The Matane River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 on the Gaspé Peninsula

Gaspé Peninsula

The Gaspésie , or Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, extending into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...

 in Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 which empties into the Saint Lawrence River

Saint Lawrence River

The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...

 at the city of Matane

Matane

Matane is a city in Quebec, Canada.Matane may also refer to:*Matane , Quebec*Matane Regional County Municipality, Quebec*Matane River, Quebec*Paulias Matane, Governor-General of Papua New Guinea...

.

The river is very well known as an important Atlantic Salmon

Atlantic salmon

The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....

 sport fishery. This fishery
is highly regulated and restricted to fly fishing only. A daily permit is required to be purchased in addition to the Quebec provincial fishing license. All rules are strictly enforced to ensure the conservation and protection of this special salmon resource. Salmon permits can be obtained through the ZEC

ZEC

A ZEC is a "Controlled harvesting zone". ZECs are a system of territorial infrastructures set up in 1978 by the Government of Quebec to take over from private hunting and fishing clubs...

 office in Matane. The river runs through a very scenic valley with a covered bridge, small farms and quaint villages on a section of Route 132.

There are over 70 named salmon pools on the river and it is very popular destination during the summer months. One of the most famous salmon wet flies invented here and still used locally as well as throughout the Gaspe region, is the Tiger Ghost. The Matane Special, also originally tied by the legendary George Maul of the village of St. Rene du Matane, halfway up the river, is a popular dry fly fished here as well.

Much of the upper river and the headwaters are included in a well protected provincial reserve.
The Matane River provides an important spawning

Spawn (biology)

Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...

 habitat for Atlantic Salmon

Atlantic salmon

The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....

. There is a fish ladder

Fish ladder

A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...

at the Mathieu-D'Amours dam in city of Matane with an observation centre where migrating salmon can be viewed.