In 1945, the Maine legislature created a single administrative unit with authority to manage Atlantic salmon in freshwater and saltwater. The Atlantic Sea Run Salmon Commission was superseded by the Atlantic Salmon Authority in 1995 and by the current Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission (MASC) in 1999. Its purpose is to protect, conserve, restore, manage and enhance Atlantic salmon habitat, populations, and sport fisheries within historical habitat in all (inland and tidal) waters of Maine. Its activities have included surveys of Atlantic salmon habitat; habitat improvement; fish-passage improvements; the elimination of commercial fishing; progressively restrictive sportfishing regulations, culminating in the current prohibition of any recreational fishing for anadromous Atlantic salmon in Maine; and various stocking programs. The commission also conducts research on salmon life histories, population status and trends, stocking methods and practices, effects of natural predation, and studies of migration. The commission’s decades-long database of the results of Carlin tagging helped to document the high exploitation rates of Maine salmon in distant-water commercial fisheries. Current management strategies and progress are provided in the Conservation Plan for Seven Maine Rivers (Maine Atlantic Salmon Task Force 1997) as well as MASC’s updates of the plan, reports to the Maine legislature, and other documents.

Sources: MASC 2002, Maine Atlantic Salmon Task Force 1997

The DIFW regulates recreational fishing and boating and monitors and investigates salmon health problems in aquaculture facilities. More generally, DIFW is responsible for establishing and enforcing the rules and regulations that govern fishing, propagation and stocking of fish, registration of watercraft and all terrain vehicles, and issuing of licenses (hunting, fishing, trapping, guide, etc.) and permits. The DIFW enforce the rules adopted by the MASC. The Department’s Bureaus of Resource Management and of Warden Service (the enforcement arm of the department), execute these responsibilities. In addition, the DIFW operates the Fish Health Laboratory, and monitors and investigates fish health problems such as infectious salmon anemia (ISA), a viral disease of farmed Atlantic salmon.

Sources: DIFW 2002b,c,d,e; 2003a,b

Front Matter (R1-R28)

Summary (1-15)

1 Introduction (16-22)

2 Salmon Life History and Ecology (23-46)

3 Threats to Atlantic Salmon in Maine (47-107)

4 Setting Priorities for Action (108-137)

5 Addressing the Threats to Atlantic Salmon in Maine (138-187)

6 Findings and Recommendations (188-194)

References (195-226)

Appendix A: Endangered Species Act Basics (227-232)

Appendix B: Governance (233-250)

Appendix C: Supportive Breeding, Effective Population Size, and Inbreeding (251-257)

Appendix D: Supportive Breeding and Risks to Genetic Quality (258-260)

Appendix E: Summary of the Committee's Interim Report (261-264)

Appendix F: Stocking Number, 1871-1995 (265-270)

Appendix G: Biographical Sketches of the Committee s Members (271-276)