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The fight to save Atlantic salmon: A conversation with new advocacy leader

The Atlantic Salmon Federation recently named Nathan Wilbur as its next president.

The organization conducts research on wild salmon throughout the North Atlantic, carries out river restoration projects and advocates for legislation to conserve salmon. Its work covers the entire salmon range in North America — from Maine to Northern Labrador, including five eastern provinces.

Here in Maine, the "king of fish" historically had spectacular returns, with more than 100,000 adults in the Penobscot and its tributaries alone. Today, this number is less than 2,000, and in recent years, Atlantic salmon have only returned to 11 rivers in Maine.

I've heard stories from people who grew up fishing for Atlantic salmon in Maine, the reverence for their fight and athleticism. As a passionate angler myself, I've fished for sockeye, coho and landlocked salmon, but I've always wondered what it'd be like to hook an Atlantic.

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/07/16/outdoors/outdoors-environment/atlantic-salmon-federation-president-nathan-wilbur-n6hjn1me0n/

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Maine Sea Grant students helping state conserve endangered Atlantic salmon

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Atlantic Salmon have been on the brink of extinction for more than two decades, but through conservation efforts researchers in Maine are working to improve the species growth while also building the next generation of marine scientists.

From fish stocking to lab work, students are diving into efforts to help conserve the endangered Atlantic salmon along the Gulf of Maine this summer though a program offered by Maine Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries.

"We take genetic samples and scale samples and all kinds of stuff, so we can continue to have data on them into the future," said Maine Sea Grant Intern Wade Hill.

 
https://www.foxbangor.com/news/maine-sea-grant-students-helping-state-conserve-endangered-atlantic-salmon/article_63b0fc52-af99-49f7-9a10-6369d65f2105.html#//

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Salmon return to English river after century-long absence

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust completes salmon habitat restoration project.

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Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has completed a two-year river restoration project aimed at reintroducing Atlantic salmon to the River Ecclesbourne, where the species has been absent for nearly a century.

The project involved re-meandering a 400-metre stretch of the river near the site of the former Postern Mill in Turnditch, Derbyshire, to bypass the last remaining weir and restore natural flow conditions. The new channel is expected to open access to over 28km of river and tributaries for fish migration, according to Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

The river's course had been diverted in the 18th century to support milling, creating a barrier to upstream fish movement. A 2020 assessment by the Wild Trout Trust identified the Ecclesbourne as having significant potential for fish spawning, but noted that artificial barriers and water quality issues limited its ecological health.

https://www.salmonbusiness.com/salmon-return-to-english-river-after-century-long-absence/

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First salmon in nearly 100 years found in Northern California river



An endangered species has returned to its Northern California river habitat for the first time in almost a century, wildlife officials said.

Winter-run chinook salmon — one of nine species considered to be most at risk of extinction by NOAA — have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1994. But new concerns for the species came to light after California's historic statewide drought between 2012 and 2016, when the fish all but vanished from the McCloud River, which flows through Siskiyou and Shasta counties.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/salmon-mccloud-river-dam-northern-california-20788689.php

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Scottish Salmon superhighways mapped to judge wind farm impact

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Scotland's 'salmon superhighways' are being mapped by scientists to see if the surge in wind farms will affect the endangered Highland fish.

Threatened with extinction, the UK's salmon populations have fallen 50% since 2006 due to climate change, habitat loss, water quality, and plummeting prey.

Now, University of Essex researchers will see if newly developed wind farms will interact with Atlantic salmon migration paths.

https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/articles/scottish-salmon-superhighways-mapped-to-judge-wind-farm-impact

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Why the legacy of Storm Amy may harm Scotland's native fish

Storm Amy, the first named storm of the season, left damaged power lines, downed trees and frustrated travellers in its wake earlier this month, but its biggest long term impact will almost certainly be on fish.

As the final homes were getting their power reconnected, fish farm operator Mowi made an unexpected announcement - about 75,000 salmon had escaped from a damaged enclosure in the Scottish Highlands.

The rough seas and high winds had torn the netting at a pen at the Gorsten farm on Loch Linnhe, a sea loch in Lochaber.

At first sight it might look like a lucky break for fish that might otherwise end up on supermarket shelves - but marine scientists and conservationists are worried.

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What's the problem with fish farm escapes?

Scottish wild salmon begin their lives in Scottish rivers where they live for several years before turning into "smolts" and beginning their migration to the sea.

After one to three years in the North Atlantic, they make an epic journey back to the river where they born in order to spawn.

The majority of adults then die although some head back out to sea.

The big danger is that the farmed salmon escapees will inter-breed with wild salmon, changing the genetic make-up of the next generation of fish.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c201r94v3kwo

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Photography cruise from Bar Harbor to Bangor features Penobscot River Trust


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On Saturday, Oct. 18 the organizations that founded the Penobscot River Restoration Trust will be speaking about their conservation efforts to take down dams and restore fish passages on a specialty cruise from Bar Harbor to Bangor that also features 10 lighthouses and fall foliage. 

