Salmon Not Wild But Still Strong

• Like other programs to restore Atlantic salmon, Connecticut's efforts to induce the fish to return to the Salmon and Farmington rivers has fallen on hard times. This result mirrors the trend on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, as salmon populations in Newfoundland, Scotland, England and various parts of the Maritime Provinces of Canada have reached critically low levels.
• Dams, global warming and netting on the high seas are blamed for the decline of Atlantic salmon.
• Connecticut, despite the smaller numbers of wild fish ascending the Connecticut River and its tributaries, is able to offer excellent fishing for Atlantic salmon by releasing large mature fish from hatcheries where the salmon are used to produce eggs that feed the wild-fish effort. These fish, no longer capable of reproduction, are stocked in the Shetucket River above the Baltic section of Sprague and in the Naugatuck River above Waterbury.
• It's that time again. Some large salmon stocked by the state are now residents of the Shetucket and, if the recent rains haven't washed them down to the Norwich harbor, should provide excellent fall fishing for anglers hearty enough to endure the cold weather and wade the river.
• Through Nov. 30, all salmon caught must be released unharmed. From Dec. 1 through March 31, fishermen may keep one fish per day. Fishermen must use a single fly or lure with a single, free-swinging hook. In other words, no treble hooks. [org pub The Day, no author listed]