NOTE: This is from the biological report on the status of Atlantic Salmon - see Table of Contents and News Release for additional information.

SECTION 4: HISTORIC DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE AND ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION

4.1 HISTORIC DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE

4.1.1 Distribution

Anadromous Atlantic salmon were native to nearly every major coastal river north of the Hudson River (Atkins 1874; Kendall 1935). There were likely at least 11 U.S. coastal watersheds outside of Maine that historically supported wild salmon populations. Beland (1984) reported that at least thirty-four Maine Rivers held Atlantic salmon populations at one time. Other sources report the number to be 28 (MacCrimmon and Gots 1979; Kendall 1935). The known historic natural range of Atlantic salmon in U.S. rivers was from the Housatonic River in the south to the St. Croix River in the north (Kendall 1935; Scott and Crossman 1973). Nineteen important historic Atlantic salmon rivers are specifically identified in Figure 4.1.1.

By the early 1800's, the Atlantic salmon runs in New England had been severely depleted, greatly reducing the species' distribution in the southern half of its range. The earliest impacts were from fishing, water quality degradation, and barriers to migration caused by waste disposal and waterpower development associated with the Industrial Revolution. Restoration efforts were initiated in the mid-1800's, but had little success due to the presence of dams and the inefficiency of early fishways (Stolte 1981). Natural Atlantic salmon runs had disappeared from southern New England Rivers by 1865. There was a brief period in the late 19th Century when limited runs were reestablished in the Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers by artificial propagation, but these runs were extirpated by the end of the century (USFWS 1989). Salmon runs in the large rivers south of the Kennebec River, Maine, disappeared during this same period (Atkins 1874; Kendall 1935). By the end of the 19th Century, three of the five largest salmon populations in New England (in the Connecticut, Merrimack, and Androscoggin Rivers) had been eliminated, shifting the southern extent of the species' distribution approximately 2o north in latitude and 4o east in longitude.

 

 

Major Historic Atlantic Salmon Rivers
Figure 4.1.1 Major historic New England Salmon rivers.

Historical habitat units

RiverCTPW MKSMCSAANKBSHCMCDTPBUNEMC NGPL MCEMDESCSJRW
Accessible89,25016725158612,540 8,5001,0002,845502800125,0008,360 1,0226,0151,0856,6852,1452,41529,260 66,175
Historic173,2508,61183,34924,99618,152 62,560113,7002,8453,260800125,000 8,360 2336,0151,0856,6852,1452,41529,260 5,435
Legend:
Connecticut
River (CT)
Saco
River (SA)
Sheepscot
River (SH)
Union
River (UN)
Machias
River (MC)
St. Croix
River (SC)
Pawtucket
River (PW)
Androscoggin
River (AN)
Ducktrap
River (DT)
Narraguagus
River (NG)
East Machias
River (EM)
Merrimack
River (MK)
Kebbebec
River (KB)
Penobscot
River (PB)
Pleasant
River (PL)
Dennys
River (DE)
Southern Maine Coastal (SMC): Salmon Falls, Mousam, Kennebunk, Presumscot and Royal
Rivers
Central Maine Coastal (CMC): Pemaquid, Medomak, St. George, Little, and Passagassawaukeag Rivers
Eastern Maine Coastal (EMC): Indian, Chandler, Orange, and Pennamaquan Rivers; Tunk, Hobart and Boyden Streams St. John River watershed (SJRW): Aroostook and Meduxnekeag Rivers; Prestile stream
Figure 4.1.2. Estimated historical habitat units (one production unit = 100 m2) and estimated habitat units currently accessible to Atlantic salmon in New England rivers.

4.1.2 Abundance

The annual historic Atlantic salmon adult population returning to U.S. rivers has been estimated to be between 300,000 (Stolte 1981) and 500,000 (Beland 1984). The largest historical salmon runs in New England were likely in the Connecticut, Merrimack, Androscoggin, Kennebec, and Penobscot Rivers. Beland (1984) reported that the total original Atlantic salmon spawning and nursery habitat in Maine rivers was 476,577 units (1 unit = 100 m2). Currently, there are 247,585 units (52%) of the historic Atlantic salmon habitat in Maine, accessible to returning adults (Baum et al. 1995). The amount of historic habitat and habitat currently accessible to Atlantic salmon in New England rivers is given in Figure 4.1.2.

