During the storm of January 10, 2024, the sea dug a natural channel in the dune of Tracadie Bay, where there were cottages.
Alix Villeneuve (View profile)Alix Villeneuve
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On January 10, the sea broke loose on the east coast of the Acadian Peninsula . In Tracadie, the waves even smashed a dune, creating a channel between a bay and the gulf.
At this precise location, the waves took with them at least five chalets.
Despite these dramatic circumstances for the small houses on the dune, the appearance of this new passage is seen as good news by the citizens of Tracadie, who hope that this breach will reinvigorate their ailing bay. p>Open in full screen mode
Donald Losier, Johanne Paulin and their dog Emma went to see the state of their chalet on the dune Wednesday.
Near the frozen ice floe, Johanne Paulin is on board her mountain bike. She is getting ready to cross the ice bridge that leads to the battered dune for the first time this year.
We're going to take a little < em>drive, we cross the bay and we go see our cottages, we go examine the coast to see what the last storms did, she shares.
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Its chalet was not destroyed. But regarding the new bottleneck, she says: I think it will help the circulation of water, because there is a problem here.
They wanted to dig into this, but it seems mother nature had her own way.
A quote from Johanne Paulin
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The new breach in the dune “can do no harm”, at the bay, estimates Ernest Wade.
Ernest Wade has a lot to say about the quality of the water in the bay.
We were swimming, the water was beautiful and we were fishing, he says. And now? The water is brown!
According to a 2019 study, there is too little oxygen in the water of the bay, a phenomenon that can lead to algae blooms, which is unsavory for swimmers and wildlife.
It's like going to the bathroom at home and never flushing the toilet. At some point, it would start to smell, summarizes the Tracadie resident.
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The sea has made its way through the dune of Tracadie Bay.
He salutes Mother Nature for this breach, which should circulate water in the bay.
The sea carved out a gully 400 feet wide and 21 feet deep. In one night, and it cost nothing! The government would have taken 20 years and cost millions!
Next time there's a vote, I'll vote for nature!
A quote from Ernest Wade
The request to dig a new channel in the bay comes mainly from oyster producers in the region. Since 2019, the municipality has been trying to convince the DFO to do dredging, in order to reduce the mortality rate in crops.
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Tracadie Bay, in summer.
The last time there was movement on this issue was before the pandemic, indicates local MP Keith Chiasson, who worked on that.
The issue is really stagnant, I have the impression that everyone is holding on for the ball.
The MPO indicates in a two-sentence statement that dialogue continues with the municipality of Tracadie with the aim of considering solutions.
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“It took 90 days before the water was completely changed in the bay,” says Ernest McGraw, citing a 2019 study from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
How long have we been talking about digging? It’s still a shock!, agrees oyster farmer Ernest McGraw, met near his cages in his garage. Hope this helps!
However, he wants to avoid getting too excited about his oysters too quickly.
It can be favorable and not favorable. But it is certain that it will make changes in the bay with a large volume of water which will enter like that.
We're only going to know that in the spring because now we can't check.
A quote from Ernest McGraw, oyster farmer
This case doesn' however, not only made people happy.
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The location of Linda Robichaud and Yvon Duclos' chalet no longer exists. The dune has been destroyed.
The rest of us were just on the other side, says Linda Robichaud, showing a video of the new channel at home.
On January 10, his chalet, located in the very center of the new breach, was swept away by the sea.
We never saw him again. We saw other chalets walking in the water, but ours, no.
A quote from Linda Robichaud
With the location of her chalet, she suspected that this day was likely to arrive. We are between the sea and the bay, there is no insurance that will ensure that.
But she has still just lost a place that was dear to her. I was sad. This has been our vacation for 32 years. […] We knew everyone there. It was pleasant.
Like all the other people interviewed for this report, Ernest McGraw has a thought for those who lost their little piece of paradise.
It's unfortunate for the rest of them. It’s Mother Nature. And Mother Nature isn't always kind.
