Zec de la Rivière-Matane

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Zec de la Rivière-Matane is a controlled harvesting zone in Quebec, Canada. It covers parts of the Rivière-Bonjour area, the municipality of Saint-René-de-Matane, and the city of Matane, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. The ZEC is run by a non-profit group, the Société de gestion de la Rivière-Matane, and was established in 1992. The name was officially adopted on March 5, 1993.

Matane Lake is the main headwater lake of the Matane River. It is about 6 km long, and upstream there are smaller lakes such as Leclercq, Lebreux and Lake Head, fed by streams including Aux Perdrix and Donetgay.

The Matane River starts at Lake Matane, flows southwest, then west for about 45 km to its mouth, where it meets the Bonjour River and continues toward the town of Matane. The river passes near several communities, including Saint-René-de-Matane and Matane. Route 195 runs along the north side of the river for about 31 km.

There are 81 salmon pools on the river between the Duvivier tributary and Matane. A large fish ladder at the Mathieu-D’Amours dam helps salmon move upstream. Matane city has two salmon pools downstream of the dam. Floods in recent decades have deposited sediments that filled some pools downtown, making access harder.

Angling on the Matane River is open without a draw, but you must have a provincial fishing license and pay a daily salmon access fee. The ZEC sets general rules: salmon fishing is allowed with specific fly fishing gear, and all other species must be released. Most pools are easy to reach by wading.

In 2014, fishing upstream of pool 57, Cape Sixteen, was prohibited. At the entrance station, the Société de gestion de la Rivière-Matane offers rental gear for fly fishing and runs the ZEC River School with qualified instructors.

The ZEC’s name comes from the Matane River, and it was officially registered in 1993.