These overall views provide interesting insights into wild Atlantic salmon's fortunes through the years.

If you look at the map showing the rivers where salmon were extirpated, four areas stand out: Lake Ontario which lost 100% of its salmon, New England 71% lost, Nova Scotia 34%, and Prince Edward Island 32%. In all cases, except PEI, there has been restoration of salmon in a few rivers through stocking.

Rivers officially endangered are concentrated in the Inner Bay of Fundy, and in Maine.

Together, these maps show clearly how troubled is the southern part of the range of the wild Atlantic salmon in North America. The same is true in Europe, where populations in Spain and France are particularly in trouble.

Meanwhile the historic map shows how widespread Atlantic salmon were in our rivers before the ravages of industrialization, river barriers, overfishing, poor land practices, and air pollution impacted the species. To restore the wild Atlantic salmon to its historic range is to restore our environment and our rivers to sustainable condition.

There is hope. The map of Restored Rivers shows that we can make a difference in the future of the Atlantic salmon, and that it can remain as a symbol of the wildness and beauty of our rivers, and a symbol of an unspoiled environment.