A multidisciplinary committee will review the available scientific information on the status of Atlantic salmon populations in Maine and, where relevant, in adjacent areas. The committee will assess causes of the declines of their populations and the current threats to the continued survival of salmon, will evaluate the evidence on the population structure of those salmon, and will evaluate options for improving the survival of salmon. In assessing information, the committee will identify significant knowledge gaps and suggest additional research that would be important to the conservation and recovery of salmon populations.

Factors to be evaluated include the nature and distinctness of salmon populations in Maine rivers and surrounding areas; the interactions between aquaculture, hatchery, and wild populations; terrestrial and marine environmental factors affecting salmon populations; the effects on salmon of changes in the hydrology of Maine streams; and the effects on salmon of subsistence, recreational, and commercial fishing in freshwater and ocean areas in and around Maine.

A brief interim report will be produced within 9 months after formation of the committee. The interim report will address the genetic makeup of wild salmon populations in Maine and its possible relationship to recovery activities. A final report at the end of the study will describe and synthesize the information available on the biology of Atlantic salmon, the causes of their population declines, and the threats to their continued survival. It will evaluate and describe options for enhancing their continued survival and recovery and will provide some approximate estimates of the relative costs of the various options.