To fish or not?

Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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It wasn't long ago that Atlantic salmon numbers bottomed out in Maine. The fish that once served as a presidential symbol for America's clean, wild rivers was declared on the verge of extinction.

To combat their precipitous decline, Atlantic Salmon Commission Executive Director Pat Keliher proposes we fish for them again.

If you're scratching your head right now, you're probably not alone.

"The hardest thing we face with salmon restoration is that the public is completely disconnected from this fish. We need to change that,"Keliher said last week.

Fishing for Atlantic salmon in Maine ended in 1999, when the species was placed on the Federal Endangered Species list. It was decided salmon could no longer tolerate fishing -- even low-impact catch-and-release fly fishing.

Seven years later, not much has changed. Salmon returns are still poor to abysmal on Maine rivers. The redd, or salmon spawning bed, counts for 2005 were: Narraguagus, 6; Dennys, 0; Pleasant, 0; East Machias, 3; Machias, 14, Ducktrap, 1; Sheepscot, 1; Cove Brook, 0; Kenduskeag, 0.

Commission biologist Joan Trial cautions that high water made counting difficult; still, it's hard to imagine more depressing figures.

Only the Penobscot seems to be holding its own, Keliher and Trial said. Last year, returns dropped slightly to 985 from 1,323 in 2004, but Keliher is confident it was a glitch.

For that reason, biologists have proposed a fall season on the Penobscot as early as this year. The plan is straightforward: open a short, one-month fly fishing-only, catch-and-release season between Sept. 15 and Oct.15, when fish have spawned and water temperatures are low and comfortable.

"A season would re-engage the people in the state who have the highest and utmost respect for this species, and the ones that always come to the table when it's time to support the fishery," Keliher said.

Keliher believes it would rekindle interest in Maine for restoring salmon -- an interest he believes is fading with the last of the salmon clubs along the Penobscot.

"The mission of the Atlantic Salmon Commission is to manage the species for the benefit of the public. Recreational fishing is at the top of that list. The Penobscot is the only area in the state where the potential for a recreational fishery currently exists," Keliher said.

Penobscot River salmon are not federally listed as endangered -- yet. Initially, there were concerns that the Penobscot's salmon had lost their "wild" genes to their worst enemy -- the stocking truck. The federal government is reviewing the river's status and considering further protection.

Until then, not everyone agrees a fishing season would benefit Maine salmon.

Trout Unlimited, the national fisheries conservation group, has yet to announce its position on the issue. But New England Conservation Director Jeff Reardon and Maine council secretary Greg Ponte are wary.

"We think they're sending the wrong message," Ponte said. Trout Unlimited's mantra puts fish before fishermen. That includes fishing seasons, he said.

Keliher and the Salmon Commission believe it important to strike a balance.

"We have a limited opportunity to open a fishery without impacting the resource. If we thought it might impact the fish, we wouldn't be having the discussion," Keliher said.

But Reardon is concerned that opening a season on the Penobscot is another reason to treat it differently from the listed rivers.

He believes that would be a mistake, because he said statewide salmon restoration hinges on the recovery of Maine's "big rivers" -- in this case either the Penobscot or the Kennebec.

"I have very mixed feelings about it. I want to see people reconnect with salmon, and I agree the biological risks are very, very low," Reardon said.

Reardon and Ponte acknowledge their qualms are minor -- and Keliher agrees the discussion isn't over yet.

"It's not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination. It's got to go through a public process," Keliher said.

He said public hearings will commence in March in the Bangor area.

So is it time to unpack the salmon rod and your hand-tied selection of Jock Scotts?

Not quite.

But if you want to start sharpening your hooks, no one is going to stop you.

Dave Sherwood -- 621-5648

dsherwood@centralmaine.com