Atlantic Salmon: Closing a Gaping Hole...
As most know, Atlantic salmon are critically endangered in the United States, propped up almost solely through stocking. They are listed as "Endangered" under the United States Endangered Species Act. Within the United States, Atlantic salmon are now found in a handful of Maine rivers and streams only. Efforts to restore salmon in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont have been suspended.
If Atlantic salmon are endangered in the United States, a fact accepted by most of the scientific community, they are by default endangered in Maine. However, twenty years after being listed as Endangered at the federal level, Maine has not granted the species the same status at the state level. Atlantic salmon are not even listed as a Species of Concern.
At the federally mandated Wildlife Action Plan level, Maine lists Atlantic salmon as a Tier 1 Species of Greatest Conservation Need, two levels below Endangered, one level below Threatened, and the same status granted to Arctic charr. Arctic charr are not recognized as Endangered or Threatened under the federal ESA or Maine ESA.
Ten conservation groups and a number of scientists, advocates, and authors, have petitioned Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) Commissioner Judy Camuso to review Atlantic salmon to determine if they warrant listing as "Endangered" under Maine's Endangered Species Act. Under Maine law, Commissioner Camuso has the right to pass the recommendation on to the Maine legislature to act or not:
Organizations
Native Fish Coalition
Maine Chapter Native Fish Coalition
Downeast Salmon Federation
Atlantic Salmon Federation
Maine Council Atlantic Salmon Federation
Union Salmon Association
Upstream Watch
Friends of Merrymeeting Bay
Kennebec Reborn
Elliotsville Foundation
Individuals
Ray “Bucky” Owen, PhD, Former MDIFW Commissioner
Edward Baum, Fisheries Scientist, Former Program Coordinator for Maine Atlantic Sea-Run Salmon Commission
Matthew Scott, Retired Chief Biologist Maine DEP and former Deputy Commissioner MDIFW
Joan Garner Trial, PhD, Retired MDIFW Fisheries Biologist, Atlantic Salmon Commission, DMR Bureau Sea Run Fisheries
Mark Whiting, PhD, retired DEP Biologist for DEP Salmon Rivers Program
Catherine Schmitt, Journalist and author of The President's Salmon: Restoring the King of Fish and its Home Waters
Topher Browne, Journalist and author of Atlantic Salmon Magic
What the Experts Are Saying
“Fewer than 100, and maybe as few as several dozen, wild Atlantic salmon are returning to the whole DPS in some recent years. And it’s more likely than not that one or both of their parents came from a hatchery.” -Dwayne Shaw, Executive Director, Downeast Salmon Federation
“Wild Atlantic salmon once ranged across New England. Today, these fish persist in only a handful of Maine rivers and not enough is being done to bring them back from the edge of extinction. A state listing would help tackle a number of significant threats to the species that the federal listing has been unable to address for the last 20 years.” -John Burrows, Executive Director of U.S. Operations, Atlantic Salmon Federation
“We need Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to take a more active role in regard to Atlantic salmon restoration, as without their full support this is not going to happen. The best way to do that, and the right thing to do at this time, is to list salmon as ‘Endangered’ at the state level.” -Bob Mallard, Executive Director, Native Fish Coalition
“The only Atlantic salmon left in the country are in Maine, yet the state has not listed them as Endangered at the state level. Doing so would help protect this important natural resource, align the State of Maine with federal efforts to protect the species, and help conserve one of Maine’s and the nation’s greatest and most emblematic fish.” -Emily Bastian, National Vice Chair, Native Fish Coalition
“If the number of moose or white-tailed deer in Maine numbered less than 100, it's very likely that the regulatory agencies of Maine would list them as endangered. Why has the state failed to do the same for Atlantic salmon?" -Topher Browne, Author of Atlantic Salmon Magic
"It is past time for the State of Maine to acknowledge the endangered status of Atlantic salmon and embrace a leadership role in protecting and celebrating this King (and Queen) of Fish." -Catherine Schmitt, Author of The President's Salmon.
