CONTACT:
Jon Greenwood: (603) 271-2501
Jane Vachon: (603) 271-3211
March 31, 2005


BROODSTOCK SALMON ARE BACK!

CONCORD, N.H. -- Good news for anglers!  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service has moved ahead with the 2005 Merrimack River Anadromous Fish 
Restoration Program, which includes the Merrimack River broodstock Atlantic 
salmon fishery.  New Hampshire Fish and Game will release a total of 
1,500 tagged broodstock salmon in 2005 -- about 1,100 this spring and 400 
in the fall.  That means New Hampshire anglers will once again have a 
chance to catch the "King of Fish" this year.  

Since 1993, N.H. Fish and Game, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, has stocked huge mature Atlantic salmon into the 
Merrimack and lower Pemigewasset rivers every spring and fall.  The program 
runs year-round, but all salmon taken from October 1 through March 31 
must be immediately released.  New Hampshire has the only managed 
Atlantic salmon river fishery in New England.  

NEW THIS YEAR:  stamp and possession tags are no longer required for 
salmon anglers. The $11 salmon "permit" is now a simple checkbox on the 
multiform license application. There is no longer a requirement to tag 
salmon taken. Note that only salmon marked by Fish and Game with a T-bar 
anchor at the base of the dorsal fin may be kept, and the bag limit 
remains at 1 per day and 5 total for the season. 

Find more information on the broodstock salmon fishery, including an 
Atlantic salmon access map, at 
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/atlantic_salmon.htm. 

Anglers can now purchase broodstock salmon permits - as well as fishing 
licenses -- online at http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us or from any 
authorized N.H. license agent.  

"In the spring, late April and May are the time to fish for broodstock 
salmon, then again in October and November," said Jon Greenwood, 
Coordinator of the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program for N.H. Fish and 
Game. "Catching these fighting fish is an unforgettable experience -there's 
nothing like it!" 

The Merrimack River Anadromous Fish Restoration Program is working to 
restore migratory fish populations to New Hampshire.  Broodstock 
Atlantic salmon are raised at the Nashua federal hatchery and kept to produce 
offspring, or "fry," more than a million of which are released each 
spring in an effort to restore a sea-run population of salmon to the 
Merrimack River basin.  After spawning at the hatchery, the large salmon are 
normally tagged and then released in the Merrimack/Pemigewasset 
watershed in the early spring and again in the fall.  

While the long-term outlook for the Atlantic salmon restoration program 
is not yet decided, the partners in this cooperative state-federal 
restoration effort are currently actively working to find a funding 
solution. You can join in this effort by purchasing a salmon permit -- whether 
or not you go after the "King of Fish."  This unique fishery is solely 
funded by the purchase of salmon permits.  

Anglers should note that the N.H Department of Environmental Services 
has determined that broodstock Atlantic salmon are safe for limited 
consumption by adults age 16 years and older.  A limit of one-half meal per 
month -- four ounces -- is advised for adults.  Children ages 15 years 
and younger should not consume broodstock salmon. These guidelines for 
broodstock salmon serve as extra incentive for anglers to practice 
catch-and-release. For more information, visit 
http://www.des.state.nh.us/eoh/hra.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the 
state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats.  Visit 
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us.  

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-- 
Copyright 2004 New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, 
Concord, NH 03301.  Comments or questions concerning this list should 
be directed to lpoinier@wildlife.state.nh.us.