“Remember the Maine” goes the saying, but soon it may be “Remember Maine’s salmon rivers” with the breakthrough work of the Peter Gray Parr Project (PGPP).
As reported by the Downeast Salmon Federation (DSF), the parent organization of the Peter Gray Parr Project, ana analysis of the techniques being implemented indicate that “PGPP salmon return from the sea to spawn up to 14 times the rate of fish raised and stocked using other hatchery techniques.”
14 times. 14x. Four-teen. Times.
I have long thought that the DSF is the single greatest hope for Atlantic salmon in the United States. This is another data point — or, if you’ll forgive the English major math, 14 more.
Consider that Atlantic salmon are an endangered species in the United States. The salmon rivers of Maine reasonably represent the species southern-most border in the US. Sure, there is the rare sighting in CT and one guy once caught an Atlantic from his SUP in NYC’s East River (or the Hudson), but those are aberrations. CT has given up its hatchery program. The Merrimack River remains hopelessly dammed. And while the Penobscot River is being opened with dam removals, downeast Maine, and the visionary work of Dwayne Shaw and his remarkable team, is inspiring.
Think of it in these terms: your bank account is near zero. Your checking account gets near zero interest rates. And you’re offered a chance to make 14x, with the government matching your money.
What would you do?
The Peter Gray Parr Project, so named for the English conservationist who first implemented the methods PGPP and DSF are now implementing, is a proof-of-concept project in the US. Instead of raising salmon in blue plastic bins, they raise them in an environment that closely matches their native river conditions. This produces healthier fish, and “little athletes” that can handle the environment into which they are released.
With this new data, they are proposing expanding to a second river, the Narraguagus. And the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recently awarded the DSF a $770,000, 5-year 1:1 matching recovery challenge grant.
What’s more, the work of DSF was highlighted by CNN in their Call to Earth series. Dwayne got out his finest flannel for the cameras. Check out the video here. If you prefer media closer to home, check out this piece by Ted Williams in Downeast.
If you don’t know DSF or PGPP but you care about New England’s fisheries, I highly recommend you check them out. And, if you ever have a chance to meet Dwayne, you’ll enjoy it. He’s a visionary for salmon, and a humble, old-school Mainer.
DSF & Peter Gray Parr Project https://www.mainesalmonrivers.org/petergray-parr-project
