During the winter of 2000-01, the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission (CRASC) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service developed a program to initiate the reauthorization of the Connecticut River Compact legislation and to describe the need for additional funding for the Connecticut River Anadromous Fisheries Restoration Program.

As a result of this initiative, Senator Smith of New Hampshire filed Senate Bill 703 that reauthorized CRASC and authorized an appropriation of $9 million over 5 years. Representative Olver of MA introduced House Bill 2062 as a companion to Senator Smith’s bill. These bills received the endorsement of the entire Connecticut Congressional delegation and most of the Congressmen from the Connecticut River Basin.

Although S 703 was passed unchanged by the Senate, HB 2062 was referred to the House Resources Committee where it passed but was amended to reduce the appropriation authorization from $9 million to $5 million. It was then referred to the House Judiciary Committee and to the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law where concerns were raised over the funding aspect of the bill. With the assistance of Senator Leahy of Vermont, the wording of the Senate bill was subsequently included in the Agriculture, Conservation and Rural Enhancement Act of 2002, known as the Farm Bill. It was soon learned that the funding authorization was still problematic and the funding authorization wording was stripped from the bill. The Farm Bill was passed by the Senate and House and was signed by the President on May 13 and the Connecticut River Compact has been reauthorized for an additional 20 years. Essential funding for the program is yet to be addressed but there appears to be a potential for some funding in 2003.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service have listed, under the Endangered Species Act, Atlantic salmon as endangered in several Maine rivers.

For details and links to additional information see:

http://northeast.fws.gov/newsrel/asalmon2.html
http://www.state.me.us/asa/ESArticles.htm
http://www.nero.nmfs.gov/atsalmon/