Restoring Native Fisheries to Maine's Largest Watershed: The Penobscot River Restoration Project

Abstract

Flowing from Mount Katahdin to the Gulf of Maine, the Penobscot River drains fully onethird of the state of Maine. It is the largest river within Maine and the second largest in New England. The headwaters, mainstem and tributaries, estuary and the Gulf of Maine form a dynamic ecosystem that was once fueled by vast native sea-run fisheries. Silvery schools of fish once surged through the river in vast numbers—alewives and blue-back herring, American shad, striped bass, American eel, Atlantic and short-nose sturgeon, rainbow smelt, tomcod, and the fabled wild Atlantic salmon. These phenomenal fish migrations held a prominent place in the life of the region. For instance, the Penobscot River has been home to the Penobscot Indian Nation for more than 10,000 years, and Penobscot Indian people took clan names such as Sturgeon Clan and Eel Clan. Penobscot fish nets, baskets, and spears are reminders of the sustenance and subsistence significance of fish to the tribe. Federally recognized rights to sustenance fishing rights today remain relatively meaningless for lack of sea-run fish and because resident fish are contaminated. Traditions took root that reflected the significance of sea-run fish in people’s lives; the first-caught salmon of the season was sent to the President of the United States; families passed fishing traditions through the generations; salmon clubs sprang up along the river. Their names are still etched on the inland landscape—Shad Pond, for instance, where shad can no longer migrate due to the barriers posed by hydropower dams. Like other rivers in the industrial East, the Penobscot River was heavily used for driving logs, assimilating waste from factories, farms, and cities, and dammed for mechanical power for mills, log transport, and eventually hydropower generation for the market. Commercial and recreational fish harvest also took their toll, until the fishery became what is today—a mere remnant of the healthy populations that once provided nutrients for wildlife and people throughout the riverine ecosystem, including the sea. Atlantic salmon are listed as federally endangered on several Maine rivers; their status is under review on the Penobscot. Short-nose sturgeon also are protected as federally endangered and American eel have recently been proposed for listing as well. Sea-run species’ populations have plummeted on the Penobscot; Atlantic salmon, for instance have declined from historic levels ranging from 75,000 to 100,000 fish to an average of 1000 fish per year over the last ten years.