10/20/2026
On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 7:00 pm fisheries biologists Steve Rideout and Ed Baum will present a history of early American fisheries at the National Conservation Training Center’s Byrd Auditorium in Shepherdstown, WV. Both talks are based on research conducted at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Museum/Archives at NCTC.
Steve Rideout will tell the story of fisheries pioneer Charles Atkins and the Little Spring Brook Fish Hatchery in Maine. An 1870 survey of the upper Penobscot River convinced Charles Atkins the best way to enhance salmon runs was to saturate prime spawning habitat with hatchery fry. Thirty years later, weir capture failed and he got permission to build the Little Spring Brook Hatchery and pursue his scheme. Rideout tells the story of the origins of fisheries conservation and the national fish hatchery system.
Ed Baum will look at Penobscot Salmon Then and Now: Comparing Salmon Weights in the 19th and 21st Centuries. Ed spent years looking at data at the NCTC archives and he summarizes the historical dataset, highlights trends in salmon size in the late 19th century and compares them with the weights of adult Penobscot River salmon in the 21st century. The findings show dramatic changes over 150 years and invite discussion of the ecological, environmental, and management factors that have shaped the river’s iconic salmon population.
Steve Rideout worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1997-2005 on fisheries from Alaska to New England ending his career as Director of the Silvio Conte Anadromous Fish Research Lab from 1999-2005. He is currently writing a book about Charles Atkins and the creation and early years of Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery in Maine.
Ed Baum has spent his career working to conserve and restore Maine’s Atlantic salmon. He earned a B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine in 1967 and served as a fisheries scientist with the Maine Atlantic Sea-Run Salmon Commission from 1968 to 2000. He began as a field biologist, working on every Atlantic salmon river in Maine, then moved into senior management positions, including Senior Fisheries Scientist and Coordinator of Maine Atlantic salmon restoration and management programs. In 1997, he authored and published Maine Atlantic Salmon: A National Treasure, summarizing 150 years of history of Maine Atlantic salmon restoration efforts. He has also authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on Atlantic salmon throughout the North Atlantic.
This event is free and open to the public. To register, please email:
[email protected]
Include the program date, the names of adults attending, and any questions.
Doors open at 6:30 PM.
Program begins at 7:00 PM.
Hosted by The National Conservation Training Center. The NCTC Conservation Lecture Series is co-sponsored by The Friends of the NCTC -
Thank you, Deb Stecyk and Mike R., for capturing such wonderful photos of Bella and Smitty! If you capture any photos, contact us at [email protected], and we may put them in our slideshow.
