The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded over $7.7 million in federal stimulus funds for two Atlantic salmon restoration projects along the Penobscot and Machias rivers in Maine.
The Penobscot River Restoration Trust has received $6.1 million for the removal of the Great Works Dam. This is the initial phase for opening over 1,000 miles of fish habitat on the Penobscot River watershed, according to Congressman Mike Michaud’s office. Project SHARE (Salmon Habitat and River Enhancement) was also awarded over $1.6 million to remove fish passage barriers on over 66 miles of the Machias River watershed. Both of these projects are intended to open up river habitats for migrating fish, including the Atlantic salmon, which was recently listed as endangered by NOAA and the US Fish & Wildlife Service .
“While I objected to the recent decision to list Maine’s Atlantic salmon as endangered, these grant awards for habitat restoration are important first steps by NOAA to provide the funding needed to support the Atlantic salmon recovery efforts,” said Michaud. “I will continue to work with the federal agencies to insure they have sufficient resources for the permitting requirements, mitigation work, and restoration projects necessary to reduce the economic impacts on Maine communities and businesses.”