Impressed
By Maine's Fisheries Biologists
Although I’ve only been Project Coordinator for the Department of Fish
and Wildlife's quality salmon initiative, "Maine's Classic Landlocked
Salmon Program" for less than 2 weeks, the one thing that already
stands out in my mind is how impressive our fisheries biologists are.
The first directive I was given by John Boland (head of fisheries division) and
Larry Fiori (project director) was to contact biologists in each of Maine’s 7
regions, and discuss some of the important issues relating to the “Quality
Salmon Initiative.” These initial contacts can be described as nothing
less than exceptional. They were professional, friendly, educative, and
most of all, obviously enthused about the work they do. They also
indicated a willingness to work with me in a very cooperative manner on this
project. It’s also no secret that, with an average of about 300 waters
per region, these individuals are carrying a lot on their shoulders. When
you consider the number of waters, the variety of fish species, the limited
budget, and the myriad of public ideas about what is right or wrong to do with a
fishery, it’s amazing that they get as much accomplished as they do.
I’m
looking forward to working with these professionals over the course of the next
year, and hope others appreciate their knowledge, concern for our resources, and
dedication as much as I do.
John Hunt
Quality Salmon Initiative
Grant
The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife have just received a grant from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund. This grant is part of SAM’s “Quality Salmon Initiative.” The grant will be used to help the Fisheries Division actualize their goals on Maine’s “Size Quality” salmon waters, in an effort to produce more large salmon.
Larry Fiori was the grant writer and is the “Project Director.” Larry has been a long-standing member of SAM’s Fishing Initiative Committee, and has donated many volunteer hours on the “Quality Salmon Initiative.” He decided to write this grant due to the realization that an objective this large required a large amount of dedicated and focused time. John Hunt has been selected as the “Project Coordinator.” He is also a long-standing member of SAM’s Fishing Initiative Committee, and has worked along with Larry Fiori on the initiative for some time now, giving him an intimate and detailed understanding of the work that needs to be done. He has a degree in Environmental Science, was a science educator for many years, and has developed some positive working relationships with fisheries biologists in the Department.
By working in a close partnership with the regional biologists, the “project coordinator,” will help inform, educate, promote and publicize the “management tools” necessary to make this type of a fisheries a reality. The project coordinator will also assist in the organization of volunteer groups, and act in a liaison role between the Fisheries Division and SAM’s Fishing Initiative Committee. Needless to say, you’ll be hearing and reading a great deal about the cooperative efforts of SAM and the Department in this endeavor, and hopefully you’ll also feel the thrill of a large salmon at the end of your line.
Larry Fiori
Project Director
Quality Salmon Initiative
Tunk Lake is an example of a lake with multiple fish species interacting with each other. Two of the most important species in this lake are lake trout (togue) and salmon. Unfortunately an imbalance, too many predators(wild togue) and not enough prey(smelt), has occurred recently. The problem is best corrected by getting anglers to keep more of their togue. Many well intended sportsmen and women have been practicing “catch and release.” These individuals are to be commended for their willingness to release a legally caught fish, so others will have the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of catching a fish. In many situations this is a wonderful thing to do and personifies the best of sporting ethics. However, at Tunk Lake this has contributed to an “overpopulation” of wild togue. These fish are feeding heavily on the smelt forage base to the extent it is having a negative impact on growth rates, especially those of salmon. For example, the average weight of 2 ½ year old salmon trap-netted in the fall by Region C fishery biologists declined from 2 lb. 13oz. In 2002, to 1 lb. 15 oz. in 2003, to 1lb. 12 oz. last fall. We would like to strongly encourage anglers to keep the 14-18” togue that they catch. We would also like to encourage anglers to spend a greater amount of their time togue fishing this lake. This is a classic example of how an overabundance of lake trout can limit the number of large salmon. In the case of Tunk Lake, the ethical and biologically sound thing to do is keep those small togue. And, ask other fishermen to keep them too, as this will help return the lake to a healthier condition.
Ronald Brokaw
Regional Biologist