The Penobscot River continued to support a substantial wild population during the late 1800's, with a reported commercial catch of over 10,000 salmon in 1880 (Baum 1997). In subsequent years, a new artificial propagation program initiated in Maine influenced population abundance and distribution. However, the abundance of Atlantic salmon generally continued to decline in all remaining rivers with salmon populations through the last half of the 19th Century and first half of the 20th Century. By the mid 20th Century, the total adult run of Atlantic salmon to U.S. rivers had declined from hundreds of thousands of fish in the early part of the previous century to a probable range of 500-2000 fish, mostly in rivers in eastern Maine (estimated from data reported in the Maine Atlantic Sea-Run Salmon Commission's River Management Report series published in 1983). One of the best years for angling harvest during the period from 1948 through 1970 was 1959 when a total recreational catch of 479 salmon was reported. Of these, 450 (94%) were caught in five rivers in Washington County (Baum 1997). The recreational catch reported for the Penobscot that year was only 2 fish. The primary distribution of Atlantic salmon in the U.S. by the mid-20th Century was, except for a few remnant populations, limited to the eastern third of Maine's coast.

4.2 HISTORIC STOCKING (1866 to 1970)

4.2.1 Stocks Used for Artificial Propagation

The artificial propagation of Atlantic salmon in the United States began with the planting of nearly 70,000 fertilized eggs into the Merrimack River in 1866. The eggs were taken from salmon from the Miramichi River, New Brunswick. This was followed over the next two years with stocking of the headwaters of the Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers with small numbers of fry from Canada. The first stocking of Atlantic salmon in Maine occurred in 1871 with the release of 1,500 parr of Canadian origin into the Sheepscot River. A hatchery was established in the lower Penobscot drainage, and the practice of purchasing adult salmon harvested by commercial trap-netters was initiated, making the Penobscot River the primary source of Atlantic salmon eggs for artificial propagation in New England for the next 50 years. Most of the 9 million eggs collected from the Penobscot from 1871 through 1876 were shipped to the five other New England states, the balance being shipped as far away as Iowa. There was a hiatus on salmon stocking for several years while the results of releasing fry of Penobscot origin into other rivers were evaluated. Adult returns in the Connecticut, Merrimack, and some other rivers without native salmon populations during the mid-1870's demonstrated adequate success to justify the resumption of salmon propagation at the Craig Brook site in Maine. Between 1879 and 1886 about 15 million eggs were taken from Penobscot sea-run salmon. However, most of these were used to stock waters outside of Maine or inland lakes within Maine to create or enhance "landlocked" salmon populations (Baum 1997).

Artificial salmon propagation in Maine continued to use Penobscot-origin fish purchased from commercial trap-netters as the source of eggs into the 20th Century, when declining runs and pricing disputes resulted in a decline in availability of Penobscot salmon for brood stock. Canadian salmon stocks were increasingly used as a source of eggs for the Craig Brook Hatchery in East Orland, Maine, with the Miramichi and Gasp‚ Rivers becoming the primary sources in the 1920's and 1930's. The use of Canadian eggs declined in the 1940's when the Machias River and, for a brief time, the Penobscot again became a source of brood stock. During the 1950's and 1960's, the lack of Penobscot River fish resulted in Canadian salmon again providing a major source of eggs, supplemented with eggs from Machias and Narraguagus brood stock. Hatchery-produced juveniles were stocked as fry and parr, with poor results. The stocking of hatchery-reared smolts of mostly Miramichi and Narraguagus stock origin in the late 1960's brought about the successful rebuilding of the salmon run in the Penobscot (Baum 1997). The resultant adult returns enabled the Penobscot River propagation program to become self-sufficient for eggs and to support the egg needs of all artificial propagation in Maine by the 1970's. Later, this same stock of fish were transplanted into the Union River and comprised essentially the entire source of brood stock for the contemporary (post-1970) Atlantic salmon stocking program in Maine, until the advent of the river-specific propagation program in 1992. This same contemporary Penobscot stock is also the foundation of essentially all Atlantic salmon stocks now used for artificial propagation in the restoration of runs in historic salmon rivers outside of Maine.

