Golden Announces $35 Million for Fish Conservation in Maine’s Second District
WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) announced this week that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) program has awarded over $35 million to conserve spawning and migratory habitats for native fish species across Maine’s Second District.
“Maine’s unique ecosystems are a huge part of what makes our state so special,” said Golden. “These efforts to restore our heritage species’ access to their traditional habitats will go a long way towards boosting fish populations, our local economies, and the preservation of the great Maine wilderness.”
Through a competitive annual process, the Culvert AOP program allows local, tribal, and state governments to apply for grants to help improve passageways for anadromous fish, either by upgrading or removing obstructive culverts and weirs. The four projects greenlit in Maine are set to restore over 100 miles of fish habitat, over 7,500 miles of alewife habitat, and benefit at least eight species native to Maine – including the endangered Atlantic salmon.
Among the areas receiving funding from the Culvert AOP program include:
- $8,945,221 for Kennebec, Lincoln, and Sagadahoc counties;
- $9,237,600 for Franklin County;
- $9,195,000 for Washington and Waldo counties;
- $7,741,450 for the towns of East Machias, Perry, and Pembroke.
The Culvert AOP program is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that Golden helped pass last Congress.
Read more about the Culvert AOP program here.