MAINE PUBLIC • December 1, 2023
The Sandy River is an improbable salmon stream. It's not been known for its salmon runs in recent years, and it's blocked by four dams. But despite all that, biologists say the salmon population is growing in this tributary of the Kennebec. And the river's cold water could provide a refuge for the endangered species as the climate warms. The federal goal of a self-sustaining run of 6,000 wild adult salmon returning to Maine rivers would bring an end to protections under the Endangered Species Act.