4.2.2 Numbers and Life Stages Stocked in Key Rivers

The early stocking histories of concern in this review are for rivers that currently are known to still support reproducing salmon populations, all of which are in Maine. Extensive historic Atlantic salmon stocking data are available for all Maine rivers and can be found in Appendix 6 of Baum (1997). Information from that source was extracted and summarized in Table 4.2.2.

The stocking strategy from the start of the artificial propagation program in the 1870's through the 1930's in the United States depended heavily on releasing fry. Most records indicate that early fry stocking methods were dominated by cluster stocking of large numbers of fry in limited areas of a river. Numbers released through artificial propagation programs prior to 1970 were greatest during the 40-year period from 1896 through 1936. These fish were released predominantly as fry. After a 60-year period of predominantly fry releases, the strategy shifted to focus on releasing parr and remained so through the 1950's. By the mid-1960's, the production and stocking of smolts replaced parr as the basic strategy of enhancement and conservation stocking programs (Baum 1997).

Numbers produced and stocked changed greatly, undoubtedly out of logistic necessity, when the target life stage for release changed from fry to parr or smolt. Fry production in the millions annually was common when fry were the focus. Numbers declined by an order of magnitude when hatcheries started to retain fry for rearing to the parr stage. The annual stocking of 1-3 million fry fell to 100,000-300,000 parr during and after the transitional decade of the 1930's. The artificial propagation program had only just started to focus on smolt production prior to the initiation of the contemporary salmon restoration program circa 1970. The production of smolts was on the same general level of numbers as parr at the only major facility in the U.S. producing Atlantic salmon at that time, Craig Brook National Fish hatchery in East Orland, Maine.

 

Table 4.2.2. Summary of historic Atlantic salmon stocking (1872-1969) for each U.S. coastal river basin currently known to support wild Atlantic salmon populations. "Contributing Stocks" Code: D= Dennys R.; M= Machias R.; N= Narraguagus R.;

P= Penobscot R.; NB= New Brunswick; ON= Ontario; Q= Quebec.

KENNEBEC RIVER
Period Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks
# Years
Stocked
STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)

Home Other ME. Canadian River River Origin

1872-1899

(29 Yrs.)

Fry

87.5 Parr

Smolt

P

1

 

 

100

No Stocking
1900-1969

Fry

Parr

Smolt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SHEEPSCOT RIVER
Period Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked
STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin
1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
Fry
1.5 Parr
Smolt

ON

1
 
 
100
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1920
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1930
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1940
Fry
30.4 Parr
Smolt

P,NB

2
73 27
Decade of
1950
Fry
173.8 Parr
Smolt

N,M,NB

8
23 77
Decade of
1960
Fry
136.5 Parr
65.7 Smolt

NB,Q

8
100
DUCKTRAP RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1969

NO KNOWN STOCKING OF ATLANTIC SALMON IN DUCKTRAP
PENOBSCOT RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
5,465.2 Fry
532.8 Parr
Smolt

P

13
 
100
Decade of
1900
12,225.8 Fry
1,861.6 Parr
Smolt

P

10
100
Decade of
1910
20,787.7 Fry
232.9 Parr
Smolt

P
 
 
10
100
Decade of
1920
7,384.6 fry
104.0 Parr
Smolt

P,Q,NB

10
26 74
Decade of
1930
1,592.5 Fry
677.4 Parr
Smolt

P,NB

8
<1 99+
Decade of
1940
112.5 Fry
435.5 Parr
Smolt

P,NB

10
94 6
Decade of
1950
Fry
501.3 Parr
Smolt

M,NB

7
14 86
Decade of
1960
Fry
73.1 Parr
189.0 Smolt

M,N,NB

6
65 35
NARRAGUAGUS RIVER
Period Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked
STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
NO Fry
STOCKING Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1900
NO Fry
STOCKING Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
662.5 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

