FILE - The Weston Dam holds back the Kennebec River on Sept. 14, 2021, in Skowhegan, Maine. The federal government ruled on Monday, March 20, 2023, that the last wild Atlantic salmon in the country can coexist with dams on a Maine river, a blow to environmentalists who have long tried to remove them. AP photo Robert F. Bukaty, File PORTLAND, Maine - The federal government ruled Monday that the last wild Atlantic salmon in the country can coexist with hydroelectric dams on a Maine river, a blow to environmentalists who have long tried to remove the dams.
The salmon, once abundant in the U.S., now returns to only a handful of Maine rivers. One is the Kennebec River, dammed by Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday that the dams are not likely to jeopardize the existence of the salmon if conservation measures are taken.
The conservation measures along Brookfield's four Kennebec dams are designed to improve fish passages and require an investment of more than $100 million by Brookfield, NOAA said. The dam upgrades would allow the salmon to swim up the Kennebec River to freshwater inland habitats for the first time since the construction of dams in the 19th century, the agency said.
The agency reviewed the dams because Brookfield is looking to relicense one of them and amend the licenses for three others, said Allison Ferreira, NOAA spokesman. NOAA will oversee an extensive monitoring program to make sure the dams meet the expectations of improved fish passage in the Kennebec River. David Heidrich, a spokeswoman for Brookfield said that the NOAA's opinion is an important milestone in ensuring that these facilities can continue to support Maine s clean energy future and traditional industries along the lower Kennebec River.
Environmental groups said the dams threaten the extinction of the salmon, and NOAA's ruling is shortsighted. They said dams endanger other vulnerable species of fish, such as sturgeon.
The Kennebec Coalition, an alliance of several environmental groups supporting dam removal, said the dams' negative impacts on salmon are a violation of the Endangered Species Act. They argue that the dams also create hazardous conditions for this fish, in addition to blocking access to key spawning habitat.
The statement said that the removal of these dams will allow for the best chance to prevent Atlantic salmon from becoming extinct, while continuing the restoration of a healthy Kennebec River.
The NOAA said that Atlantic salmon populations in the U.S. fell into the hundreds due to factors such as overfishing and habitat loss. They've been listed under the Endangered Species Act for over two decades.
For years, conservationists and Native American tribes have made the case that Brookfield has not fulfilled its obligations to protect the remaining salmon.