Atlantic Salmon Restoration in the the Connecticut River

Abstract

The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar ) was exterminated from the Connecticut River in the early 1800s and although historical documentation as to the size of the runs is lacking, it has been suggested that the Connecticut River run may have been the largest in North America. The first restoration effort began in 1966 when a cooperative Connecticut River Anadromous Fisheries Restoration Program was implemented. Legislation created the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission, which now manages the program. The basic goal of the program is to restore American shad (Alosa sapidissima ) to their historical spawning grounds and to attempt to restore Atlantic salmon to some portion of their historical spawning area.