We all know this place is special. To put it bluntly: we have all the fish.

Downeast Maine holds some of the most intact coastal ecology on the entire U.S. Atlantic seaboard. Our cold, powerful tides. The clean flushing of our bays. The great, free-running rivers that empty into broad, lobed estuaries. Though our landscape was heavily damaged by logging and damming of rivers, we still have all our native fish species present in these waters, and we don’t have much heavy industry or development pressure on this coastline. As a result, our wild, native fish populations remain stronger and are rebounding faster here than almost anywhere else along the coast.

While the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than nearly any body of water on Earth, and areas to our south like Casco Bay face devastating losses of eelgrass and habitat from nitrogen runoff, places like Cobscook Bay, Machias Bay, and Chandler Bay still pulse with life.

In Washington County, more than anywhere else in Maine—or even New England—our wild coastal ecosystem is our economy. Clammers. Lobstermen. Elver harvesters. Generations tied to the water. The most valuable fishery in Maine by pound happens right here. And Washington County boasts the most diverse fisheries in the state.

This isn’t just scenery. It’s livelihood. It’s inheritance. It’s identity.

And under something called the Public Trust Doctrine, these waters belong to all of us. We are their stewards—and their co-owners.

This concert isn’t just music. It’s a celebration of a living coast. It’s a gathering for the rivers, the bays, the working waterfront—and the people who love them.

Come raise your voice for the wild edge of Maine. Celebrate what makes this place unlike anywhere else. Because when we protect these waters, we protect ourselves.

Brought to you by Greenhorns, Downeast Salmon Federation, Necessary Music Productions, and the Artist Rapid Response Team!

For All the Fish Concert and Conference, May 31 2026 in Machias, Maine

Join us for a conference in the morning and a concert at night! We're celebrating the traditional fisheries, wild fish and clean water of Downeast Maine with educational presentations at Downeast Salmon Federation and a concert at Bad Little Falls Park in Machias.

9am-12pm: Conference
Join us at Downeast Salmon Federation’s Hatchery in East Machias for conference presentations (RSVP required, virtual access through Zoom). This will be a jam-packed series of speakers, films, capped with hearty fish chowder lunch and tour of the hatchery. Topics include river and habitat restoration, Passamaquoddy environmental programs, the outcomes from dam removal on major rivers to our south, and more.

9:00 — Welcome Remarks by Severine Welcome, Greenhorns
9:15 — Chris Soctomah, Passamaquoddy Environmental Office
9:45 — Jill Howell, Downeast Salmon Federation
10:15 — Anne Zegers, Manomet Conservation Science
11:00 — Catalina Cendoya and Agustina Copello, Global Salmon Farming Resistance
11:30 — George Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety
12:00 — Chowder lunch outside along the river
1:00  — Downeast Salmon Federation Hatchery Tour (optional)

4pm-9pm: Concert
Free concert with the Mallett Brothers Band, the Milk and Honey Rebellion, and the Midnight Riders, at Bad Little Falls Park in Machias. Concertgoers can enjoy local food vendors, beer from Mason’s Brewery, wild smoked fish from the Downeast Salmon smoker truck, local food (from Downeast Mexican Takeout, Flander's Bay BBQ, Black Sheep Restaurant, and American Flatbread), creative merchandise, tabling by local organizations, and short environmental talks between musical acts.

Come chat with folks from the following organizations, who will be present with educational information and demonstrations.

• Downeast Salmon Federation
• Mary Peabody of the Maine Coast Sardine Museum
• Eric Otter Bacon with his Passamaquoddy birchbark canoe
• Cobscook Shores
• NAMA (North American Marine Alliance)
• OceansWide
• Global Salmon Farming Resistance
• Downeast Maine National Heritage Area
• Protect Sears Island
• Mongr
• Center for Food Safety
• Lubec’s Turtle Dance Coop
• Greenhorns
• Smithereen Farm…. and more!

Use this as an opportunity to connect with others who love wild fish. Find amazing merchandise for purchase: a new poster benefitting the Sardine Museum, brand new FOR ALL THE FISH organic long-sleeve t-shirts, beautiful hand-drawn bay charts from Jane Crosen, New Farmer’s Almanacs from The Greenhorns, environmental magazines from Canada, bumper stickers, and more!