The federal government dramatically extended protection yesterday for the imperiled wild Atlantic salmon in Maine, declaring that the few remaining sportfish in the Penobscot, Kennebec, and Androscoggin rivers and their tributaries are endangered.
The move comes nine years after the federal government declared the fish – once such a part of American legend that one was delivered to the US president each year – endangered in eight Down East Maine rivers.
And, like then, the listing is promising to spark a political war, with state officials saying the decision will unnecessarily harm industries along the rivers that will have to undergo arduous environmental reviews.