The Narraguagus River in Cherryfield was a nationally renowned wild Atlantic salmon fishing spot . A 1940s tourism brochure from the Narraguagus Fish & Game Association states that , in 1940 , “ Five thousand 4 – 6-inch Salmon were liberated in this river .” The fishery was closed in 1948 .
Atlantic salmon from Maine were so highly valued that , for more than 80 years , the first one caught in the Penobscot River each spring was presented to the U . S . president . The last presidential salmon was caught in May 1992 , because there were too few adult salmon to sacrifice even one .
The wild Atlantic salmon was listed as endangered in 2000 . At that time , at least eight rivers in the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment still supported wild Atlantic Salmon populations ; 6 of them are located in Downeast Maine .
The Downeast Salmon Federation in Columbia Falls and East Machias was established to conserve important ecological resources in eastern Maine with a focus on wild Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish and their habitats , restoring a viable recreational salmon fishery in Downeast Maine .
The people of Downeast Maine have harvested and used lobster for thousands of years . Long ago , people could pick up lobsters at low tide by hand , spear them with a gaff , or scoop them up with a net . Today , lobster is an iconic symbol of Downeast Maine , but before the 1850 ’ s lobster was considered a “ cheap food ,” and served to widows , orphans , servants , and
Presidential Salmon , 1940 - Atlantic salmon from Maine were so highly valued that , for more than 80 years , the first one caught in the Penobscot River each spring was presented to the U . S . president . In 1940 the first and only salmon from the Dennys River was presented to President Roosevelt . The last presidential salmon was caught in May 1992 , because there were too few adult salmon to sacrifice even one . This image is from the book Salmon on the Dennys , 1786-1988 : Struggle for Survival by Bartlett & Robinson . Photo by Bartlett Robinson .
prisoners . Massachusetts enacted a law restricting lobster meals in prison to no more than two times a week . The commercial lobster fishery of Downeast Maine began around 1850 . Canning companies boosted the reputation of Maine lobster throughout the Northeast and helped
79