Maine removes 60-year-old river barrier to help Atlantic salmon return

Maine has removed a 60-year-old river barrier on the Narraguagus River where only about 25 wild adult Atlantic salmon return each year, replacing it with a nature-like fishway designed to reopen migration routes for endangered fish. The old ice-control dam in Cherryfield, built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1961, long blocked salmon, shad and river herring from reaching upstream spawning grounds. With construction underway since June and completion expected by November, the new stepped channel aims to restore connectivity while still protecting the town from ice jams and flooding, according to reporting by The Maine Monitor.A river built for salmon, but short on fishThe Narraguagus runs about 40 miles from its source in the downeast lakes to its head-of-tide in Cherryfield.