The early settlers, and Micmac Indians had a wide variety of wildlife at their disposal. Many of the marsh birds were a valuable food source and provided a change in the diet of the pioneer home.

Fur bearing mammals like the fox, mink, beaver, musk rat and rabbit were valued in the manufacture of outer garments. Rabbits were also a source of food. The fox has been renowned for the variety of fur colors that can be produced by controlled breeding. Many Freetown farmers have traditionally and in fact still supplement their income by raising foxes.

The settlers introduced new species to Prince Edward Island many of which have thrived. The skunk, rat, raccoon, Hungarian partridge, ring-necked pheasant and wild turkey all fall in this category. Attempts to introduce the deer have for the most part failed due to the lack of large wooded tracts and the density of human settlement.

Fish

The Dunk River has long been noted for its good sports fishing. Native species to the Dunk are the brook trout, Atlantic salmon, American eel, three spine stickleback, smelt and gaspereaux. According to Mr. Lloyd Heckbert of North Bedeque, an occasional striped bass, chad and sturgeon may swim up the Dunk into the Lower Freetown area. In 1941 rainbow trout, a Pacific species, was introduced into the Dunk River and remain to this present day. Brook trout however outnumber the rainbow by a ratio of eight to one. Gaspereaux usually run up the Dunk between June and July. Smelts also run in the spring and fall.

The same species of fish are found in the Wilmot River portion of Freetown. Rainbow trout were not introduced into the Wilmot but some migration from the Dunk has occurred. The Atlantic salmon has not been observed in the Wilmot River for some years although it was once commonly found.

Human settlement has had an effect on the fishery in the Dunk and Wilmot Rivers. The movement of fish has been impeded by the erection of dams for mills, hydroelectric plants and other uses. Siltation, due mainly to woodland clearing and farming practises has changed fish habitats. Many of the deep pools in these rivers have been made to overcome this by the installation of gabions in the Dunk River and by the education of farmers in the control of soil erosion. The construction of roads and highways has also caused siltation problems. Agricultural chemicals, in the form of pesticides, have caused damage to fish because of accidential spills and the runoff from farm fields. A fish kill caused by the chemical ‘thiodan’ occurred in North Brook in 1975.

W

f 2;: ~ Scales’ Pond, Dam and Fish Ladder.

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