Why Not a Conservation-Based Catch & Release Atlantic Salmon Season?

May 19, 2025
A carefully controlled catch-and-release season for Atlantic salmon on the Penobscot River would offer far greater scientific benefit than risk—especially when contrasted with the persistent, under-acknowledged and allowable salmon mortality rates happening at every dam with inadequate fish passage. Each year, significant numbers of migrating Atlantic salmon are delayed, injured, or killed as they encounter dam barriers that fragment the river’s natural flow, despite restoration progress.
 
In contrast, regulated catch-and-release—conducted under optimal water temperatures, with barbless hooks, trained anglers, and scientific oversight—would provide direct access to Atlantic salmon for health assessments, telemetry tagging, genetic sampling, and survival studies. These interactions would yield critical data to inform recovery strategies, track ocean returns, and refine habitat priorities. When executed with conservation discipline, such a season transforms the angler into a field researcher and steward, helping to close vital knowledge gaps without meaningfully increasing risk to the population—risk that already exists in the form of turbine mortality and compromised spawning routes.  
Would you sign a letter of support to try and move this initiative forward? 

The following approach is modeled after successful programs in Canada and Europe where endangered or vulnerable salmon stocks are handled with minimal mortality and high scientific return.

What would a Conservation-Based Catch & Release Season Look Like?

Over the past decade, the Penobscot River has undergone an extraordinary ecological transformation. The removal of key dams, improvements to fish passage, and a broad coalition of support have contributed to the steady return of wild Atlantic salmon. In 2024 alone, over 1,500 adult salmon were counted—a fivefold increase from early 2010s levels.As we cautiously celebrate this momentum, we believe after 25 years of absolutely no fishing the time has come to explore a carefully structured pilot catch-and-release Atlantic Salmon season—not as a recreational privilege, but as a conservation tool. Such a season would:

  • Foster public support and awareness for salmon conservation

  • Generate citizen science data through angler reporting and monitoring

  • Raise critical funding for restoration through licensing, donations, and educational outreach

  • Inspire the next generation of conservationists by making them stakeholders in the salmon’s return

Legal Framework and Hurdles

We fully recognize the Atlantic salmon’s current listing as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the strict legal protections this entails. However, there is a viable legal pathway:

  • Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allows for permits for scientific purposes and enhancement of propagation or survival. A pilot catch-and-release season—under tightly defined conditions—could be eligible under this clause if it demonstrably supports the species’ recovery.

  • An Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would need to be conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), evaluating potential risks and safeguards.

  • A Biological Opinion from NOAA Fisheries would be required to ensure that such a season would not result in “jeopardy” to the species.

  • Continuous coordination with tribal governments, particularly the Penobscot Nation, and full state and federal agency approval are essential to the plan’s legitimacy and effectiveness.

A Feasible and Responsible Path Forward

We propose launching a limited, permit-only, barbless hook, single-fish interaction pilot season, under cold water conditions with mandatory training and reporting. Key elements include:

  • Strict quotas on angler permits (via lottery system)

  • Mandatory data collection and tagging support

  • Real-time environmental monitoring (e.g., water temps, dissolved oxygen)

  • On-site observation by agency or tribal monitors

  • Immediate cessation if fish health or environmental indicators warrant

     

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Your Friends at The Veazie Salmon Club! 
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