Total returns to USA rivers was 869; this is the sum of documented returns to traps and returns estimated by redd counts. This, year ranks 24 out of 28 years for the 1991-2018 time series. Documented returns to traps totaled 833 and returns estimated by redd counts was 36 adult salmon. Most returns were to the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment, which includes the Penobscot River, Kennebec River and Eastern Maine coastal rivers, accounting for 99.2% of the total returns. Overall, 37.3% of the adult returns to the USA were 1SW salmon, 62.4% were 2SW salmon and 3% were 3SW or repeat spawners. Most (88.1 %) returns were of hatchery smolt origin and the balance (11.9%) originated from either natural reproduction, 0+ fall stocked parr, hatchery fry, or eggs. A total of 5,558,043 juvenile salmon (eggs, fry, parr, and smolt), and 5,715 adults were stocked into US rivers. Of those fish, 246,218 carried a mark and/or tag. Eggs for USA hatchery programs were taken from a total of 1,999 females consisting of 249 sea-run females and 1,750 captive/domestic and domestic females. Total egg take (7,794,619) was similar to the previous three years’ average of 7,144,788. Production of farmed salmon in Maine was not available, due to regulations concerning privacy.

https://doi.org/10.25923/47sc-nv21

Public Domain