Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Wild Atlantic Salmon Conservation

2015 Recipient: William (Bill) Ensor

·       Bill caught his first salmon at the age of 8 while fishing with one of his best fishing buddies, his father, on the NW Upsalquitch. 

·       His love of fishing led him to become intimately familiar with most salmon rivers, brook trout streams and lakes in New Brunswick.

His Career was closely linked to Salmon

·       After graduating from the Maritime Forest Ranger School he spent three years working as a Forest Ranger in Newfoundland and Labrador. 

·       Upon his return to “his” province he was employed most of the time with DNR and Tourism.

·       In this role as Marketing Manager for NB Fishing and Hunting Products at ED&T, he was the official ambassador for the world class fishing and hunting experiences that NB was so willing to share with those who wanted to spend time on our rivers and in our forests.

·       He travelled much of North America as well as a good part of Europe promoting our wild Atlantic salmon fishery.

·       He spent time with Warren (Dunc) Duncan designing the Picture Province Fly which was proclaimed as an Official Symbol of the value of Atlantic salmon to the Province of NB.

·       He is a long time professional guide and has guided some of the big name writers for major sports magazines in North America.

Volunteer with Conservation Organizations and Live Release Advocate

·       During his earlier years, Bill was a member of the Scoodic Fish and Game Association, which was a member of the NB Fish and Game Protective Association, now the NB Wildlife Federation. 

·       He was also a former member of the Fredericton Fish and Game. 

·       He was one of the original members and became President of the Saint John River Salmon Anglers Association (Fredericton Branch) where he spearheaded a fund raising campaign to hire students to work on the river downstream from Mactaquac Dam. 

·       The students handed out salmon flies to anglers who were reluctant but agreed to break their leaders to quickly release Atlantic salmon.

·       He was the founding Secretary-Treasurer of the New Brunswick Salmon Council of the ASF. 

·       His service to the NBSC also included terms as Vice President and President for different periods of time over the many years of his involvement. 

·       While in Council, he played a significant role to curtail the commercial salmon fishery and worked on the Save Our Salmon campaign. 

·       He was a member of the organizing committee for the first ASF Conclave on the Miramichi and after 8 years continues to serve on the Fredericton Dinner Committee. 

·       Bill travelled the Province sharing the merits of hook and release with many fish and game organizations, including presenting rod outfits for the clubs to auction off as fund raising. 

·       He was involved in the first ASF video on Hook and Release. 

·       He wrote an article entitled “Fit to be Tied” in the ASF Journal on the bone crusher.

His Knowledge of the Resource

·       His network of people connected to angling is vast and regardless of where one journeys, Bill’s name definitely comes into the conversation at some point. 

·       His knowledge of our salmon rivers, their fisheries, outfitters, guides, pools and camp-owners is second to none and he gives freely of that knowledge to all who inquire.

Take a Kid Fishing

·       Bill is a strong believer and supporter of “Take a Kid Fishing”. 

·       Some of his happiest moments are those times that he generously shares with his five grandchildren on the river and experiencing their feelings of excitement and joy, many times over, as they release an Atlantic salmon. 

·       He will be the first to admit that it has brought tears to his eyes on many occasions.

In closing

·       One of his saddest realizations is that, despite all the hard work, commitment and dedication of the many volunteers, wild Atlantic salmon stocks continue to decline. 

·       However, on the positive side he takes great satisfaction in that conservationists have not given up and continue to fight the fight for a sustainable future for Atlantic salmon.

·       Bill Ensor is a dedicated and tireless volunteer and a very knowledgeable proponent of salmon conservation.

·       A gentle giant of a man

·       Extremely passionate about this wonderful fish. 

·       He is a long time friend of the wild Atlantic salmon.