Atlantic salmon are on the brink of dying out in the Kennebec River because of Brookfield Renewables’ four dams between Waterville and Skowhegan. The Natural Resources Council of Maine is working as part of the Kennebec Coalition to restore a healthy, free-flowing Kennebec River for Atlantic salmon by removing all four dams. Maine’s Department of Read More
sea-run fish
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 817, An Act To Advance the Restoration of the Penobscot River
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. My name is Nick Bennett, and I am the Staff Scientist for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s largest environmental advocacy group with more than 20,000 members and supporters. I am testifying in support of LD 817. As Read More
Why These Conservationists are Feeling Optimistic about Atlantic Salmon
By John Holyoke, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Two pieces of fisheries-related news were welcomed with enthusiastic responses by Atlantic salmon conservationists in Maine last week. Dwayne Shaw, the executive director of the Downeast Salmon Federation, and Andrew Goode, the vice president of U.S. programs for the Atlantic Salmon Federation in Brunswick, said Read More
Once Again, the River Runs Wild
The now-undammed Penobscot River has brought bounty to my backyard. by Robert Klose Christian Science Monitor news story MAY 3, 2017 —Until recently, my home was snuggled neatly between two dams along the banks of the Penobscot River here in central Maine. The behavior of the river was therefore a function of the human forces Read More
16-year Penobscot River Restoration Project Reaches the Finish Line
by James McCarthy Mainebiz news story For the first time since the 1800s, nearly 1,000 miles of habitat along the Penobscot River are accessible to Atlantic salmon and 10 other fish species that spend part of their lives at sea but return to fresh water for spawning. The final step making that possible — a Read More
Historic $24 Million Penobscot River Project Nearly Finished
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story HOWLAND, Maine — Atlantic Ocean-based salmon, sturgeon, American shad and alewives will be able to find spawning grounds in northern Maine for the first time in more than a century with the culmination of a 16-year project next spring, officials said this week. Engineers Read More
Whitewater Regatta Focuses Spotlight on Penobscot River Restoration
By Jay Field MPBN news story OLD TOWN, Maine – Whitewater canoeists and kayakers from across the country are in Maine for a competition event that wouldn’t have been possible just three years ago. The Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta got underway in Old Town Thursday, with races scheduled to take place through Sunday afternoon. Read More
Penobscot Dam Removals Enable National Paddling Event
By Nok-Noi Ricker, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story OLD TOWN, Maine — Removal of the Great Works Dam in Bradley and the Veazie Dam, part of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, had an added benefit for those who like whitewater, according to organizers of the upcoming Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta. “It’s got Read More
Humans Changed Behavior, and Alewives are Rebounding in Kennebec, Penobscot, St. Croix
By Lisa Pohlmann, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed For the last few weeks sea-run fish known as alewives have been heading up Maine’s rivers to lay their eggs. Their journey is a breathtaking force of nature to behold, as they fight strong currents, heading upstream in droves. While probably hundreds of millions Read More
