This is a management approach we put in place about 30 years ago. In order to be able to do so, you have to be able to evaluate the quantity of salmon at the end of the season and calculate how many salmon come back to the rivers. That is made easier in Quebec because in most rivers the water is very clear. In the fall, for instance, it is possible to count the number of salmon in the rivers, which is an advantage.
For each river, we set the number of spawning salmon we want to have at the end of the season. Afterwards, at the end of the year, we check to see if we attained that result. In some rivers we also check during the summer to see if salmon are returning normally and whether we will be able to reach our objective. In addition, if need be, we adjust fishing during the season. For instance, when I was at the ministry, sometimes in mid-July, after counting the salmon, if we saw that there would be a shortage of spawners to achieve the full potential of the river, we imposed restrictions. This meant fewer catches, and putting large salmons back in the water when fishing them in these rivers was allowed, so as to protect them and reach the objectives that had been set.
Some years were difficult. For instance, 2014 was one such year. We did not reach our objective at the end of that year. However, in most cases, this was very helpful in reaching the objectives.