'elated' the rotenone project is being cancelled. In August, he and fellow cottagers said they felt left in the dark about future rotenone plans on the lake they live on. (Sam Farley/CBC News)

"Really, the project to me has died a natural death and it's the right decision for them to not continue," Greenlaw said.

He said it would have been "foolishness" for the treatment to go on, since smallmouth have already been discovered outside the treatment area.

Greenlaw said he thinks the group's statement unfairly put blame on cottagers and Indigenous protesters for the decision to halt the project.

"But we don't feel guilty for trying to protect our little piece of heaven," Greenlaw said.

Now, Greenlaw said, cottagers on the lake can return to a sense of normalcy. The thought of the project continuing has been "like a sword hanging over our heads."

He also had strong words for one of the groups involved in the working group.

The Atlantic Salmon Federation didn't care how the cottagers felt, Greenlaw said, calling the proposals a "hurry-up project" that was done for an easy public relations victory for their efforts to protect salmon.

"It's just common sense now that this is over, and we're pleased it's put to bed."

Group leaves with dire warnings

The end of the working group's statement makes its position clear on the threat smallmouth pose to New Brunswick.

"The full effect of this preventable tragedy will be understood in time," the statement said.

"The selfish, thoughtless act of dumping a bucket of smallmouth bass in that lake will be a permanent black mark on the long, incredible story of the Miramichi."