1999 



OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Table 3-1 



Productivity in metric tons 

 and status of Atlantic 

 anadromous fisheries re- 

 sources. 



Total 



9.408 



9,208 



9.208 



'1995-97 average (inciuding recreational landings) 

 ^Includes significant recreational landings 



Number of fish 

 (X 1,000) 



U S and foreign 

 landings 



Number of fish 

 (X 1,000) 



U S run size 



_L. 



_±. 



Figure 3-1 



Size of spawning run of At- 

 lantic salmon returning to 

 Maine rivers, and total catch 

 by U.S. anglers from Maine 

 rivers and by at-sea foreign 

 fisheries, 1968-97.The catch 

 for 1980 was not reported. 

 Catches since 1994 are not 

 estimated because of fish- 

 ery closures. 



1980 1985 



Year 



SOO t annually. Likewise, commercial landing,s ot 

 American shad had a peak of over 2,500 t in 1970, 

 but are now only averaging 600 t. Striped bass 

 commercial landings were over 6,000 t in 1973. 

 btit decreased to less than 1,(11)0 t bv I98S. Fol- 

 lowing several years of sharply redticed landings 

 of about 400 t due to severe management restric- 

 tions, commercial landings of striped bass in- 

 creased to 2,200 t in 1997. Catches of U.S. -origin 

 Atlantic salmon, taken primarily in foreign com- 

 mercial fisheries, were in excess of 10,000 fish an- 

 nu.ilK- during the 1 9M{)'s. C'urrentiv, domestic and 

 foreign fisheries for U.S. -origin Atlantic salmon 

 are closed by regulation or private quota purchase 

 agreement. 



SPECIES AND STATUS 



Unlike nn)st of the offshore resources in the 

 Northeast region, Atlantic anadromous stocks have 

 been greatly influenced by nonfishing human ac- 

 tivities in the coastal zone. Damming of rivers pre- 

 venting access to former spawning grounds was a 

 major factor in the decline of Atlantic salmon, stur- 

 geons, river herrings, and shad. Environmental 

 contamination is implicated in the decline of sev- 

 eral species. Today, these species are threatened by 

 coastal pollution and development as well as re- 

 duced poptilation sizes from which recovery is un- 

 certain. 



Atlantic Salmon 



In the United States, Atlantic salmon were in- 

 digenous from the Housatonic River in C]onnecti- 

 cut to tributaries of the St. John River in northern 

 Maine. As a consei]uence of industrial and agri- 

 cultural development, all natne riuis south of the 

 Kennebec River in Maine were extirpated. The 

 only primarily self-sustaining U.S. runs now oc- 

 cur in several small (<100 km) rivers in eastern 

 Maine, and these populations are perilously small 

 with total run sizes of less than 300 spawners an- 

 nually. In addition, the Penobscot River in Maine 

 has remained the largest U.S. population, but it is 

 heavily supplemented by hatchery production 

 from returning adults. Current rehabilitation of 

 these stocks in Maine is being undertaken with an 

 innovative river-specific fry stocking program. 

 Wild parr or returning adults are collected and 

 held until spawning time, and their progeny are 

 scatter-stocked as frv in their natal rivers. In addi- 



1 04 



