WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins have petitioned the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture to support control efforts of the double-crested cormorant in Maine by providing federal funding for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the fiscal year 2005 Agriculture Appropriations bill. In a letter to Subcommittee Chairman Robert Bennett (R-UT) and Ranking Member Herb Kohl (D-WI), Snowe and Collins requested $200,000 to combat the adverse impacts of the double-crested cormorant on ongoing efforts to restore wild Atlantic salmon in Maine's waters.
"Maine's salmon restoration efforts have been truly remarkable, particularly of late. A recent and historic agreement has been reached to remove two dams along the Penobscot River – judged the flagship river for salmon restoration – which will re-establish free passage to essential spawning ground to numerous species of anadromous fish, including Atlantic salmon. While this agreement holds promise, cormorant predation currently stands to threaten much of the gains being made," a letter from Snowe and Collins read.
Atlantic salmon smolts, which congregate at river dams before continuing their spring journey towards the Atlantic Ocean, are targeted by double-crested cormorants. Historically, other fish populations had served to camouflage outgoing smolts, thus aiding in their safe-passage and survival, however population declines throughout fisheries in Maine's waters have left the young salmon increasingly vulnerable.
"Double-crested cormorant populations in Maine have increased considerably over the past thirty years, and are widely believed to be a deadly obstacle for salmon smolts making their way to the Atlantic Ocean each spring. This funding would allow Wildlife Services, in conjunction with NOAA and the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, to effectively prevent significant cormorant predation during the spring smolt run. By thus enhancing smolt survival, this funding would considerably aid Maine's Atlantic salmon restoration efforts," the Senators' letter concluded.
Additionally, the Senators announced that the Gulf of Maine Council – a U.S.-Canadian partnership of government and non-government agencies - was awarded $386,000 in federal funding by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The federal grant will assist in community-based habitat restoration projects including dam removals and fish passage improvements throughout New England. In 2003, Maine received a total of $107,900 in federal support for 11 projects associated with ongoing Atlantic salmon restoration efforts.
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