LANDLOCKED SALMON 



Salino salar Linnaeus 



Kendall Warner 



Regional Fishery Biologist 



Landlocked salmon, a native of Maine, are one of the most im- 

 portant coldwater game fish. Maine maintains the reputation of pos- 

 sessing the largest sport fishery for landlocks in the world, although this 

 fish has been widely distributed in many other states and in foreign 

 countries. 



Landlocked salmon were originally restricted to the lakes of four 

 different river basins in Maine: St. Croix River drainage in Washington 

 County, including West Grand Lake; Union River drainage in Hancock 

 County, including Green Lake; Piscataquis River sub-drainage of the 

 Penobscot River system in Penobscot County, including Sebec Lake; 

 and the Presumpscot River drainage in Cumberland County, including 

 Sebago Lake. Since 1 875 the landlocked salmon has been widely dis- 

 tributed throughout the State by fish culturists. 



Ichthyologists, studying the taxonomic characters of the Atlantic 

 and landlocked, now consider them to be essentially the same fish struc- 

 turally. However, populations vary as Atlantics run to salt water and 

 landlocked populations spend their entire life in fresh water. 



Spawning takes place in the fall, primarily between October 15 and 

 November 30. However, migrations to spawning areas may commence 

 weeks earlier and salmon may be found gathered near tributary mouths 

 as early as the first week in September. Salmon reproduce successfully 

 in lake inlets and outlets in swift riffle areas with gravel or rubble bot- 

 tom. The female constructs the same type of nest as the Atlantic sal- 

 mon digging pits by turning on her side and flapping vigorously with the 

 caudal peduncle and caudal fin. 



Long-term research studies by Maine biologists demonstrate the 

 preference of the landlocked for outlets of lakes. The greater majority 

 of mature salmon migrating to the outlet of a lake to spawn return to 

 the lake. Salmon will also spawn on lake shoals and at the mouths of 

 tributary streams when they are unable to reach the desirable outlet 

 streams, but the success of this spawning, while of doubtful value, is un- 

 known. At one time fishermen were prone to insist that lake outlets be 

 screened to prevent the "loss" of fish downstream. Now, most ap- 

 preciate the fact that salmon must reach a specific area to obtain the best 

 natural reproduction and make the largest contribution to the sport 

 fishery. 



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