2
100
Decade of
1920
463.7 Fry
Parr
Smolt

NB,Q

6
100
Decade of
1930
85.0 Fry
Parr
Smolt

NB

1
100
Decade of
1940
29.3 Fry
56.5 Parr
Smolt

M,P, NB

4
66 34
Decade of
1950
35.0 Fry
536.0 Parr
Smolt

N,M,P,NB

10
7 7 86
Decade of
1960
Fry
124.9 Parr
256.1 Smolt

N,M,NB

10
34 12 54
PLEASANT RIVER
Period
Number (1000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
437.5 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

1
100
Decade of
1920
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1930
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1940
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1950
Fry
48.9 Parr
Smolt

N,M,NB

5
20 80
Decade of
1960
Fry
42.8 Parr
13.6 Smolt

N,M,NB

5
8 92
MACHIAS RIVER
Period
Number (1000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
73.3 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

4
 
 
100
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1920
50.0 Fry
Parr
Smolt

NB

1
100
Decade of
1930
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1940
Fry
204.1 Parr
Smolt

P,M,NB

6
35 53 12
Decade of
1950
100.2 Fry
359.1 Parr
Smolt

P,N,M,NB

7
30 65 5
Decade of
1960
Fry
130.2 Parr
370.0 Smolt

N,M,NB

10
22 38 40
EAST MACHIAS RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
30.0 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

1
100
Decade of
1920
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1930
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1940
Fry
7.0 Parr
Smolt

D

1
100
Decade of
1950
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1960
Fry
Parr
24.9 Smolt

NB

1
100
DENNYS RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
191.4 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

8
 
 
100
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
648.0 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

2
100
Decade of
1920
Fry
40.0 Parr
Smolt

NB

9
100
Decade of
1930
360.0 Fry
30.0 Parr
Smolt

NB

2
100
Decade of
1940
Fry
31.2 Parr
3.2 Smolt

P,M

4
100
Decade of
1950
Fry
227.1 Parr
Smolt

NB

8
100
Decade of
1960
Fry
201.1 Parr
Smolt

N,M,NB

6
43 57
CONTEMPORARY STOCKING (1970-1992)

4.3 CONTEMPORARY STOCKING (1970-1992)

4.3.1 Stocks Used for Artificial Propagation

Contemporary stocking efforts in the DPS from 1970 to 1992, prior to the initiation of the river-specific stocking program, utilized stocks from the Penobscot, Union, Narraguagus and Machias Rivers. As explained in the previous section, the Penobscot River stock was transplanted into the Union River. Therefore, these sources are essentially the same. Green Lake National Fish Hatchery was constructed between 1971 and 1974 and became the major supplier of smolts. In 1992 the ASRSC and FWS drafted a Prelisting Recovery Plan for Maine Wild Atlantic Salmon Populations and prescribed a river specific stocking program. In accordance with this plan, plans began to convert Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery from a single broodstock/smolt production facility to a multiple broodstock/fry production facility.

4.3.2 Numbers and Life Stages Stocked in DPS Rivers

Stocking in the 1970s continued to focus primarily on releasing smolts. During the 1980s and early 1990s fry, parr and smolt were all stocked. Stocking efforts are summarized in Table 4.3.2.  
Table 4.2.2. Summary of historic Atlantic salmon stocking (1872-1969) for each U.S. coastal river basin currently known to support wild Atlantic salmon populations. "Contributing Stocks" Code: D= Dennys R.; M= Machias R.; N= Narraguagus R.;
P= Penobscot R.; NB= New Brunswick; ON= Ontario; Q= Quebec.
KENNEBEC RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
Fry
87.5 Parr
Smolt

P

1
 
 
100
No Stocking
1900-1969
Fry
Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SHEEPSCOT RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
Fry
1.5 Parr
Smolt

ON

1
 
 
100
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1920
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1930
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1940
Fry
30.4 Parr
Smolt

P,NB

2
73 27
Decade of
1950
Fry
173.8 Parr
Smolt

N,M,NB

8
23 77
Decade of
1960
Fry
136.5 Parr
65.7 Smolt

NB,Q

8
100
DUCKTRAP RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1969

NO KNOWN STOCKING OF ATLANTIC SALMON IN DUCKTRAP
PENOBSCOT RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
5,465.2 Fry
532.8 Parr
Smolt

