St. Marys River (Nova Scotia)
Encyclopedia
The St. Mary's River is a Canadian river. It runs through Guysborough County and Pictou County of Nova Scotia
and drains into the Atlantic Ocean
at Sonora, Nova Scotia
. At approximately 250 kilometres (155.3 mi), it's one of Nova Scotia's longest rivers. The river drains an area approximately of 1350 square kilometres (521.2 sq mi) and has four branches the West, East, North and Main. It offers important Atlantic Salmon
habitat and the riverbanks are provide habitat for the wood turtle
.
There is an estimated 130 lakes in the St. Mary's watershed, ranging in size from less than five hectares to 3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi) (Lochaber Lake). The largest lakes, all on the East and North branches, are the Lochaber, Lochiel, Eden and Archibald’s Mills Lakes.
Named Rivère Isle Verte by Champlain
, the current name is from Fort Saint Marie, a French-built fort which was later taken over and destroyed by the British. There was also a Fort Saint Charles on the river nearby; both were seventeenth century forts.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and drains into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
at Sonora, Nova Scotia
Sonora, Nova Scotia
Sonora is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Municipality of the District of Staint Mary's in Guysborough County.-References:**...
. At approximately 250 kilometres (155.3 mi), it's one of Nova Scotia's longest rivers. The river drains an area approximately of 1350 square kilometres (521.2 sq mi) and has four branches the West, East, North and Main. It offers important Atlantic Salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
habitat and the riverbanks are provide habitat for the wood turtle
Wood Turtle
The wood turtle is a turtle endemic to North America. It is in the genus Glyptemys, a designation given to only one other turtle: the bog turtle. The wood turtle reaches a carapace length of , its defining characteristic being the pyramidal pattern on its upper shell...
.
There is an estimated 130 lakes in the St. Mary's watershed, ranging in size from less than five hectares to 3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi) (Lochaber Lake). The largest lakes, all on the East and North branches, are the Lochaber, Lochiel, Eden and Archibald’s Mills Lakes.
Named Rivère Isle Verte by Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
, the current name is from Fort Saint Marie, a French-built fort which was later taken over and destroyed by the British. There was also a Fort Saint Charles on the river nearby; both were seventeenth century forts.
Known fish species in the St. Mary's system
- AlewifeAlewifeThe alewife is a species of herring. There are anadromous and landlocked forms. The landlocked form is also called a sawbelly or mooneye...
- Atlantic SalmonAtlantic salmonThe Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
- Smelt
- Brook TroutBrook troutThe brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
- Shiner (fish)Shiner (fish)Shiner is a common name used for any of several kinds of small, usually silvery fish, in particular a number of cyprinids, but also e.g. the Shiner Perch .Cyprinid shiners are:* Eastern shiners, genus Notropis...
- Brown BullheadBrown bullheadThe brown bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus, is a fish of the Ictaluridae family that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead and yellow bullhead...
- American EelAmerican eelThe American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a catadromous fish found on the eastern coast of North America. It has a snake-like body with a small sharp pointed head. It is brown on top and a tan-yellow color on the bottom. It has sharp pointed teeth but no pelvic fins...
- LampreyLampreyLampreys are a family of jawless fish, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated from an admixture of Latin and Greek, lamprey means stone lickers...
- Yellow PerchYellow perchThe yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
- American ShadAmerican shad-Introduction:The American shad or Atlantic shad, Alosa sapidissima, is a species of anadromous fish in family Clupeidae of order Clupeiformes. It is not closely related to the other North American shads...
- White PerchWhite perchThe white perch, Morone americana, is not a true perch but is, rather, a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America.The name "white perch" is sometimes erroneously applied to the white crappie....
- Rainbow TroutRainbow troutThe rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
Rare Catch - Atlantic mackerelAtlantic mackerelThe Atlantic mackerel , is a pelagic schooling species of mackerel found on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean. The species is also called Boston mackerel, or just mackerel....
in the Surf