CENTRAL MAINE • September 5, 2024
In western Maine, Perham Stream is a tributary of the Kennebec River and one of the most important wild Atlantic salmon spawning waters in the United States. In the early 1800s, boatloads of Kennebec River salmon were transported to markets in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Today, Maine supports the only wild Atlantic salmon spawning runs in the U.S. But even here, the “king of fish” is barely surviving as a federally endangered species. Known as “trap and truck,” the salmon taxi service is the only viable method of ensuring that wild salmon continue to spawn in Perham Stream and the South Branch of the Sandy River, a major tributary of the Kennebec. Among Maine’s few remaining salmon rivers, the Sandy may offer the best hope of rebuilding wild salmon populations. ~ Ron Joseph