Bob Duchesne’s Wild Maine: Veazie Dam Set for Removal on Monday [AUDIO]

There are three salmon clubs north of Bangor, even though the river has been closed to fishing for years. With the Veazie Dam set for demolition on Monday, Bob takes a look back at the tradition and perhaps the future of the salmon fishery.

Part 1: Bob Milardo tells Bob how the fishing for salmon on the Penobscot was about much more than the fish. With the removal of the Veazie Dam set for this week, Milardo shares his hopes for the post-dam river.

Part 2: Kelly Cotiaux talks about what might happen to the fishery once the dam is breached. She also explains why the dam's removal will help increase energy production.

Part 3: Cotiaux belongs to all three salmon clubs: the Eddington Salmon Club, Penobscot Salmon Club and the Veazie Salmon Club. She explains how they have kept the clubs going with no fish, and what needs to happen for the clubs to continue. Plus we hear about how the Veazie Dam will come down.

Part 4: There are 113 dams in the Peonbscot watershed. Local resident Cheryl Daigle talks about how the a rebounding fishery, helped by the Veazie Dam's removal, will impact the community.

Part 5: Kirk Francis, chief of the Penobscot Indian Nation, talks about the importance of the river to the tribe, and the difficulty the tribe has had trouble preserving its tratidtions since the damming of the river.