NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard on Angler Harvest to Improve Size-Quality (Northwoods Sporting Journal)
Sadly, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) is once again telling anglers that fisheries need harvest to be healthy. What did these fisheries do before we started exploiting them? Were they not healthy?
While there are times when angler harvest helps, like removing nonnative fish, it’s just not as simple as MDIFW wants to make it. And the problem they are trying to address, “poor size-quality,” is likewise not as simple as too many fish…
“Unlike Sebago, the lake trout are native, as are brook trout, and the salmon are not only nonnative, but they are also stocked. So, in this case we are harvesting wild native fish to protect stocked nonnative fish. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
