The Touques river 8

Since the beginning of the 1980s, great efforts have been made to restore the free movement of fish in the basin. More than 70 structures have been removed, lowered, opened or equipped with a fishway. Thanks to this, the proportion of surface area accessible to salmonids for their reproduction increased from 15% before 1982 to 86% in 2009, with the result that sea trout rises significantly at the Breuil-en control station. Auge-. These results make La Touques a reference in terms of ecological continuity. Nevertheless, a number of obstacles have yet to be removed in order to find a totally open and accessible basin. Riding streams from May to November, sea trout are looking for favorable areas for breeding. They correspond to racks and common plates with coarse granulometry type small pebbles. Once the area is found, the female digs the substrate with her caudal fin while expelling her eggs. Nearby, the male watches the nest and fertilizes the eggs with its milt. The eggs are then protected in the dome located downstream of the nest and hatch after a few months. The incubation time is a function of the temperature. Maple trees are present regularly but in small quantities on La Touques. They are easily recognizable by their broad, serrated leaves (Canada's emblem) and their fruit called "samaras" in the shape of a helix.