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A biological report released jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service confirms that wild Atlantic salmon are in danger of extinction despite considerable efforts to ensure their survival. The status of the salmon under the Endangered Species Act is now pending before the federal court in Washington D.C., and the United States will be making a court filing on the case next Friday, October 15. By that time, the Federal agencies will make and announce decisions following on the report being released.
"The State of Maine has worked hard to conserve Atlantic salmon indigenous to the Gulf of Maine through its conservation plan, and the plan will provide a solid foundation for future
recovery efforts," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"We will continue working with the State of Maine and its partners to support implementation of the existing plan. Nevertheless, this population is facing increasing threats to its existence. These are the last remaining naturally reproducing wild Atlantic salmon known to exist in the United
States. Our New England office will work closely with the State of Maine to replenish Atlantic salmon for future generations."
"Atlantic salmon are an important part of the heritage of Maine and we must do
everything possible to ensure their survival and recovery," said Penny Dalton, Director of NOAA^s National Marine Fisheries Service. "It is critical now that we work together with the State, industry, and conservationists to redouble our efforts to protect wild salmon."
In the biological review, Status Review for Anadromous Atlantic Salmon in the United States, a team of federal biologists from the Services documented changes in the status of isolated groups of wild Atlantic salmon. These salmon are found in several rivers and tributaries in the area of Maine that includes the Kennebec River basin and extends east to the St. Croix
River near the U.S.-New Brunswick, Canada border.
The report concludes that fewer adult salmon are returning to spawn and young salmon in the rivers are surviving at a lower rate than expected. The prospects for the stocks in the
downeast rivers is poor unless greater protection can be put in place. These include controls on water diversion to ensure flow in the rivers, restrictions on recreational fishing that catch wild
salmon, and aquaculture safeguards. The Services are working with the State to address these issues, but the process needs to be broadened and accelerated.
In December, 1997, the two Services, which share the responsibility for making a recommendation on whether Atlantic salmon should be federally protected, withdrew a proposal
to list the salmon in Maine as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Services determined that existing protection for the species, including the newly developed State of
Maine^s Atlantic Salmon Conservation Plan, was adequate and that listing the species under the ESA was not warranted at that time.
Since then, some progress has been made to implement the conservation plan. However, some threats remain unresolved and need to be addressed.
For a copy of the biological status review, contact: Paul Nickerson, USFWS,
300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035 or Mary Colligan, NMFS Protected Resources Division, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Uploaded: 10/9/1999
Uploaded: 10/9/1999