Chapter President: Dale Cameron
Contact: e_d_cameron@hotmail.com (902) 859-1697
Area of Interest
The Prince County Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada has been working and managing the Trout River near O’Leary, PEI for over 25 years. Trout River discharges into Foxley Bay (a smaller bay of Cascumpec Bay) on the northwest side of Prince Edward Island. The stream originates from a series of tributaries, some fed by discharge wetlands and wet meadows on the northwest portion of the Island, northwest of Summerside, near the village of Carlton. This northwestern portion of the Island has significant agricultural activity with a modest rolling landscape. Trout River has a population of both stream resident and anadromous Brook Trout (called salters) as is host to small numbers of Atlantic Salmon.
Chapter Description
The Chapter has an interpretive area off of Highway 2 just north of Carleton at the Dave Biggar Memorial Interpretive Centre. The Chapter is extremely active in a host of activities including presentations and workshops at its Interpretive Centre, teaching fishing to children, outdoor recreational activities at the Trout River Natural Area and of course, very active and ongoing rehabilitation work on the Trout River watershed. The Chapter is managed by an executive and is also affiliated with the PEI Watershed Alliance. The Alliance coordinates the fine work of twenty eight watershed associations found on the Island, of which the Prince County Chapter of TUC is one of them.
Much of the Chapter’s ongoing work on the Trout River watershed includes instream rehabilitation, debris clean-out, improvement of fish passage, working with farmers to ensure reasonable setbacks on the fields from the stream as well as beaver management. Over the last 25 years, the Chapter has worked to acquire a 2.5-3 km reach of stream with a 100m buffer on both sides of the Trout River near its Interpretative Centre. This area has been converted from cattle pasturage and cropland to mixed forest over the last twenty five years to support the rehabilitation of the lower portion of stream.
The chapter under its former president, Dave Biggar was also instrumental with establishing special angling regulations on the Trout River to better protect the salter Brook Trout and to allow restoration of the population of Brook Trout in Trout River.
Chapter History
The Chapter began as the O’Leary Wildlife Federation but decided to join Trout Unlimited Canada in 2004 under the direction of Dave Biggar. Dave was one of the major moving forces in the creation of the local Federation and subsequent Chapter. Back in the early 1980’s, Dave felt that his local rivers, Mill River and Trout River were degraded and wished to do something about it. Many dissuaded him from doing work on Mill River since it still had a few Atlantic Salmon but suggested he work on the almost “dead” Trout River. Under Dave’s direction, the Trout River is now considered one of the best and most productive Brook Trout streams on the Island. Dave passed away suddenly in 2008 and his fine work is being carried on by the new president and chapter members.
