NOAA Fisheries Service announces that the 2006 biological status review for Atlantic salmon populations in the U.S. is now available. The review concludes that the populations protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2000, called the Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon distinct population segment (DPS), should be expanded to include salmon in the Androscoggin, Kennebec, and Penobscot Rivers, as well as hatchery fish used in the recovery effort.

The biological status review was conducted by scientists from NOAA Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, and the Penobscot Nation. A decision about including these additional populations in the listed DPS was deferred by the two agencies during the original listing, pending collection and analysis of additional genetic data. The status review details the results and conclusions of this study effort.

The report is under review by NOAA Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These two federal agencies have joint responsibility for making decisions about protection and recovery of the Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon DPS.

For more information on the Gulf of Maine DPS of Atlantic salmon, and to view or download the new status review and notice of availability from the Federal Register, please visit our website: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/statusreviews/atlanticsalmon.pdf

NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to providing and preserving the nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management, and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public.

In 2007 NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation. Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.  The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Web:
NOAA Fisheries Northeast Region: http://www.nero.noaa.gov
NOAA Fisheries Service: http://www.noaa.nmfs.gov
NOAA Fisheries Service NEFSC: http://www.noaa.nefsc.gov

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