News, Announcements and Media RSS
The Maine Chapter of Native Fish Coalition partnered with Downeast Salmon Federation, Atlantic Salmon Federation and Maine Department of Marine Resources to develop an informational sign pertaining to Maine’s federally endangered sea-run Atlantic salmon.
Cautionary Signage for Anglers
Does the cutting edge of sea-run fish restoration interest you?
Employment opportunity
CMS meeting presentations and minutes are now available for review and comment
Reports and Minutes
Proceedings of the first virtual CMS Public Meeting
The proceedings, slides, minutes, and Q&A session from the 5/28/2020 meeting are now available for public viewing and comment
Downeast Salmon Federation Spring 2020 Newsletter
News and notes
Atlantic Salmon 5-Year Review
PROTECTED RESOURCES REGULATIONS AND ACTIONS
NOAA Fisheries designate critical habitat for Atlantic sturgeon
The critical habitat designation will require federal agencies to consult NOAA Fisheries if they operate or fund activities that may affect designated critical habitat in more than 3,968 miles of important coastal river habitat from Maine to Florida. Atlantic sturgeon was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2012 and is comprised of the threatened Gulf of Maine distinct population segment and the endangered New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, Carolina, and South Atlantic distinct population segments.
NOAA Fisheries announces "Species in the Spotlight" campaign for Atlantic Salmon.
NOAA Fisheries announced a new Species in the Spotlight campaign to focus recovery and public education efforts on nine marine species that are at risk of extinction.
Maine Audubon: Stream Smart Phase II workshops
stream survey techniques and concepts associated with ecologically sound road/stream crossings
International Atlantic Salmon Assessment Report Available
The annual report of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) Working Group on North Atlantic Salmon [WGNAS] is available for download online.
Acoustic Telemetry Assessment of Hatchery-Reared Smolts in the Narraguagus River
Acoustic Telemetry Assessment of Hatchery-Reared Smolts in the Narraguagus River
NOAA Announces Initiation of Atlantic Salmon Five-Year Status Review
Endangered and Threatened Species; Initiation of 5-Year Review for the Endangered Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment of Atlantic Salmon
Down East salmon restoration efforts celebrated
The building that houses the Downeast Salmon Federation is wearing a disguise, Dwayne Shaw says with a grin, gesturing around the sparkling building that contains the Peter Gray Hatchery, a museum, a laboratory and office space.
Endangered and Threatened Marine Species Recovery Grant Awarded to Penobscot Indian Nation
NOAA has awarded the Penobscot Indian Nation with continued funding for their Atlantic salmon management and outreach projects.
2017 U.S. Atlantic Salmon Assessment Committee Annual Report
2017 U.S. Atlantic Salmon Assessment Committee Annual Report
NOAA Fisheries announces 2018 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant competition is underway
NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce that the 2018 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant competition is currently open. This year's solicitation consists of two separate submission processes. All interested applicants must submit a 2 page Pre-Proposal to the Federal Funding Opportunity posted at www.Grants.gov under FFO# NOAA-NMFS-FHQ-2018-2005332. Applicants must submit a complete and timely pre-proposal and meet all requirements to submit a full proposal. Applicants interested in submitting a full application after the pre-proposal review process must submit the full application also through www.grants.gov under the same FFO # listed above.
USFWS Programmatic Stream Crossing Consultation
USFWS, FEMA, and USACE in Maine have collaborated on a programmatic Endangered Species Act section 7 consultation that will facilitate recovery of the endangered Atlantic salmon and promote healthy stream ecosystems. Poorly designed stream crossings have long been recognized as a problem for Atlantic salmon and other native aquatic organisms in Maine. While progress has certainly been made to address this issue on a variety of fronts, including outreach and education, more work remains to be done.
Union River dams denied key state certification
DEP application rejected
DMR Rotary Screw Trapping Results 6-14-2021
smolt collection
The art of collaboration in natural resource management
Resource Management
Milford Fish Lift Weekly Updates
Fish Passage Data. Previous updates are available in the Database folder under the Resources tab.
Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants
Funding opportunity
Public Webinar: 2021 Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants
funding opportunity webinar
Fish & Chips: TNC's fish habitat restoration on a local potato farm
The Nature Conservancy helps fish, people, and potato chips
NEFSC: Field Fresh Blog Posts
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) has conducted resource cruises out of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, since 1885. Our scientists research marine mammals, groundfishes of the Atlantic, and their habitats. Standard bottom trawl surveys were initiated in the fall of 1963, and since 1968 have been completed each spring and fall. Cruises to monitor shellfish resources have been conducted since the late 1970s, primarily for sea scallops, surf clams and ocean quahogs. On all cruises, oceanographic, as well as meteorological data are collected. The data obtained from the standard trawl surveys are universally recognized as the most scientifically valuable time series of fisheries related data in the world.
First genetically engineered salmon sold in Canada
US firm AquaBounty Technologies says that its farmed, transgenic salmon has hit the market after a 25-year wait.
A Vulnerability Assessment of Fish and Invertebrates to Climate Change on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf
Atlantic salmon tops the list of species most vulnerable to climate change in Northeast
Ellsworth clears way for removal of old dam on Branch Lake Stream
Fish passage improvement
NOAA Fisheries just announced 2021 Species Recovery Grant Awardees.
Grants and Funding
$900,000 in Funding Allocated for Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration
Funding for four partnerships will help restore habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon in Maine.
News
Includes news releases posted directly to this site and links to news releases on the sites of our partners.
Media Coverage
Includes televised news reports, newspaper articles and editorials that appear in the media that are relevant to Atlantic Salmon and sea-run fish restoration in Maine.
Salmon Smolts Survive the Dam but Die Downstream
New research reveals that dam passage can leave smolts with long-lasting injuries that make them vulnerable to predators far downstream.
Magic on the River
dam removal habitat accessibility restoration
Megunticook Watershed Restoration, Camden ME
Watershed and connectivity restoration
Maine DOT Seeks Your Input on the Machias Dyke Bridge Replacement Options
Public comment solicitation
Species in the Spotlight: 5-year Action Plan for Atlantic Salmon
Species in the Spotlight. Restoration and Recovery.
Announcements
Includes funding or job announcements.
Brookfield Renewable Temporarily Shuts Down 3 Kennebec River Dams To Protect Salmon Migration
Fred Bever Maine Public
Introducing Audubon's "Salmon Shorts" Videos
Just a few hundred years ago, Atlantic Salmon were abundant up and down the northeast coast. Now, Maine is home to the last remaining wild populations of Atlantic Salmon in the United States and they are a federally recognized endangered species. This decline has had huge impacts on everything connected to salmon–traditional ways of living, wildlife up and down the food chain, and the health of our watersheds. Beginning in 2018, Maine Audubon has participated annually in the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s educational Fish Friends program to highlight the significance of wild Atlantic Salmon. Raising salmon provides a concrete and accessible entry point into many topics that are important to our work: habitat needs and interdependence, stream connectivity and river restoration, and the power of bringing Traditional Ecological Knowledge together with western science. Through Fish Friends, participating classrooms and organizations like Maine Audubon receive eggs from local hatcheries and raise them through the beginning of their life cycle. Then, with expert guidance, the young salmon are released in local waterways.
USFWS Fish of the Week: Atlantic salmon
Interview with host Katrina Liebich, NMFS' Fisheries Biologist Rory Saunders and the Penobscot Indian Nation's Fisheries Program Manager, Dan McCaw.
Atlantic Salmon Federation's Maine Headwaters Project
Conserving the most important habitat in rivers and streams, removing barriers to fish passage and eradicating invasive species are examples of restoration activities that can dramatically improve the long-term viability and productivity of wild Atlantic salmon populations and their environment. ASF is involved in restoration projects throughout Maine, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. We always work closely with Indigenous organizations, local communities, government agencies, volunteers, and NGOs to tackle the most pressing problems.
Changing trophic structure and energy dynamics in the Northwest Atlantic: implications for Atlantic salmon feeding at West Greenland
NMFS publishes new Atlantic salmon diet study in Marine Ecology Progress
ICES Publishes NOAA Model to Predict Fish Population Response to Dams
NOAA Fisheries Scientists publish paper modeling the response of Atlantic salmon to dam removals on the Penobscot River, Maine, USA.
Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes of New England: Identification, Distribution and Conservation Status - Upcoming Summer Week-long Seminars 2021
Educational seminar
Atlantic Salmon Returns to the Narraguagus
Weekly updates. Previous reports are accessible via the Database Section under the Resources tab
Maine's Aquaculture Industry Bouncing Back
About a decade after state's salmon-farming industry tanked, the aquaculture industry is continuing to rebound and has become more diverse than it was when it consisted solely of Atlantic Salmon.
Maine's Penobscot River finally runs free after huge restoration project (video)
For the first time in 200 years, the Penobscot River in northeastern Maine is running free.
Downeast Lakes Land Trust touts new culvert design aimed at restoring trout habitats (video)
Officials with Downeast Lakes Land Trust said earlier this week that a new project it completed with several partners and support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the potential to be a model for cost-effective restoration of aquatic habitats.
Maine Voices: Lessons of controversial salmon hearings more relevant today
Despite dire predictions, listing salmon as endangered hasn't hurt the blueberry or forest-products industries.
Historic removal of Veazie Dam gets under way
When the project is complete, sea-run fish - such as salmon, sturgeon, alewives and shad - will have significantly improved access to about 1,000 miles of upstream habitat.
Veazie Dam Removal Brings Hope to Salmon Anglers (video)
Veazie Dam removal brings hope to salmon anglers.
Veazie Dam Coming Down
Veazie Dam removal brings hope to salmon anglers.
Removal of Veazie Dam Begins on Maine's Penobscot River
Removal of Veazie Dam begins on Maine's Penobscot River.
'Ah, freedom': Historic Penobscot dam removal begins (slideshow)
The river restoration project will allow fish access to spawn deep in the heart of Maine.
Breaching Veazie Dam begins as part of Penobscot River Restoration
Hundreds of onlookers stood on the banks of the Penobscot River on Monday morning, watching as demolition crews breached the Veazie Dam, continuing the process of opening the river to sea-run fish for the first time in almost 200 years.
Veazie dam removal project gets $1 million boost
The organization behind a key conservation project on the Penobscot River has been awarded a major grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, members of the state's congressional delegation announced last week.
Removal of Veazie Dam to free historic paddling route on Penobscot
Water burst through the Veazie Dam on July 22, a day that marked the beginning of its destruction. By the end of the year, the river will flow free. And after the ice melts next spring, canoeists and kayakers will be able to paddle from Old Town to the Atlantic, unimpeded, for the first time in nearly 200 years.
Date set for historic Veazie Dam breaching
Mainers will have an opportunity to see some history in the making in July, when the effort to remove the Veazie Dam - one of the few remaining impediments to the return of native sea-run fish to the Penobscot River - gets underway with its initial breaching.
Ceremony - and Eagles - Mark Beginning of Veazie Dam Removal
The restoration of the Penobscot River in Maine has taken a monumental step forward with the breaching of the Veazie Dam, which will open up the river from Indian Island at Old Town to the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in more than 150 years.
A river in the balance (editorial)
On Monday, crews began demolishing the Penobscot River’s Veazie Dam. It marked an important moment for sea-run fish, efforts to restore a complex habitat and unlikely partnerships. The day was notable not only for the state but also for the nation: The dam breaching is part of one of the largest river restoration projects in the country’s history.
Down Comes Another Dam (editorial)
On Monday, a demolition crew will begin removing the Veazie Dam on the Penobscot River just above Bangor, Me. The Veazie is the lowest of the Penobscot dams and closest to the river’s mouth on the Maine coast. It is also critical to the entire Penobscot River watershed, which covers nearly a third of the state. Thanks to the work of the Penobscot River Restoration Trust and its partners, the lower river will be free-flowing once again, allowing the revival of a complex migratory ecosystem once teeming with fish working their way up from the sea.
Endangered Atlantic Salmon Are Facing A New and Potentially Devastating Threat
The Atlantic salmon, already an endangered species in the United States and in parts of Canada, is facing a new threat: A recent breakdown in an international agreement with Greenland may mean that tens of thousands of Atlantic salmon—which otherwise would have been protected—will be harvested at sea before they can return to North American rivers to spawn.
