As late summer arrives in Eastern Maine we continue to work hard to put the last runs of wild Atlantic salmon in the U.S. on the road to recovery. Our wide, holistic view recognizes the fate of the salmon is tied to the health of our ecosystem; our rivers, forests, oceans, and communities.

Our innovative approach to salmon recovery combines the best available science with a serious passion for wild fish and fisheries. None of our work would be possible without the generous support of our members and supporters.

Recently, we have been fortunate to gain the support of a lifelong advocate for wild places and endangered species. Amos Eno--the President and founder of the Land Conservation Assistance Network and former Executive Director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation--has helped spread the word about our positive impact on Atlantic salmon recovery.

Earlier this summer Downeast Salmon Federation's Executive Director, Dwayne Shaw, was able to visit with Amos on Mount Desert Island, Maine, and discuss some of the opportunities and challenges that we face in the struggle to protect and restore Atlantic salmon and their home rivers. An excerpt of that conversation can be viewed here.

"The Federation, a private nonprofit, has been more effective in bringing the salmon back than three decades of conventional efforts. It is worthy of your support. It has mine.”
-Amos Eno

Please join Amos in supporting our work and help us reach our annual fundraising goal for the Peter Gray Parr Project of $200,000. We are excited and fortunate to have a $45,000 matching challenge to help amplify your gift. Please consider helping DSF continue to help the endangered Atlantic salmon!

As always, thank you, we couldn't do any of this without you.
A young of year Atlantic salmon (YOY) in Northern Stream, Maine. This salmon hatched from the Peter Gray Parr Project's returning adults last year in 2019. 2019's adult salmon return was the highest seen in decades!
Some of our "little athletes" all grown up in the river. These healthy parr have been in the river for a couple years now!
Downeast Maine nights have been dropping to around 50 degrees Fahrenheit which has helped bring the temperature of the river down. The rain that is currently falling will help to provide some much needed increase in water levels. It is the first substantial rain we have received all summer. At the Peter Gray Hatchery, our salmon have been growing and enjoying the cooler temperatures. We aren't far from time to fin clip and stock our Peter Gray parr!

Snorkel surveys were completed by DSF this past month and we encountered some encouraging experiences. We were able to document some of the young salmon that were a result of the 60 redds (salmon nests) documented last year in the East Machias River. These redds came from salmon stocked from the Peter Gray Hatchery in years past. A short video clip of some of these young salmon can be seen here. Give the salmon a chance and they will do what they have been doing for thousands of years!

A goal of the Peter Gray Parr Project has always been to supplement the river with hatchery parr that closely mimics their wild counterparts as possible. In the short video here taken by Peter Gray Parr Project staff during a snorkel survey, you can see wild Atlantic salmon parr and Peter Gray parr (distinguished by their missing adipose fin - the mark used each year by the Peter Gray Hatchery) side by side swimming the same, feeding the same, surviving the same. If there wasn't a missing adipose fin on some of the parr, there would be no visible way to tell them apart. Documented results like this may help explain why salmon stocked from the Peter Gray Hatchery have the success they do! That success is also bringing to light that Peter Gray parr need to, should be, and will be stocked into more watersheds, starting with the Narraguagus River in 2021 with goals to convert DSF's Pleasant River Hatchery into a Peter Gray style salmon parr hatchery as well.

DSF's holistic watershed-wide restoration effort ranges from habitat improvements like liming through clam shells to help mitigate the impacts of low pH, to protecting land along riparian corridors, and allowing the potential restoration of billions of fish! In coming updates from the Peter Gray Parr Project, we will be exploring some of these items in more detail along with how the Peter Gray Parr Project meshes into the world of Atlantic salmon restoration. We continue to push the envelope for this wonderful fish and support all efforts that could help the species recover from the brink of extinction.

If you are new to receiving these updates and would like to catch up on some you have missed, please visit our website here. If there are any of your friends you think would enjoy this content please share with them or let us know their email address to add to the list!

If you like the work we are doing, please considering donating towards the continuation of the Peter Gray Parr Project, every dollar helps directly towards the restoration of this wonderful fish! We hope this update finds you well and you enjoyed reading about the Peter Gray Parr Project. Thank you for all you have done, and continue to do, in the pursuit of Atlantic salmon restoration!

Thank you for your time.

**Please follow the hyperlinks throughout this update for more information**
The Downeast Salmon Federation's donated truck being utilized by DSF staff with the help of the ARISE to treat Richardson Brook with clam shells. To learn more about this project click here.
The Downeast Salmon Federation's donated Jeep helping to perform some snorkel surveys.
You can also support the Downeast Salmon Federation by purchasing some swag! Hats, sweatshirts, and t-shirts can be found HERE. Other ways to help are to become a member!
If you'd like to read more on the Peter Gray Parr Project's beginnings and future please read our Parr Project Booklet.

There is a short Parr Project video on our website HERE.

DSF is an accredited member of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization!
Thank you to the Trout and Salmon Foundation for your continued support of the Peter Gray Parr Project!
 Thank you to the Sarah K. de Coizart Article TENTH Perpetual Charitable Trust for your support of the Peter Gray Parr Project!
Please support our work by becoming a member of the Downeast Salmon Federation. Together, we can restore sea-run fisheries in Maine.