After years of decline, wild Atlantic salmon rebound in eastern North America.
Scientists and fishermen alike are startled and delighted by a resurgence of wild Atlantic salmon this summer from Labrador to the coast of Maine.
"People are talking about runs they haven't seen for a decade or more," Gerald Chaput, a biologist with Canada’s Fisheries Department, told The Canadian Press.
And while no one can say why more young salmon, grilse, are returning to spawn in the region’s rivers, one fisheries expert says warmer ocean temperatures, successful hook-and-release programs and fishing restrictions could be factors.
About 70 monitoring sites have reported some of the best returns of grilse in many years, but sightings of older salmon have not increased.
But experts say that the survival and return of young salmon this summer probably means that larger fish will arrive to spawn next year.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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