The Hartland Salmon Pool: From Bountiful Resource to Tragic Extinction
A Fly-Fishing paradise once thrived in Hartland, New Brunswick...
The town of Hartland, on the Saint John River (Wolastoq) in western New Brunswick, has a unique setting-a salmon pool on its doorstep. Author, Doris Kennedy has now written a sweeping history of Hartland centred on its famous salmon pool.
The book begins with Hoot Smith's lifetime memories of fishing the salmon pool. It then picks up the stories the Wolastoqey Nation's ancient tenure and the coming of the Loyalists.
In the 20th century, the Hartland Salmon Pool becomes famous for accessible fly-fishing and the town well known for its hospitality. A wealth of stories from interviews with local anglers and their families are the heart of this book, which includes over 300 photographs.
Finally, we encounter the battle waged by local anglers in the mid-1960s to prevent the building of the Mactaquac Dam downstream on the Wolastoq.
When their objections were ignored, they petitioned for a fish ladder, but the dam was built without one, blocking the salmon from reaching their upstream spawning grounds and the pool at Hartland. An abundant supply of local food and a tourism resource were lost.
But this may not be the end of the story; the Epilogue explores the realization that the dam was built with defective concrete due to an engineering mistake in its construction. The eventual removal of the dam is a real consideration. In that case, the Wolastoq's restoration and the return of the salmon is a hopeful prospect.
The Hartland Salmon Pool is a major contribution to New Brunswick's social, economic, political, and natural history.
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