Feds seek salmon protection in ME
Federal regulators yesterday recommended designating Atlantic salmon in the Penobscot, Kennebec and Androscoggin rivers as endangered species, a proposal that could have implications for industry and tourism along the rivers.
Maine officials worry that the endangered designation could negatively impact hydroelectric dams on the rivers, some industry in the watersheds and catch-and-release salmon fishing seasons on the Penobscot, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Yesterday's announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is not a surprise, however. The agencies defined Atlantic salmon in the Gulf of Maine and the Dennys, East Machias, Machias, Pleasant, Narraguagus, Ducktrap, and Sheepscot rivers as endangered in 2000, according to a press release from the NOAA. In 2006, a study recommended further protection of salmon in Maine rivers.
The agencies are accepting public comments on the proposal through Dec. 2 and plan to hold at least three public hearings. The dates and locations of those meetings will be announced at a later time.
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