Hammond River Angling Association

Woman in a blue winter jacket poses for a picture

April 21 2026

Fuel spill near Hampton prompts calls for continued environmental oversight

Katherine Del Salto News conservation council of new brunswick, fuel spill, Hammond River Angling Association, Highway 1

Advocates say close monitoring is needed to limit the environmental impact of a fuel spill along Highway 1.

A tanker truck rolled over April 8 near kilometre marker 153, outside Hampton, spilling about 36,000 litres of fuel.

Highway 1 was closed in both directions for several days following the crash.

The Department of Environment and Local Government and remediation contractors took steps to mitigate potential impacts on the public, the environment and nearby infrastructure.

Beverly Gingras, executive director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, said the government’s response to the spill was effective, but added that continuous monitoring will be necessary to avoid serious environmental impacts.

Gingras said soil contamination, as well as impacts on waterways such as the Hammond River and nearby drinking water wells, are among the main concerns given the volume of fuel involved.

“It’s really hard to tell how much of the fuel has actually gone into the streams, so monitoring is going to be very important, and I hope that they are doing that,” she said.

According to an April 15 social media post by the Hammond River Angling Association, officials confirmed that some of the spilled fuel entered the upper portion of Whalen Brook, a tributary of the Hammond River, during the initial accident.

The association said the release — identified as gasoline — was quickly contained by Pario Engineering and Environmental Sciences, a company contracted by the organization responsible for the spill. Mitigation measures included containment booms, silt fences, absorbent pads, temporary dams and a vacuum truck to remove any visible sheen.

The association said the Department of Environment and Local Government indicated the mitigation efforts have been effective and officials are confident no fuel moved beyond the containment boom on Route 860.

Gingras said that if the fuel had reached the Hammond River, it could have threatened Atlantic wild salmon, an endangered species in New Brunswick, as well as other organisms.

She said this type of contamination can seriously affect aquatic species by disrupting key biological processes.

“It’s a very serious issue, and I think the government appears to be handling it as a very serious issue,” Gingras said.

The Hammond River Angling Association said Pario Engineering is developing a long-term surface water and soil monitoring plan, as well as an ecological assessment of the site and surrounding tributaries.

The association added it will conduct its own independent surface water monitoring and sampling through the 2026 season. That work will include ongoing water quality monitoring in the affected Hammond River tributary and downstream sections of the river.

February 9 2026

30‑year Fish Friends program paused after facility closure

Alex Allan News Hammond River Angling Association

A long‑running classroom program run by the Hammond River Angling Association (HRAA) is on hold this year.

The Fish Friends program has helped students raise Atlantic salmon for more than 30 years.

HRAA says they cannot run it after Fisheries and Oceans Canada decided to close the Mactaquac Biodiversity Facility.

Fish Friends places salmon eggs and small hatchery tanks in classrooms so students can raise fry and release them into local rivers.

A cup holding a young Atlantic salmon ready to be released into the river. Image: Hammond River Angling Association

The program is coordinated by HRAA with support from the New Brunswick Salmon Council.

Project manager Sarah Blenis called the suspension “devastating,” noting how deeply the program has shaped young people.

She first took part in Fish Friends as a child and credits that early experience with steering her toward conservation work.

“That program really instilled that care for the environment,” she said.

Blenis explained that many others in watershed and salmon organizations share similar stories.

She emphasized that the hands‑on experience is often the only time students will ever see a live Atlantic salmon.

“If they never get to actually see what they’re supposed to protect, it becomes really difficult to inspire them,” Blenis said.

Schools had already prepared for this year’s release.

Blenis said her team purchased new tanks and chillers after securing funding to expand the program, but the equipment will now sit in storage.

“We’ve invested time and resources into growing the program, and right now it feels like it’s all about to slip away.”

Last year, more than 1,000 students in HRAA’s region released salmon through Fish Friends.

Blenis estimates thousands of students across the province will miss the experience this spring.

A classroom tank used to raise Atlantic salmon through the Fish Friends program. Image: Hammond River Angling Association

HRAA is waiting for more information from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Blenis said the association received only a brief notice that the facility would close and that more details would follow.

She voiced that the watershed groups want transparency and meaningful engagement before any long‑term decisions are made.

“We need a clear plan. There’s a legal obligation to continue this work,” Blenis said.

Groups are exploring possible alternatives for next year, including smaller hatcheries or a shift to trout in the classroom, but they cannot move forward without clarity from the department.

Blenis said the uncertainty is difficult for teachers, students, and communities that rely on the program.

“When education and conservation fail at the same time, the potential for extinction accelerates,” she said.

“We don’t want this to be the end.”