Photograph: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Flickr
Atlantic salmon in Maine are in bother, which isn’t enormous information. However Trout Limitless claims that latest efforts to assist these endangered fish don’t go far sufficient.
In a blog post for TU, Mark Taylor makes the case that the present proposals into account don’t do sufficient to assist the Atlantic salmon, particularly on Maine’s Kennebec River. 4 dams blocking the Kennebec are both up for relicensing or license amendments, which suggests the Federal Power Regulatory Fee (FERC) that regulates these dams has to evaluation new Environmental Affect Statements (EIS). When a draft EIS is submitted for evaluation, it offers the general public the chance to touch upon the proposals, which is the place the method at the moment stands for the dams on the Kennebec.
Taylor writes that TU, together with “greater than 3,000 involved residents added their names and voices to the trouble, talking at public hearings in Might and signing petitions calling for fish passage enhancements.” Each TU and people residents contend that the Atlantic salmon safety measures within the present EIS don’t go far sufficient to protect the endangered species. At a minimal, TU wish to see enhancements together with “requiring bypass channels and/or two fish lifts at every dam, in addition to screens with 3/4-inch openings above generators to guard out-migrating eels.”
TU isn’t being unreasonable in its requires higher assist for Atlantic salmon, in keeping with Taylor. Keith Curley, TU vp for Jap Conservation, mentioned that the present fish passage proposals within the draft EIS have failed on different rivers. Taylor quotes him as saying “The plan ought to be a full restoration. The plan ought to be restoring sturdy Atlantic salmon runs and thriving populations of co-evolved species like American eel…We’ve to do extra.”
That extra consists of full removing of all dams, in keeping with the Nationwide Marine Fisheries Service, who commented on the draft EIS that “removing of the decrease Kennebec River dams is the one various that might full get rid of results that might in any other case happen on account of their continued existence.”
For his or her half, Maine officers mentioned they need to see “options for fish passage which can be moderately sure to work.”
Curley says these options have been tried on different rivers in Maine, and confirmed to not work.
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