U.S. lists salmon as endangered > 8 Maine rivers affected;environmentalists cheer

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The federal government Monday announced that wild Atlantic salmon in eight Maine rivers will be listed as an endangered species, a decision that set off a storm of protest from state and industry officials, but was praised by environmental groups.

Gov. Angus King, who was informed of the listing decision by Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt Monday morning, said he was disappointed that the federal government moved ahead without definitive scientific answers about the fish’s genetic makeup.

Last October, two federal fisheries agencies proposed listing the fish as endangered, saying it was on the brink of extinction. Since that time officials have held public hearings, collected public comments and reviewed scientific data.

The debate has locked federal officials in a battle with the state over whether genetic analyses by scientists support the federal contention that the wild fish here are a “distinct population segment.”

Gov. King said he is counting on a study to be done soon by the National Academy of Sciences to prove they are not a distinct population. Because millions of salmon have been stocked in Maine’s rivers for more than a century, King said it is ludicrous to consider any of them “wild” fish.

King said Monday that the government should have waited for the results of that study before listing salmon as an endangered species. “I’ve never encountered a stranger process than this,” King said, adding that the government has fought tooth and nail to avoid providing genetic information about the fish to the state.

The governor said he was assured by James Baker, undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere at the Department of Commerce, that if the Academy study finds that the Maine fish are not genetically unique, they will be removed from the endangered species list.

The listing won’t go into effect for more than 30 days. King said that while it is too early to predict its precise impact, the listing could devastate the fish farming industry that has long been described as the economic salvation of Washington County.

“There’s at least a 50-50 chance it will end the aquaculture industry in Maine,” King said, because of costly changes that might be ordered to keep farmed fish from mixing with wild salmon.

King said it was too early to say whether the state would appeal the decision to a federal court.

The decision to list the fish was announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a branch of the Interior Department, and the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the U. S. Commerce Department.

The listing includes the Dennys, East Machias, Machias, Narraguagus and Pleasant rivers in Washington County; Cove Brook, a tributary of the Penobscot River in Winterport; the Ducktrap River in Waldo County, and the Sheepscot River in Lincoln County.

Federal officials said Monday that the Penobscot River, its tributaries and some coastal streams could be added to the area covered by the listing at a later date.

Including the fish on the federal endangered species list is necessary because so few wild adult salmon are returning to the rivers, federal officials said during a teleconference.

Chris Nolin, assistant director for endangered species at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, D.C., said her agency conducted an “exhaustive review” and concluded that it was “essential to go forward with the listing at this time.”

This year, only 27 wild adult salmon were documented as returning to the eight rivers. In the Dennys River, only one wild fish was found, while 29 aquaculture escapees were documented.

Paul Nickerson, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s chief of endangered species for the Northeast Region, said his agency would consider the National Academy study once it is complete and see if it necessitates changes in the listing. But, he said, the continuing scientific study should not deflect attention from protecting the fish.

“Let’s not let this study dissuade us from working to save this fish,” he said. “We need to focus on backing this critter away from the brink of extinction.”

Now that the fish are on the list – joining only two other federally endangered animals in Maine – the agencies have 30 months to develop a recovery plan.

When the listing becomes effective in about a month, however, projects near the salmon rivers that require federal permits or are funded with federal money, will come under closer scrutiny. Any federal agency that could issue such a permit must consult with the two fisheries agencies to ensure that the project will not adversely affect wild Atlantic salmon.

Aquaculture operations require permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as do many road and pier projects.

Mary Colligan of the National Marine Fisheries Service said a workshop was planned for early December to discuss what issues the corps should consider when evaluating permit applications.

She and other federal officials stressed that the two agencies would work closely with industries – primarily blueberry growers and fish farms – that will be affected by the listing.

“We do not believe that this listing in any way means the end of the aquaculture industry or any other industry,” Colligan said.

However, she stressed that the fish farms would have to change the way they do business. Changes her agency has recommended include better efforts to prevent farmed fish from escaping from pens and putting a stop to the use of fish with European genes.

Aquaculture officials say they need to use the European stock because it grows faster and tastes better. However, the use of European strains of fish is prohibited in Canada.

Des Fitzgerald, president of Atlantic Salmon of Maine, said the listing process has “put the [aquaculture] industry on ice.” Existing companies have not expanded and new ones have not come here, he said.

He said federal officials needed to stop blaming his industry for the problems with wild salmon. “There is not a shred of evidence that the aquaculture industry in Maine has done any harm,” he said.

The federal government has been trying for more than a century to restore salmon runs in Maine’s rivers, Fitzgerald said. The only thing that is going to change now is that perhaps more money will be designated for Maine’s limited recovery program.

Federal officials said additional money had been requested, but they didn’t know if more federal funds would be designated to efforts to recover the fish in Maine.

The Maine Pulp & Paper Association attacked the decision as “misguided.”

“This listing will allow radical environmental extremists both inside and outside Maine to file suit against critical Maine industries such as aquaculture, blueberries and forestry,” said Jeff Toorish, the group’s president.

Members of the state’s congressional delegation attacked the decision and the fact that the federal government has not committed enough resources to help the fish.

“Today’s heavy-handed decision by the administration is particularly troubling given the fact that regional officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have informed us that they anticipate a budget shortfall of $10 million in the fiscal year for Atlantic salmon activities in Maine,” Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins said in a press release. “At the same time, they will be spending five times this amount of money to restore artificial Atlantic salmon runs in southern New England.”

U.S. Rep. John Baldacci said he was “bitterly disappointed” by the listing decision and thought the agencies should have waited until the National Academy study is completed.

Several environmental groups cheered.

“This is the right decision,” said Charles Gauvin, president of Trout Unlimited, which along with the Atlantic Salmon Federation sued the federal government to compel it to put the fish on the endangered species list. “Today’s endangered listing substantiates the dire biological status of Maine’s salmon populations.”

“The Endangered Species Act can help attract the funding, attention and scientific expertise needed to help bring back Maine’s wild salmon that once swam in rivers throughout the state,” said Laura Rose Day, watershed project director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

David Carle of the Conservation Action Project in New Hampshire, one of the groups that first sued the government seven years ago seeking endangered species listing, said it was a “wonderful start.” But, he said, if the entire Penobscot River watershed is not included in the listing, restoration efforts will all be for naught.