Looking Back at a Half Century of Atlantic Salmon Restoration on the Connecticut River

The Connecticut River was the southernmost major Atlantic salmon stream in the U.S. but lost its native runs by 1810 due to the construction of dams. In 1967, multiple State and federal partners initiated a restoration program that first imported eggs from Canada and Maine to support hatchery smolt releases.  Later, the effort also included fry stocking produced by broodstocks primarily supported by sea returns.  Sea returns fluctuated greatly but never reached 1,000 in any year.  The program was formally ended in 2012 although limited stocking still occurs in Connecticut.  There are several likely reasons for the inability to establish a self-sustaining population.  These include the continued influence of dams, loss of the original genetic stock and poor marine survival in the last several decades. Experiences from the Connecticut River program may assist on-going programs on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and the recovery efforts for listed Atlantic salmon in Maine.