Connecticut scales back salmon stocking program
...after more than 40 years of stocking millions upon millions of baby salmon hatchlings, or "fry," in rivers throughout Connecticut and the other states -- and after floods during Hurricane Irene wrecked the federal hatchery in Vermont -- the U.S. government and Connecticut's three salmon restoration partners have called it quits.
Environmentally Sustainable Salmon Dinner a Success
The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) hosted a dinner event in support of its environmentally-sustainable salmon aquaculture programme on Wednesday, 15 May at the Yale Club, New York, NY. Sixty guests had the opportunity to sample land-based, closed containment salmon, which was prepared by renowned chef and culinary consultant Tom Valenti.
Bad News for Atlantic Salmon
The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is extremely disappointed that the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) has been unable to stop factory sales of wild Atlantic salmon in Greenland and has also failed to put a limit on Greenland’s subsistence fishery. The salmon harvested in Greenland originate from rivers across eastern North America, where the vast majority of salmon populations are protected under federal species at risk legislation in Canada and the US.
Return of alewives on St. Croix River celebrated (video)
For nearly 20 years, conservationists and, at times, state natural resource agencies, have sought to open the St. Croix River watershed to alewives. Those river herring had their passage at dam fishways officially blocked in 1995 due to concerns that their presence had led to a collapse of the smallmouth bass fishery in nearby Spednic Lake.
Atlantic Salmon Released into Aroostook River (video)
Volunteers in Sheridan have been working for years to preserve a fish species here in Aroostook County. This week – as they do every year – they released thousands of Atlantic salmon into the river, after raising them for months. News Source 8′s Katie Zarrilli has more.
Legislature sends St. Croix alewife restoration bill to LePage
Emergency legislation to open the St. Croix River watershed to sea-run alewives easily won passage Wednesday in the Maine Senate and House. The bill, LD 72, now goes to Gov. Paul LePage, who has 10 days to sign, veto or let the bill become law.
Maine alewives begin a legislative run
A legislative committee has endorsed a measure that would open most of the St. Croix River to alewives, a small schooling fish, by the end of this month. L.D. 72 received unanimous support from the Marine Resources Committee on Monday. As an emergency bill, it needs two-thirds approval from the full House and Senate and would take effect immediately. The votes could come as early as Wednesday.
Conservation: Restoring salmon rivers with liming
The Nova Scotia Salmon Association is maximizing the benefits of the U.S. Clean Air Act by giving a river that is home to endangered wild Atlantic salmon in southern Nova Scotia continuous doses of lime.
Alewives Will Help Smallmouth Bass
Letting alewives up the St. Croix River will not hurt smallmouth bass, says Maine’s Commissioner of Marine Resources Patrick Keliher. “No, except getting fatter,” he said in a telephone interview Thursday, meaning that the smallmouth bass introduced to the St. Croix in 1877 feed on the native anadromous alewife – also called river herring and gaspereau.
Upstream Battle: Fishes Shun Modern Dam Passages, Contributing to Population Declines
A river study in the U.S. Northeast has found that many fish species are unable to use standard passageways to swim past dams on their spawning runs.
Maine plans emergency debate on fish passage
Maine’s state legislature is getting ready to debate an emergency bill that could see the St. Croix River re-opened this spring to gaspereau, ending a controversy that has spanned almost 20 years.
Down East salmon hatchery expansion under way in East Machias
The Downeast Salmon Federation took delivery this week on 53,000 North Atlantic salmon eggs that will be among 125,000 to be incubated and reared to “parr” stage over the next nine months for release into the East Machias River watershed in Washington County.
Egg by egg, Department of Marine resources restoring Atlantic salmon to Maine Rivers (video)
State biologists working in shallow river tributaries reachable by dirt roads and snowmobile trails are on the front line of the battle against extinction of the Atlantic salmon. They visit the waterways in January and February, sometimes dragging their equipment on a plastic sled more than a mile to the sites, to mimic wild salmon spawning. They're planting thousands of eggs in the gravel of riverbeds, an effort mostly funded through a federal grant.