P

13
 
100
Decade of
1900
12,225.8 Fry
1,861.6 Parr
Smolt

P

10
100
Decade of
1910
20,787.7 Fry
232.9 Parr
Smolt

P
 
 
10
100
Decade of
1920
7,384.6 fry
104.0 Parr
Smolt

P,Q,NB

10
26 74
Decade of
1930
1,592.5 Fry
677.4 Parr
Smolt

P,NB

8
<1 99+
Decade of
1940
112.5 Fry
435.5 Parr
Smolt

P,NB

10
94 6
Decade of
1950
Fry
501.3 Parr
Smolt

M,NB

7
14 86
Decade of
1960
Fry
73.1 Parr
189.0 Smolt

M,N,NB

6
65 35
NARRAGUAGUS RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
NO Fry
STOCKING Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1900
NO Fry
STOCKING Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
662.5 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

2
100
Decade of
1920
463.7 Fry
Parr
Smolt

NB,Q

6
100
Decade of
1930
85.0 Fry
Parr
Smolt

NB

1
100
Decade of
1940
29.3 Fry
56.5 Parr
Smolt

M,P, NB

4
66 34
Decade of
1950
35.0 Fry
536.0 Parr
Smolt

N,M,P,NB

10
7 7 86
Decade of
1960
Fry
124.9 Parr
256.1 Smolt

N,M,NB

10
34 12 54
PLEASANT RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
437.5 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

1
100
Decade of
1920
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1930
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1940
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1950
Fry
48.9 Parr
Smolt

N,M,NB

5
20 80
Decade of
1960
Fry
42.8 Parr
13.6 Smolt

N,M,NB

5
8 92
MACHIAS RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
73.3 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

4
 
 
100
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1920
50.0 Fry
Parr
Smolt

NB

1
100
Decade of
1930
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1940
Fry
204.1 Parr
Smolt

P,M,NB

6
35 53 12
Decade of
1950
100.2 Fry
359.1 Parr
Smolt

P,N,M,NB

7
30 65 5
Decade of
1960
Fry
130.2 Parr
370.0 Smolt

N,M,NB

10
22 38 40
EAST MACHIAS RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
30.0 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

1
100
Decade of
1920
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1930
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1940
Fry
7.0 Parr
Smolt

D

1
100
Decade of
1950
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1960
Fry
Parr
24.9 Smolt

NB

1
100
DENNYS RIVER
Period
Number (1,000's)
and Life Stage
Contributing
Stocks

# Years
Stocked

STOCK ORIGIN (% of Total Stocked)
Home Other ME. Canadian
River River Origin

1872-1899
(29 Yrs.)
191.4 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

8
 
 
100
Decade of
1900
NONE Fry
STOCKED Parr
Smolt

 
 
 
 
 
 
Decade of
1910
648.0 Fry
Parr
Smolt

P

2
100
Decade of
1920
Fry
40.0 Parr
Smolt

NB

9
100
Decade of
1930
360.0 Fry
30.0 Parr
Smolt

NB

2
100
Decade of
1940
Fry
31.2 Parr
3.2 Smolt

P,M

4
100
Decade of
1950
Fry
227.1 Parr
Smolt

NB

8
100
Decade of
1960
Fry
201.1 Parr
Smolt

N,M,NB

6
43 57

The BRT acknowledges that historic stocking practices may have had an adverse effect upon the genetic integrity of local stocks. However, the capabilities of these early programs were limited in technology, distribution capabilities, and knowledge of stocking strategies. Available evidence suggests that these efforts resulted in only negligible adult returns from stocking. In fact, some reports document an increase in small salmon returns during stocking (Kendall 1935) that quickly reversed after broodstock were changed to native stocks. Poor hatchery return rates coupled with remnant natural stocks led the BRT to conclude that while some negative effects upon the genetic integrity of these stocks are possible, introgression could not have supplemented native genotypes within the Gulf of Maine DPS.