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Endangered salmon may soon swim freely up a Maine river, but a comeback isn’t guaranteed
The project includes a $9.1 million federal grant and aims to reopen passage for Atlantic salmon, shad and alewives after decades of habitat work.
- The town of Cherryfield removed an ice-control dam that stood for more than 60 years on the Narraguagus River, replacing it with a "nature-like" set of stair-stepping pools to restore fish migration while maintaining flood control. Construction began in June and is set to wrap up by November.
- Atlantic salmon populations in the Narraguagus remain endangered, with only about 25 wild adults returning annually to spawn, far below the 1,500 needed for reclassification to threatened status.
- Habitat restoration project manager Ellie Mason leads efforts by the Downeast Salmon Federation and Project SHARE, which received $9.1 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support the recovery initiative.
- State and federal hatcheries currently serve as a life support system, stocking the Narraguagus with hundreds of thousands of juveniles annually, though scientists estimate less than 1 percent survive to return as adults.
- Federal recovery plans describe an "unavoidably speculative" estimate that Gulf of Maine salmon restoration could take 75 years and cost more than $800 million, while Morse from the Atlantic Salmon Federation noted the ocean remains "kind of a black box" for researchers.
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Associated Press News+10 Reposted by 10 other sources
Endangered salmon may soon swim freely up a Maine river, but a comeback isn’t guaranteed
On a recent canoe trip to the remote upper reaches of the Narraguagus River, Ellie Mason saw prime Atlantic salmon habitat everywhere.
·New York, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources15
Leaning Left9Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution60% Left
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources lean Left
60% Left
L 60%
C 27%
13%
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