TROUT UNLIMITED • February 1, 2023
The Atlantic salmon was arguably the king of the Kennebec, with runs thought to top 100,000 fish in some years in the early 1800s. In 2018, just 11 adult Atlantic salmon were collected at Lockwood Dam, the lowermost barrier on the river. While the river’s salmon and other migratory fish have faced many challenges, from polluted water to warming oceans, none have been as damaging as a series of aging hydro dams that have kept sea-run fish from reaching important spawning grounds. They are on the brink. NOAA is expected to release a biological opinion in mid-February, triggering the next step of reviews through the FERC relicensing process for Shawmut Dam. The only viable way to save Atlantic salmon in the Kennebec River is to remove the four lowermost barriers on the river, which would allow the fish to reach the best spawning habitat in the system in the Sandy River.