On Wednesday, two federal regulatory agencies released a plan that illustrated an important fact about salmon restoration efforts: We know a lot about Atlantic salmon … and we still don’t know nearly enough in our efforts to help those fish populations thrive.

That plan focuses solely on the eight Maine rivers that support the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment of salmon and provides a blueprint for future recovery efforts.

As you might guess, a plan like this is a complicated beast. Over a mind-numbing 325 pages, the authors prove that point … and then some.

But the most telling part of the plan (which, I’ll admit, I haven’t been able to fully digest in just two days of reading) comes in the final nine pages.

There, in tabular form, is a list called “Recovery Actions.” Prioritized into three categories, there are 160 recommended “recovery actions.”

And the vast majority of those “actions” aren’t really actions at all. They’re things you do before you act.

Here are a few partial examples, borrowed from the plan and truncated for effect:

Conduct studies … continue analyses … monitor and assess … determine the effects … review … evaluate … identify and consider … conduct research … identify.

You get the point.

The fact is, the topic of salmon recovery is as slippery as the salmon itself.

Jeff Reardon, the New England Conservation Director of Trout Unlimited, made an interesting point Wednesday.

Reardon believes the report (which, by definition, was dealing solely with the eight rivers where salmon have been listed as endangered) has a huge hole in it.

Metaphorically, you could say there’s a river running through it … or, rather, absent from it.

That river: The Penobscot.

Reardon says ignoring the role of the mighty Penobscot in a salmon recovery plan – even one that’s very clearly defined to not include the Penobscot, as this federal plan is – is a bad decision.

“The real question at hand isn’t what’s the best recovery plan for the Gulf of Maine DPS,” Reardon said. “The real question is, what’s the best way to recover salmon in Maine?”

And the effect of large rivers, such as the Penobscot and Kennebec, can’t be ignored, Reardon said.

“My suspicion is that unless we can get recovery to work in one of those big rivers, it won’t matter what happens in the small rivers over the long term,” he said.

Andy Goode, the vice president of U.S. programs for the Atlantic Salmon Federation, agrees with Reardon.

Goode said the smaller rivers that were listed by the federal government as holding endangered salmon – the Dennys, East Machias, Machias, Narraguagus, Pleasant, Ducktrap, and Sheepscot rivers and Cove Brook – have had a historic link with the larger waters.

“Those populations depended on large rivers like the Penobscot for strays to come in,” he said.

Cove Brook, in fact, is a tributary of the Penobscot.

There are plenty of very smart people working extremely hard on salmon restoration.

And as Wednesday’s report shows, a key component of recovery efforts will be gathering far more information about habitat, environmental forces, and other factors that affect this much-studied fish.

Here’s hoping that some day, somewhere, somehow, there will be some answers … and solutions.

DIF&W offers a prize

For the past few years, since its online license service became operable, the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has encouraged the public to take advantage of that option.

The advantages of buying a hunting or fishing license: It’s quick. It’s easy. And you save the department a ton of money because it doesn’t have to pay people to re-enter your name and vital statistics into its database.

Each year that system – MOSES – has become more and more popular. And this year, the DIF&W is saying “Thanks” … in a big way.

This year the department will give away a classic 1957 Dodge warden truck to one online license customer.

All you’ve got to do is buy a license online from home or at any of 120 MOSES agents around the state, and you’ll be entered in the truck drawing.

In addition, applying for the moose or any-deer lotteries will get you into the drawing.

I’ve been taking advantage of the MOSES system for a couple of years now and have found it very convenient. In fact, I’ve got no complaints about MOSES at all … except that the DIF&W computer always seems to forget my name when it comes time to hand out moose permits.

If you’ve been taking advantage of the MOSES system, this may be your lucky year. And if you haven’t, this is definitely the year to start.

You may win a truck … and even if you don’t, each time you use MOSES, you enable the DIF&W to spend more money on its management efforts and less on data entry.

‘Going Outdoors’ on hiatus

If you’ve checked out our weekly cooperative effort with ABC-7 TV over the past years, thanks for tuning into “Going Outdoors.”

And if you’re looking to see more, rest assured you will, soon enough.

For the next two weeks, however, “Going Outdoors” won’t be seen in its regular Monday slots at 6, 10, and 11 p.m. The ABC-7 crew is observing the Christmas and New Year’s holidays with days off on those Mondays, and since the news won’t air … “Going Outdoors” won’t air, either.

But on Jan. 9, “Going Outdoors” will return with more two-minute features about people, places, and things you may find in the Maine woods. And as always, if you’ve got any ideas for future segments, feel free to contact me here at the Bangor Daily News.

Year-end thoughts sought

With just a week left in 2005, it’s time to savor the year that was, and look ahead to the year that will be.

If you’d like to share some thoughts on your own outdoor pursuits from 2005 … or your hopes and wishes for the year to come, I’d love to hear them.

Thus far, the response to last week’s request for your reflections has been quite low. But now that all but the most procrastinating readers are done Christmas shopping, I’m sure the e-mails will pick up.

If you had a great year, tell me why. If you’re sure 2006 will be better, explain that to me. And next weekend (readers willing), I’ll share some of those thoughts with you … and add a few of my own.

In the meantime, let me just say this: I hope Santa’s kind to you all and that you all have a fantastic Christmas.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.