Avid Identification Systems Steps Up For Maine's Rare Arctic Charr

A large male rare Arctic charr from Floods Pond in Maine.

Rare Wild Native Fish…

Gone from neighboring New Hampshire and Vermont, Arctic charr are extant in Maine only within the contiguous United States. At just twelve wild native populations, outside of federally, and critically, endangered Atlantic salmon, they are the rarest salmonid east of the Mississippi.

Having already lost the beautiful and delicate Arctic grayling of Michigan, silver trout of New Hampshire, and numerous other native salmonids across the nation, Maine’s Arctic charr are closely watched. Much of the work is being done by the University of Maine, and none is more important than the ongoing study at Floods Pond, a public water supply near busy Bangor.

The Power of Social Media…

When MidCurrent, the biggest name in fly fishing media and a friend to NFC, posted a link to a recent video we made about the rare Arctic charr of Floods Pond in Maine, no one could have dreamed it would result in the support it did.

In the video, students of Dr. Michael Kinnison from University of Maine in Orono and Maine NFC board members are using a PIT tag reader to check captured fish to see it they have been encountered before. The reader is well worn and the upper end of the handle is duct taped.

Maine NFC Chair Emily Bastian and University of Maine student Brad Erdman. Note the duct tape on the upper handle of the PIT reader.

Good Corporate Citizenship…

A consulting Veterinarian for Avid identification Systems, the manufacturer of the UMaine PIT tag reader, saw the video, noticed we were using their equipment, and that it was old and in need of repair. This led to an email which in turn led to Avid replacing the unit with a new reader with additional functionality gratis.

Without the support of MidCurrent and Avid Identification Systems, it is very likely the old PIT reader would have remained in service until it stopped working. Underfunded, and with many balls in the air, the university did not have the money to replace it.

Special Thanks to All Involved…

Kudos to Marshall Cutchin at MidCurrent and Dr. Vince Silverman at Avid Identification Systems for stepping up in support of Maine’s rare Arctic charr, University of Maine, and NFC. We couldn’t do what we do without people like you and companies like yours.

Dr. Michael Kinnison of University of Maine with the new PIT reader from Avid Identification Systems.