Salmon commission awarded $540,000 grant

The Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission will receive $540,000 from the federal government to determine the impact of fishing off Greenland and Iceland on the survival of wild Atlantic salmon, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced.

The commercial fishing of North American salmon in their winter feeding grounds off southwest Greenland is a concern of scientists, but its impact on the salmon that must return to Maine to spawn is not known.

The project is part of a collaborative effort by the commission, National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore wild salmon populations on Maine rivers.

According to the Atlantic Salmon Commission, the project will help determine survival of salmon populations at difficult stages to access the success of conservation and restoration measures.