Maine
Opinion: Rivers support the health of the Gulf of Maine
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Michael J. Good is an ornithologist, biologist and naturalist. He’s the founding father of Acadia Birding Competition and president of Down East Nature Excursions.
What does birdwatching must do with meals safety and dams? Quite a bit, I can inform you as knowledgeable scientist, birdwatching, nature and ecology information in Bar Harbor who has labored alongside the coast of Maine for 3 a long time. I’ve introduced lots of of individuals with me to see how alewives, shad and American eel migrate by Down East rivers and streams. Cod, bluefish, lobsters, bald eagle, osprey, belted kingfisher, red-breasted, frequent and hooded merganser, coyote, purple fox, mink, fisher, Atlantic puffin and northern gannet are simply among the magnificent and awe-inspiring wonders that depend upon sea-run fish and ecologically wholesome rivers and streams to nourish Gulf of Maine waters. However over these 30 years as a biologist, I’ve additionally seen the impacts of company greed and misguided insurance policies that put the way forward for our wildlife, our economies, and meals safety in danger and I’m frightened.
One of many important keys to our present ecological disaster is to take away dams and re-open the riverine habitats of Maine’s as soon as nice rivers. We have to take a tough have a look at our rivers and the numerous previous dams that stay in place and think about how we are able to rebuild our fishing economic system, which is essential to the long-term financial progress of Maine.
We’re listening to extra in regards to the dams owned by the mega-company Brookfield. Brookfield owns the Union River dam simply above the pinnacle of tide in Ellsworth that’s been killing alewives and slicing up American eel of their generators for 109 years. I imagine this dam is killing Blue Hill Bay and should be eliminated if we’re ever to have a wholesome Blue Hill Bay.
The 4 Kennebec Rivers dams, additionally owned by Brookfield, could also be contributing to the extinction of Maine’s Atlantic salmon. Brookfield is a large firm, primarily based in Toronto, removed from our coastal communities. Removed from the place the impacts of their selections are felt. Within the case of those dams, the selections are to maintain low-value, low-productivity dams. The quantity of vitality produced by these dams will not be vital, clear, or accountable. It doesn’t offset their hurt and all rivers needs to be opened to free-flowing fish migration.
Alewife, Atlantic salmon and American shad depend upon the Kennebec River and so they should thrive exponentially to feed the ocean. To try this, we should open these dams and modernize them to account for the searun fisheries, which feed the oceans and create jobs.
The Wabanaki Nations have witnessed centuries of degradation of the Gulf of Maine and our rivers. The Penobscot Nation specifically have been critically concerned with the elimination of three dams on the Penobscot River, which has allowed fish to return to their Wabanaki homelands on the base of sacred Mount Katahdin. Coastal communities are already seeing larger bait balls and thriving fowl populations after simply a number of years after the Penobscot River opening. What you do on the land issues to coastal Maine communities.
Coastal communities want clever ecological insurance policies for future job improvement. Former Gov. Paul LePage and Brookfield need to make this election about jobs on the Sappi mill in Skowhegan, after we can have each jobs and ecological prosperity. LePage’s insurance policies, particularly on the atmosphere, are harmful and shortsighted. I imagine his insurance policies will destroy ecological well being, after we needs to be eradicating ineffective out-of-date dams and modernizing the Shawmut and Union River dams.
Shouldn’t we, as a society, work collectively to search out options that have a look at the well being and productiveness of the Kennebec and the Union rivers as an entire and join them to the Gulf of Maine and the roles produced with a wholesome marine fishery? A change in administration at this juncture will devastate any alternatives to revamp Maine’s intercoastal marine fisheries.