For the last several years the Downeast Salmon Federation has had the unfortunate opportunity to bear witness to young of the year river herring and adult American eels that are killed by the operation of the Leonard Lake hydropower dam on the Union River in downtown Ellsworth.  In 2020, Brookfield Renewable continues to avoid the problems faced by migrating eels and alewives on the Union River.  Read about DSF's continued advocacy in this study.

Along with the DMR, the University of Maine Machias, NOAA and the state fisheries of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, DSF was a partner in this study.  It is a Multi-State Collaborative to develop and implement a Conservation Program for Three Anadromous Finfish Species of Concern in the Gulf of Maine

With funding provided by the National Fish & Wildlife Service, DSF compiled this PowerPoint report on the migration of Wild Atlantic Salmon to and from Downeast Maine.

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Years of acid rain, heavy timber harvest, and degradation of riparian zones have all contributed to the acidification of Maine's waters. This is a serious issue that is not easily turned around.  DSF has been working with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection on a project to help develop a mitigation process.