Above is Rachel in the head tank of our expansion. The water she is standing in is essentially at 0 degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit). This head tank holds over 3,000 gallons of river water.
Peter Gray Hatchery Update  
Good afternoon all! Once again I am happy to be reaching out about the Peter Gray Parr Project. If you remember last month I shared some great news about having more juvenile salmon in the East Machias River then has been observed since the mid-1970's. It is encouraging to see the efforts of the Peter Gray Parr Project paying dividends to the Atlantic salmon population. All of you should be proud, because in one way or another you have all helped build this into what it has become.

February...ah February...the shortest month of the year and dang it went by fast! It has been a cold one here in Downeast Maine, with our river temperatures rarely getting above 1 de gree Celsius and often hovering just above 0 Celsius. Our beautiful little salmon eggs are just hanging out in their egg trays. We should start to see them hatching into alevin come mid-March.

If February is any indication I would guess our March might consist of the days Charles Dickens describes as: " It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

To prep for the hatching you can see our substrate incubation boxes set up in the hatchery. These are the boxes designed by Peter Gray to allow alevin plenty of space to develop by absorbing their yolk sac. Then in May when the salmon are ready to feed, they have the freedom to swim up and out of the box and into the rearing tank. Exciting times ahead...we'll have salmon swimming in tanks before we know it.

In other news, we are still chipping away on the hatchery expansion. Plumbing is coming along and each item we check of the list puts us one step closer to having more space to raise salmon!

If you are new to receiving these updates and would like to catch up on some you have missed, please visit our website here . Also, 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 . Thank you!
$30,000 Charlie Harriman Peter Gray Parr Project Matching Gift Challenge
Charlie was so happy with the success of his recent $60,000 Peter Gray Parr Project Matching Gift Challenge, that he has generously put up another $30,000 for a matching gift challenge!!  

For the 2019 Peter Gray Parr Project Matching Gift Challenge every donation to the Peter Gray Parr Project will be matched 50% up to $30,000.00. Your $100 gift becomes a $150 donation to the Peter Gray Parr Project!

Thank you, Charlie, for your steadfast commitment to the Peter Gray Parr Project!
Merchandise

You can also support the Peter Gray Parr Project by purchasing some Downeast Salmon Federation swag! Hats, vests, and shirts can be found HERE . Other ways to help are to become a member !

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!

Kind Regards,

Peter Gray Hatchery Staff 
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.
Thank you to the Trout and Salmon Foundation for your continued 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.