jj's enviro-journalismblog: Have Connecticut River Salmon been Successful? Part I: The Fish.

Ct River Salmon were extirpated, or driven extinct locally, back in the 1800s. Salmon are anadromous fish; born in fresh water, they spend adulthood at sea, and then return to the same river to spawn, or reproduce. Atlantic Salmon may die in this process or live to spawn again. Given that each subspecies adapts to a particular body of water, it is difficult for nature to reintroduce salmon to a waterway.

Nonetheless, Atlantic Salmon were reintroduced, with a little from former Republican Senator from MA, Silvio Conte. Conte was an avid fisherman who lamented the sport fish’s loss, and promoted legislation to fund a restoration effort in ----. Eggs were harvested from fish native to the St. Johns River and the Penobscot River, both of which were similar in terms of water flow features. After thirty years of selective fertilization, sanitary breeding, and large yearly releases into the tributaries of the Ct River salmon consistently return to the Ct.

In 2001, when Geneticists decoded the salmon genome, they discovered a unique genetic marker for the Ct River. Penobscot and St John markers were also present, demonstrating that descendants of the released fish had evolved into a Ct. River sub-species. From this perspective, salmon restoration has been, forgive the pun, wildly successful.

However, as the manager of the Cronin Nation Salmon Station, in Leverett put it: “4-5 billion fry go out every spring, and anywhere from fifty to five hundred fish come back, four years later. 1/10^th of 1%.” When taxpayers consider the cost of such programs, the may consider it a weak return on their investment.

A 2010 report: CONNECTICUT RIVER BASIN ANADROMOUS FISHERIES RESTORATION: addresses efforts to restore Salmon, Sea Lamprey, American Eel, shad, and Herring. Some funds go toward removing obstacles and improving water quality. The report cited State funds totaling 18, 864$, and Federal funds totaling 346,229$ spent for the 2009/2010 fiscal year. Only 51 Adult Salmon returned in 2011.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, federal agencies spent about $1 million annually, at the turn of this century, for activities related to the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission, according to a legislative report from the 107 MA Congress.

and increased spending had been proposed.

Part II: The River.