The tour departs Harbor Place in Bar Harbor at 8:30 a.m. and will take place on the 112-foot catamaran Friendship V with a return at 6 p.m. The tour will have a distinct twist, as upon arriving in Bangor passengers will have the option to go ashore along the waterfront for lunch at boutique food trucks or local restaurants.

The founding organizations of the Penobscot River Restoration Trust include the Penobscot Nation, American Rivers, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Audubon, Natural Resources Council of Maine, The Nature Conservancy and Trout Unlimited. During the tour guests will hear from members of the Trust and learn about the history of our conservation efforts and those still underway to restore the Penobscot, other Maine rivers, and anadromous fish.

Greg Ponte, from Trout Unlimited stated, "This was one of the most important sea run fish habitat restoration projects in our nation's history as we purchased and removed the Great Works Dam during 2012, the Veazie Dam during 2013 and built a stream like bypass channel around the Howland Dam on the Piscataquis River during 2015. The 2025 Penobscot River sea run fish count for alewives was nearly 6 million alewives, 8,000+ Shad and 600+ Atlantic salmon at the Milford Dam fish lift."

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/10/16/bdn-maine/photography-cruise-from-bar-harbor-to-bangor-features-penobscot-river-trust/

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As a Glacier Retreats, a Gold Mine Advances. Why Are Some Locals Angry?


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A small Canadian mining company, Canagold, is seeking permits and approvals to renew gold mining operations at a remote site in northwestern British Columbia (B.C.). Called the New Polaris Mine, it faces opposition from First Nations, environmental nonprofits and downstream Alaskan communities. 

In 1957, the Tulsequah Chief Mine stopped production of gold, copper, lead and zinc after a short-lived six years of operations. Its legacy has since made it infamous: for the past seven decades, the Tulsequah Chief Mine has leaked a rust-red, mineral-laden runoff called acid mine drainage into the glacial waters of the Tulsequah River. Despite repeated calls from locals and environmentalists and government promises, the acid mine drainage has yet to be cleaned up. Amid this ongoing environmental contamination, the New Polaris Mine is entering the picture. 

Like the now-abandoned Tulsequah Chief Mine, the New Polaris Mine sits on the Tulsequah River, which then flows into the Taku River, crosses the Alaska border near Juneau, and eventually drains into the Pacific Ocean. The Taku watershed stretches over 18,000 square kilometers of undeveloped wilderness, an area roughly the size of New Jersey. It is home to all five species of Pacific salmon, which sustain the watershed's rich ecosystem and have long formed a key part of the livelihood of the Taku River Tlingit peoples.

https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2025/10/16/as-a-glacier-retreats-a-gold-mine-advances-why-are-some-locals-angry/

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Salmon reach headwaters for first time in a century after California dam removal

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Scientists from Cal Poly collect samples for a study on the impact of reintroducing salmon to Jenny Creek, a major Klamath Riber tributary above one of the big dams that was recently removed, in 2024. Salmon have now been found at the headwaters of the Klamath following the dam removal project.

Salmon on the Klamath River have crossed a major threshold a year after four dams were removed along the California-Oregon border, with the fish reaching the river's headwaters for the first time in more than a century.

Oregon wildlife officials said Friday that multiple salmon were observed in Upper Klamath Lake, as well as its major tributaries, which confirms the 300-mile migration of salmon from the Pacific Ocean in Northern California to their historical spawning grounds in southern Oregon.




https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/dam-removal-klamath-salmon-21110145.php

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The DrakeCast - A Flyfishing Podcast · #72: The Pink Salmon Ranchers

In this episode we hear author and Alaskan flyfishing guide George Rogers read his story "The Pink Ranchers" and learn about the hidden threats that Alaskan hatcheries pose to our country's last great wild fishery.

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California reintroducing salmon by planting 350,000 spring-run Chinook eggs above dam


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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) plans to inject 350,000 Chinook salmon eggs into the North Yuba River this fall as the state government looks for new ways to help struggling salmon populations recover.

This is the second year CDFW has taken this approach, collecting eggs fertilized at the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville and then hydraulically injecting them into the river's gravel substrate in November.

The department said the program is a "multiagency, multifaceted effort to bring the state and federally listed threatened species back to its historic coldwater spawning and rearing habitat" that has been blocked by dams for centuries. During the first year, CDFW, the Yuba Water Agency, NOAA Fisheries, and the U.S. Forest Service injected roughly 300,000 fertilized spring-run Chinook salmon eggs in the North Yuba riverbed. In the spring, 42 hatchery-raised adult spring-run Chinook salmon were also released into the river.

https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/california-reintroducing-salmon-by-planting-350-000-spring-run-chinook-eggs-above-dam

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Chico Creek Esturary Restoration
A $2 million project to restore esturine habitat conditions and improve fish passage at the mouth of the West Sound's most productive salmon stream.


https://suquamish.nsn.us/home/departments/fisheries/finfish/salmon-recovery/