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Zec Restigo

Newcomers to Caughnawana and Quebec are often presented with a new word for their vocabulary:  “ZEC”.   Moreover they are told that the club is in located in Zec Restigo.   So the question is:

What the Hec’ is a Zec?

The word Zec is short for “Zone d’Exploitation Controle.”

Now let’s begin with a little history.  On May 9, 1885, the Government of Quebec ratified a piece of legislation to facilitate the creation of clubs in order to help the Government enforce game and fish protection legislation.  The purpose of creating private clubs and an exclusive access and hunting right system was to protect wildlife in a cost-effective manner and to provide the Government with additional revenue.

Beginning in 1885, the number of hunting and fishing clubs gradually increased to reach 615 by the end of World War 2 and the surface area covered at that time was 30,000 square kms.  Thereafter, growth accelerated and peaked in the mid-1960’s with almost 2,200 clubs.  These clubs covered some 78,000 square kms of Quebec territory.

For Caughnawana, the club was organized in 1895 by a group of New York business executives and officially incorporated in 1899.

With the relative affluence that accompanied the economic boom in the post-war years, the number of hunting and fishing enthusiasts, as well as the interest shown in other recreational activities in a natural setting rose substantially.

Beginning in 1966, the Government adopted various measures seeking to increase access to the wildlife territory.  The exclusive right leases were revoked, resulting in a gradual decrease in the number of such leases to almost 1200 by 1976.  The surface area of the territory was 42,000 square kms.  There were 27,000 members in clubs at that time, 6500 fewer than in 1970.

In December 1977, the Government of Quebec decided to not renew the recreational hunting and fishing leases and to take charge of wildlife management on its territory.  This marked the beginning of Operation gestion faune (Wildlife management operation) and led to the creation of the controlled harvesting zones in the spring of 1978.

With this decision, the Government put an end to a system that no longer had its place in a modern state.  During all these years, Quebec was the only place in the world where exclusive hunting and fishing rights were granted over such a large area of public lands.

With the creation of Zecs, the role of the Government changed somewhat.  Users who are members of the management associations help the Government in the management of wildlife resources.  While Operation gestion faune put an end to private hunting and fishing clubs in 1978, it did not change the status of outfitters who held exclusive commercial rights.  This system still exists today, and more than 200 outfitters are availing themselves of it a the present time.

What Zec Restigo?

Zec Restigo is situated in Temiscamingue county and it is the Zec where Caughnawana is located.  More information can be found on Zec Restigo by visiting the website: zecrestigo.reseauzec.com. Note by selecting English and online services you can purchase your ZEC licence on this site as well as file your travel plan. You will need to set up an account first which can include your usual guests and the vehicle you usually travel in. It takes only a few minutes and is very easy to use.

Caughnawana and Zec Restigo   –  Today and Tomorrow

The members of the Caughnawana Fishing and Hunting Club are a pretty hardy group.  After the termination of the exclusive access leases by the Quebec Government in 1978, the club stayed together and was successful at securing about 1 square mile of property within the original boundary.  This, in effect, kept the club functioning and working better than ever.  Today we work closely with the authorities of the ZEC system to preserve the spectacular natural resources around Caughnawana.

In many cases there is also a firm belief that the fishing has never been better.  Quebec takes the practice of fish and wildlife conservation very seriously; as do we at Caughnawana.  So much has been learned over the past century about game limits, the practice of catch and release, and stocking.  This gives all of us confidence that there will be plenty in store for future generations.

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