Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Genetic Diversity in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

Numbers of these animals have declined due to overfishing and loss of habitat, and population numbers have been supplemented by stocking efforts that span at least the last hundred years. Often, these stockings used fish of diverse origins.

This is exemplified by the fact that several Maine rivers were stocked with Canadian fish from at least two locations. Because of this stocking history, it is not known if significant remnants of native Atlantic salmon stocks exist in the coastal rivers of Maine. Atlantic salmon in five Maine rivers were designated as category 2 candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act in 1991 in response to the precipitous decline in population numbers.