Portland, Maine: Maine is home to the last wild Atlantic salmon population in the US, but a new push to protect fish at the state level will not land on endangered list.
Atlantic salmon has been filled in the US River; But now back from the sea for only a handful of rivers in East Maine and the center.
Fish is protected at the federal level under the actions of endangered species, but the coalition of environmental groups and scientists say the fish can be given more protection if they are added to the list of maintenive species that are threatened and threatened.
The state law allows the Maine Department of the Commissioner of the Marine Resources Patrick Kerihaker to make the recommendation, but his office told the Associated Press, he did not intend to do it.
The department has done a broad job to save and restore fish, and commissioners “do not believe the list at the state level will provide additional conservation benefits or protection,” Jeff Nichols said, a spokesman for the department.
Environmental lovers who want to see fish on the list of countries say they will continue to encourage it and other protection.
Adding fish into an endangered list means salmon conservation will be treated as a greater concern in the state licensing process, said John Burrows, Executive Director for the Aslantic Federation operation.
“The country Maine and a handful of our rivers are the only places in the country that still have a wild Atlantic salmon,” said Burrows.
“That’s something that must happen, and it should happen.” The Atlantic salmon has disappeared from rivers in the US because of Damming, pollution and other environmental challenges, and they also face the threat of towering climate change.
However, there are several positive signs on the Maine River in recent years.
More than 1,400 salmon returned to the Penobscot River in 2020.
It was the highest number since 2011, the Ministry of Maine Marine Resources was found.
Penobscot is the most productive river for salmon.
This is only around 700 fish per year from 2012 to 2019.
The effort to refill the Atlantic salmon in other countries has stopped.
The federal government ended the efforts to restore the Atlantic salmon in the Connecticut River Basin in 2012 after decades due to lack of success.
Getting the fish listed in the PerserRed Maine list has long been the destination of many environmental groups.
The main species of endangered includes 26 endangered and 25-threatened species.
This list includes two fish, redfin pickerel which is endangered and threatened with raw darters.
This list is designed to provide state level protection for species that are stretched and is a complement to the Endangated US Extinced Species.
Some species, including piping plover, are listed in both.
Environmental lovers support the lead in the maine legislature earlier this year which will require commissioner of marine resources to recommend a list of countries for each species that are registered or threatened.
The proposal died on the committee in June.
A group of 19 organizations and 10 scientists and conservationists sent letters to countries that said Maine were one of several countries that did not mandate or recommend lists of countries from federal-registered species.
Dwayne Shaw, Director of the Federation of Salmon DownEast, said that wildlife advocates will continue to push salmon protection.
“There will be extraordinary symbolism in this matter, but there will be direct implications, positive implications for the species,” Shaw said.
Group urges the country to protect the last wild Atlantic salmon in the US
