Series of fisheries hearings on tap around state

Avid anglers may want to make plans to attend one of four public hearings on proposed fishing regulations over the coming days.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has proposed a slate of new regulations that will govern anglers during open water and ice fishing seasons. The public is encouraged to attend a hearing and offer testimony on the proposals.

Hearing dates:

  • July 21, 6:30 p.m., at Fort Kent Community High School.
  • July 22, 6:30 p.m., at Greenville Town Office.
  • July 23, 6:30 p.m. at Princeton Town Office.
  • July 24, 6:30 p.m., at Fireside Inn in Auburn.

Dozens of new regulations have been proposed. You can take a look a the entire list here.

Highlights of the regulations, according to a DIF&W press release.

  • Apply “state heritage fish” protection to several newly surveyed brook trout ponds.
  • Provide additional protection to high-quality brook trout waters by minimizing the opportunity to transport invasive fish. This would be achieved by prohibiting the trapping of baitfish on several lakes and river systems.
  • Simplify the regulation framework for general law management of bass by consolidating a current three-tiered system reliant on changing dates and bag limits into a single year-round regulation.
  • Modify a current special rule by expanding the protective slot limit and reducing the daily bag limit to protect large bass.
  • Modify the list of complimentary license holders eligible to fish in waters formerly restricted to children only. The change more closely reflects the DIF&W’s intent to provide additional special fishing opportunities to anglers with physical or cognitive disabilities.
  • Provide additional harvest restrictions on smelts in Beech Hill Pond in Otis in order to maximize the availability of the important forage fish that is consumed by landlocked salmon and lake trout.
  • Expand early open-water fishing opportunities in several lakes in the Moosehead Lake area by eliminating a special May 1 opening date and replacing the date with April 1.

 

 

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.