Maine River Opens 40 Miles for Endangered Salmon

For the first time in over 60 years, endangered Atlantic salmon will soon swim freely up all 40 miles of Maine's Narraguagus River.

The Cherryfield dam, the last barrier blocking migrating fish on the river's main stem, is being replaced with nature-like stair-stepping pools. The new design will still control ice jams that once flooded the town but won't stop salmon, river herring, and shad from reaching their spawning grounds.

Ellie Mason, 29, is managing the project for the Downeast Salmon Federation. She grew up on nearby Mount Desert Island but never saw an adult salmon until last year.

"The thing about growing up here is there are no salmon," she said. "I think there's really little understanding of what a river of this scale actually historically held."

Scientists estimate hundreds of thousands of salmon once returned to Maine's waters each spring to spawn. Today, only about 1,000 make the journey, with just 25 returning annually to the Narraguagus.

The river itself is ready. Mason recently canoed the remote upper reaches and found ideal habitat everywhere: shady refuges for hot summer days, rocky bottoms perfect for nesting eggs, and wild forest surroundings.

Construction started in June and wraps up this November. Once complete, the Narraguagus will be one of Maine's few rivers with no barriers from ocean to source.

Christopher Federico, executive director of Project SHARE, has spent over two decades working to restore salmon habitat on this river. "This fish gets under your skin," he said.

The Ripple Effect

Removing this dam represents more than helping one species. It's the culmination of generations of work by Maine and Canadian conservationists who refused to give up on Atlantic salmon.

The river ecosystem will benefit too. River herring and shad will also gain access to spawning grounds, strengthening the entire food web.

Young people like Mason are inheriting this cause with fresh energy. She fields calls from government agencies about permits, answers engineers' questions, and provides a voice for salmon in every construction decision.

Challenges remain. Atlantic salmon still face high mortality rates at sea, likely linked to climate change, and the species depends heavily on hatcheries to supplement wild populations.

But the Narraguagus is now clear, wild, and waiting for salmon to come home.