Atlantic salmon is one of Maine's true hard-luck species.

Rivers that once filled with tens of thousands of the majestic fish each summer have seen the numbers steadily decline to, in some cases, 10 or 20 fish. Even the intensive efforts to raise and release young salmon has seemed increasingly futile, with one in several hundred hatchery-raised fish somehow making the two-year-long journey to Greenland and back to spawn in its native river.

"The history of salmon is not a great story here in Maine," said Andrew Goode, director of U.S. programs for the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

But advocates like Goode now have some reasons to keep trying.

Salmon runs have doubled in size this summer, with the numbers of returning fish the highest in at least 20 years, experts say.

There's a growing amount of research and speculation about how global warming might affect Maine's lobsters.

Warmer ocean temperatures could, some believe, mean the lobster's prime habitat will shift northward and lead to more stress and disease off the coast of New England.

Now there's something else for lobsters and the lobster fishery to worry about down the road.

Maine lobstermen are quick to point out how careful they are to protect the state's signature sea creature.

And, while fishermen do sometimes exaggerate, they're not lying.
With the obvious exception of the lobsters that end up wearing rubber bands, the animals are treated pretty well.

Most trapped lobsters get dropped back into the ocean because they are too small, or too big, or are carrying eggs, or recently carried eggs.

Lobstermen know which ones recently carried eggs, by the way, because of the v-shaped notches that they clip out of the tails of breeding females.

You just can't do that with fish.

Now, however, the state's lobstermen are getting a chance to prove their conservation claims by having Maine lobster officially counted among the world's most eco-friendly seafoods.

With consumers around the world paying attention to the environmental impacts of every meal, industry leaders say they should do it fast.