Peter Gray Hatchery Update  
DSF's East Machias Facility that houses the Peter Gray Hatchery and the East Machias River on an August morning
Jump nets were installed on our tanks at the Peter Gray Hatchery. This is a good thing! It means the salmon in the hatchery are getting big and strong enough to leap! As their scientific name: Salmo salar means - the leaper. On the plus side it also gives our hatchery a bit of a nautical motif.
Did you know that 2019 is the International Year of the Salmon? #YearoftheSalmon
Happy Thursday to all and thank you for joining us once again for this update from your friendly Peter Gray Parr Project crew! As the rain falls outside the Peter Gray Hatchery this morning, we want to thank you again for following along with this salmon -rearing adventure. Speaking of adventure here are two wonderful quotes for you to chew on. "One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure" (American author - William Feather). Greek storyteller, Aesop, put it simply, "Adventure is worthwhile."

Where did August go? Not long ago we were sending along our thoughts from July and you look up and BAM! September and the fall rearing season are staring us in the face. The beautiful thing about this time of year is that the river water temperatures tend to start dropping, which makes a cold water fish species like the Atlantic salmon very happy. This morning the East Machias River is flowing right around 21 degrees Celsius (~70 Fahrenheit). The salmon here at the hatchery have been doing well and we have been busy meeting their daily needs and preparing for the upcoming tasks of electrofishing, fin clipping, and stocking.

We will go into more detail about electrofishing in next month's update but if you would like a brief overview please click here . We hope to encounter large numbers of little salmon in the river that would point to a good year for the salmon already out in the East Machias River (and hopefully also the state of Maine).

Our fish have been growing steadily and now are 8 times heavier than they were just 3 months ago when they emerged from the substrate incubation boxes. By the time they are getting stocked (end of October) they will have tripled their current weight and be 24 times heavier than they were in May!
Hatchery Technician, Ryan, hard at work!
Hatchery Technician, Victoria, and Assistant Hatchery Manager, Rachel, sweeping tanks!
We have some fin clipping event opportunities coming up in October (see below). Here are the links to the Facebook events for each one and stay tuned to your emails for more information!

https://www.facebook.com/events/3117879648254532/ (International Year of the Salmon fin clipping celebration event)



We hope to see you there!
Thank you for taking the time to read through our updates. 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 .

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 
TAX DEDUCTION!
CHARITABLE DONATION!   
Are you a business owner or individual looking for a tax deduction in 2019? Looking to trade in your truck for a new one this year? Would you like a tax deduction at a value higher then you would get for your trade-in? Please consider donating that pickup to the Downeast Salmon Federation. The Downeast Salmon Federation is a 501-c3, so your truck donation will give you a tax deduction equivalent to the Kelly Blue Book private sale value of your truck. The only thing we ask is that the truck is mechanically sound, has an inspection sticker or would take one, and that the truck is 4 wheel drive.

Currently, we don’t have trucks to accomplish all of the important, boots-on-ground projects that are taken on each year. These tasks include stocking salmon, habitat restoration, assessment of projects, land stewardship along rivers, etc. If this is something you are interested in and want to help us better Downeast Maine’s ecosystems please contact zach@mainesalmonrivers.org or call 207-255-0676 . 
$30,000 Charlie Harriman Peter Gray Parr Project Matching Gift Challenge
We are almost half-way to our goal for the 2019 Peter Gray Parr Project Matching Gift Challenge!

Long-time DSF friend and supporter, Charlie Harriman, has followed up his very generous and successful 2018 challenge with another challenge: every donation to the Peter Gray Parr Project will be matched 50% - Your $100 gift becomes a $150 donation to the Peter Gray Parr Project !

Generous members and supporters like Charlie are leaving their mark on the future of Atlantic Salmon in Downeast Maine! You can leave your mark, too!

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