Column: How can the fishing be so good if the salmon are in trouble?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 2, 2026

The Atlantic salmon runs in the Canadian Maritimes are just not what they were back when. Biologically, they are in trouble. Good fishing in a productive stretch of river does not necessarily mean the overall salmon population is healthy. The Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon population is endangered, and Maine is the only state with remaining wild Atlantic salmon populations. Most experts agree that the sea-run salmon picture is a survival mystery grounded more on what is going on at sea than in the rivers themselves. Components of the sea-survival equation include warming waters, commercial harvest, predation and a host of other factors. ~ V. Paul Reynolds