Endangered salmon may soon swim freely up a Maine river, but a comeback isn't guaranteed

Atlantic salmon are moving closer to returning to the Narraguagus River in Maine, after the removal of an ice-control dam in Cherryfield that had stood for more than 60 years. Construction started in June and is expected to finish by November, replacing the dam with “nature-like” stepped pools designed to slow ice jams without blocking migrating fish such as salmon, river herring, and shad. Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Recent runs have been tiny—about 25 wild adult salmon return annually. Even with the barrier gone, salmon recovery is not assured due partly to high mortality at sea and climate change.