The surge of Atlantic salmon that returned to the Penobscot and
other Maine rivers to spawn this year appears to be the result
of improved fish survival in the ocean rather than any changes
to the state’s stocking program, biologists said Thursday.
Exactly why salmon seem to be faring better during the life
stage they spend at sea is still open to debate, however. More
than 2,100 Atlantic salmon were counted making their way upriver
in the Penobscot earlier this year. That was the largest return
since 1992 and more than double the previous year’s figure. The
number of adult sea-run salmon returning to Maine’s other rivers
was still tiny by comparison. But in almost every river,
biologists observed more salmon returning this year than the
five-year average. In the Saco River, for instance, 62 adult
salmon returned in 2008, compared with 24 last year. Figures
were also impressive on the Aroostook, where the 44 fish
represented a welcome change from the five-year average of eight
fish. Rivers in Canada, Scotland