First I would like to say…

First I would like to say that I really appreciate the government response statement and can tell that a lot of work has gone into it.

  I live in Ottawa and am greatly concerned with the recovery strategies for the Ottawa River and it’s watershed.  This year I had the wonderful opportunity to assist the Ottawa Riverkeeper with the tagging and release of over 400 American Eels.

  I can tell that there will be made a significant amount of resources for the recovery of the American Eel, however there is one point that I am greatly concerned with.  This is the Government’s choice to prioritize downstream migration before implementing measures to aid with the Eels’ migration into the Ottawa River and the watershed.

  I feel that that upstream migration could be implemented concurrently or prior to measures for out migration.  The American Eel lives in fresh water habitats for approximately 20years and therefore I do not see the need to prioritize downstream migration ahead of upstream migration. Yes it is important that the Eels are able to get out to their spawning grounds, however, there are so few Eels remaining in the Ottawa River and it’s watershed that I do not see it as a priority for the recovery of the species. I see the priority in getting the Eels back into their native waters and then working on measures for out migration.

  To this affect I would like to see immediate action on the Carillon dam that would allow Eels to pass through further up the Ottawa River.

[Original Comment ID: 211516]