BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 13, 2022
Only 561 Atlantic salmon were counted in the Penobscot River last year, marking the lowest returns since 2016, when 503 fish made their way through to Milford and Orono. The final numbers provided by the Maine Department of Marine Resources come on the heels of a robust influx of 1,439 Atlantic salmon one year earlier that marked the highest return since 2011. “The reasons for the low runs are likely low survival of fish at sea, the impacts of drought during their time in the river and impacts of impoundments and direct mortality at hydropower projects as the fish migrate from the rivers to the sea,” said Sean Ledwin, DMR’s Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat Director.