Letters to the editor: Yarmouth Harbor life dependent on removing silt
Eugenie Francine’s Nov. 29 op-ed piece on removal of two Royal River dams (“Maine Voices: Royal River’s journey to future should begin with removal of lower dam”) makes the case for a free-flowing river eloquently, but dismisses the concerns of the advocates for the impoundment above the upper dam and for the harbor.
Salmon recovery pleases conservation group
Efforts to boost the numbers of wild Atlantic salmon in eastern P.E.I. are showing signs of success. Staff of the Souris and area wildlife federation have just finished a three-week survey of all rivers in the area. They say they're finding record numbers of Atlantic salmon nests, also called redds, by fisheries scientists.
Atlantic Salmon Numbers Dropping
Top researchers with the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) are trying to figure out why wild Atlantic salmon numbers are dropping dramatically once they leave their home rivers and head into saltwater.
News Releases
This is the collection view for the "News Releases" folder.
ASF Explores High Mortality in Early Part of Migration
St Andrews, N.B.— Top researchers with the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) are trying to figure out why wild Atlantic salmon numbers are dropping dramatically once they leave their home rivers and head into saltwater. Jonathan Carr, ASF’s Director of Research and Environment, recently presented his latest scientific findings at the Atlantic Salmon Ecosystems Forum in Orono, Maine. Scientists from across North America gathered to exchange information regarding the latest research on wild Atlantic salmon and their habitat.
Sir David Attenborough promotes International Year of the Salmon
YouTube IYS video
Northern Maine Hatchery Receives 42,000 Eggs
For eventual introduction to an Aroostook River tributary.
SALAR THE SALMON – AUDIOBOOK
Famous faces have donated their precious time to record extracts from the magnificent story of SALAR THE SALMON (Henry Williamson) & narrated by James Murray in order to let you all know how this iconic species needs your help! All proceeds from the audiobook (amazon audible) will go to @atlanticsalmontrust. Actor James Murray explains why: ‘Wild Atlantic salmon are a vital part of our marine ecosystem, the canaries of our rivers and oceans. Their future as a species is now at near tipping point and yet very few people are aware of this impending crisis. That needs to change quickly, and awareness is key.’ HUGE THANKS to #HughFearnley-Whittingstall @HughFW, #SarahParish @sarahparish23, #HughBonneville @bonhughbon, #BurnGorman burngorman1 , #PaulWhitehouse, #NinaSosanya, #JamesStokoe @jamesthebigfish #IainGlen @iainglenofficial , #BobMortimer, #RogerAllam, #MarinaGibson @marinagibsonfishing, #RobsonGreen, #AnthonyCalf, #JamesMurray, @thejimmurray, #strathmorepublishing #salarthesalmon #AtlanticSalmonTrust #Themissingsalmonproject, #wildsalmonmatter, #yearofthesalmon To find out more about the recording of the Salar the Salmon Audio book visit: https://www.atlanticsalmontrust.org/salar-the-salmon-audiobook-2/ RAISE YOUR VOICES FOR SALAR DURING THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE SALMON! Special Thanks to: Audiobook Publishers: Strathmore Publishing Video editing and music: Andy Bancroft Cooke, THEM USEM @themusem @adtbc Video: Alan Ward, Country Field Media,
Greenlandic Fishery Continues to Catch Imperiled Atlantic Salmon
Press release from NOAA Fisheries summarizing the 2015 annual meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization meeting in Goose Bay, Canada.
NOAA Scientists Collaborate to track Atlantic salmon smolts
A recent paper in Science highlights the recent advancements in hi-tech tracking tags and coast wide collaboration used by partners in the Ocean Tracking Network. NOAA Fisheries scientist John Kocik is a co-author on the paper describing the collaboration of the network for tracking Atlantic salmon smolt and other species movements. http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/pr2015/scispot/ss1507/
Final Atlantic Salmon Recovery Plan is now available 2019
The Atlantic Salmon Recovery Plan is now available!
Final Atlantic Salmon Recovery Plan 2019
The final Atlantic Salmon Recovery Plan has been finalized and is now available.
CMS Reports for 2020
Annual Report on the DPS, Annual SHRU Reports, Annual Standing Committee Reports, Ad Hoc Committee Reports