Slow Salmon

• Most years, the peak of the Atlantic salmon run has occurred over the Memorial Day weekend, but this year only 29 fish were observed at fishways in this state.
• Steve Gephard, the Department of Environmental Protection biologist in charge of this program, said in a recent news release that "salmon have been more loyal to the calendar than temperatures" in the past.
• But this year unseasonably low water temps in the Connecticut River (61-65 degrees) have served to prolong shad/herring runs and delay the entry of salmon to fish collection facilities on the Salmon, Farmington and main stem of the Connecticut.
• The report noted that such low water temperatures are unprecedented for this time of year. Over the years, slow starts usually lead to poor runs, not only for salmon, but everything from alewives to bunker.
• To date, the Rainbow Dam Fishway on the Farmington River passed two salmon, Leesville on the Salmon River hasn't seen a fish and Holyoke has lifted 34 salmon. The total is 42 for the river system. In the same time frame, which is probably a week or more behind this printing, there were 129,954 American shad and low numbers of alewife and blueback herring.
• The Greenville Dam fish way during this period has passed 2,256 shad, 2,422 alewives and no blueback herring. (Bob Samspon)