Just as new fish commissioners in the late 1860s monitored, experimented, and developed regulations, today's scientists, anglers, and public agencies are still discovering information about Salmon salar , about its genetics, life stages, migration routes, and habitat needs. For the last 30 years, Ed Baum '67 has been in the midst of Maine's research and restoration efforts. Baum, a Rumford native with a B.S. in wildlife management, has worked for Maine's Atlantic Sea-Run and Salmon Commissions for the last 30 years, and currently serves as senior fisheries scientist and coordinator of Atlantic Salmon Restoration and Management Programs. For many, the salmon has been a living gauge of the health of our rivers and oceans. The salmon's strong homing instinct helps maintain populations that are locally adapted to physical and environmental conditions.
Wild stocks are valuable precisely because they spawn naturally without human intervention.
Since this stock has the best chance of long-term survival in the natural environment, many scientists argue that the irreversible loss of wild Atlantic salmon must be prevented. This book is about both the science and the art of restoration efforts. This book will help the reader understand the ongoing environmental controversies.