Salmon Rejuvenation in
Washington County

by Lee Wilbur

Phone rang late Sunday evening, “Lee. It’s Dennis. How does Tuesday look for you. I’m delivering two Osprey nests to the Salmon Federation and you could talk to some of the crew while we’re there.”

I was quick to respond with an enthusiastic “Yes”. My long time friend and fishing enthusiast, Dennis Smith had been telling me about the exciting Atlantic Salmon restoration work being done in East Machias and I was anxious to see for myself what was being done.

“I had just about given up hope of ever seeing a return of any significance to the Atlantic Salmon population in Washington County. Nothing we were doing seemed to be working. With all the effort, Salmon populations kept going down. Even the Penobscot River and all the work being done there hasn’t helped. If this new effort works, and there’s every indication it will, we will have the opportunity to put Washington County back on the map in a big way. There’s no reason we can’t have an economy here as strong as New Brunswick Canada’s Miramichi Watershed.” (Salmon fishing in Miramichi water shed in northeastern New Brunswick is a mainstay of that area’s economy.)

First stop that morning was the Downeast Salmon Federation’s (DSF) building in Columbia Falls, managed by Tracey Shaw, a very helpful and energetic lady dedicated, as everyone I was to meet that day, to the restoration of Lord Salmon. The office is worth a stop even if one holds only a passing interest in fishing. The Salmon library and interpretive information is excellent. One book I was shown was of the largest salmon ever caught (Dating back to the early 1800’s) over 50 pounds. Largest was a monster 103 lbs. caught by poachers in Ireland. As an ex-school teacher I was quite impressed with the interpretive work being done in conjunction with local schools. Get the youngsters involved in a project and the enthusiam will be passed up the line to their parents.

Next stop was East Machias and the old electric generating building purchased by EMARC from Bangor Hydro for one dollar after an adjoining dam had been removed. With all private contributions, EMARC, East Machias Aquatic Research Center, the umbrella Salmon restoration organization for Washington County, through private donations has not only restored the building for use as a hatchery, but will have a first-class interpretive center as well as wet laboratory for research, offices, and classrooms. Our guide, Maria McMorrow, an Americorp Island Institute Fellow, took Dennis and I on a tour of the building, entering first the spotless, climate controlled hatchery room with tanks housing 90,000 young salmon“parr”. Parr being the third step up the growth cycle from eggs and then “fry.” Maria gave us a complete step by step process of the methods learned from Peter Gray in his work restoring the River Tyne in England. To put it mildly the tour was not only fascinating, but I could now understand the processes being used to restore the East Machias River watershed. Graduating from Mt. Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick in Environmental Science, Maria had seen firsthand the impact Atlantic Salmon has on the New Brunswick economy. She is now in charge of exposing school children of Washington County and college students at University of Maine Machias to Salmon, their effect on a fishing economy, and conservation.

Source of this Epiphany as we may someday call it has come from a Scotsman by the name of Peter Gray, who after watching for years as Atlantic Salmon hatcheries kept trying the same old method of trying to raise salmon in tanks using water other than from their native river(s) and then releasing the fish at fry size in the spring when at a too young age were competing with other salmon already established. Through 50 years of work on the River Tyne, he and others have perfected the methods used today at East Machias.

Waiting in the interpretive center when we had completed the tour was longtime resident of Washington county, founding member, and a driving force in the Downeast Salmon Federation, Joe Robbins. Joe, who just happens to be a great teller of fishing stories..mostly true..he said, “I can remember the years when there would be upwards of 200 tents on Factory Island in Whitneyville when the dam was dismantled. People camped out for their two week annual vacation, fishing for Atlantic Salmon. There were rod racks where you set your rod and benches while you waited your turn to fish. Why, “Munson’s Pitch” on the Machias was one of the finest Salmon pools in the world. In 1932 there were over one thousand Salmon netted on the nearby Pleasant River alone.”

As we moved outside, Dwayne Shaw, Executive Director of EMARC and Kyle Winslow, Assistant Hatchery Mgr. and Fishery Biologist were just driving in. Dwayne has been working on Salmon restoration in Downeast rivers since the late 80’s. Soft spoken, and very knowledgeable, listening to him tell of the work being done and projects to come, the energy with which Dwayne imports information is electrifying. The listener cannot help but be carried along on Dwayne’s vision for revitalizing Maine’s rivers and attendant fish populations. From introducing clam shells to acidifying rivers to increase the pH level, to adding “big tree” watercover for fish in the streams, to the best shapes for culverts, to restoration of the all important Alewives and River Herring so necessary to fishery restoration not only freshwater but coastal saltwater varieties as well, to unused dam removal, and the newly introduced hatchery methods, he paints an exciting vision for the rivers of Maine’s future.

• R E C I P E •

 

Ode To An Omelette

Sunday morning, AJ and I have just finished our traditional one morning a week “real breakfast.” Omelette, with a couple of new twists, was one of the best I’ve ever done. With rain coming down in buckets, figured this was a good opportunity to share the pan rattling with you all.

Mushroom, Onion, Plus Omelette (for two)

2 thinnish slices Vidalia onion, chopped

4 med. Portabello mushrooms, coarse chopped

Half leaf of Romaine lettuce, sliced

5 fresh eggs

2 slices fresh tomatoes

Butter

In small fry pans and dabs of butter put the onions on low heat for 15-20 min. to carmelize and the mushrooms for about 2-3 mins to get out some of their liquid. Add 2 Tablespoons water to the eggs and whisk well. In a rounded edge 10" fry pan with a dab of butter at medium heat, pour in the eggs and let set as eggs start to cook. Lift edges gently to let uncooked egg under to cook. When just about done and still a bit of uncooked on top, quickly spread the romaine, cooked mushrooms and carmelized onions and fold one half over to cook for a minute to minute and a half. Cut in two halves. Place each over the tomato slice and serve immediately. I found by using the extra egg, the omelette has extra body and is not only easier to fold, but holds together after cutting in two.

Fair Winds and Good Roads
– Lee S. Wilbur