NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard on Recent Lawsuit to Ban Fly Fishing Only in Maine (Fly Fisherman)...
Bob Mallard fly fishing a backcountry pond in Maine. (Cecil Grey)
“When a law is passed that doesn’t address any real issue, as was the case regarding Maine’s Right to Food law, I always worry how it will be used up the road. In this case, the first thing that came to mind was fishing and hunting. Unfortunately, my concerns proved correct as the law has now been used twice to try to undermine Maine’s hunting and fishing laws. And if it is not abolished or amended to provide absolute clarity, it will inevitably be used again... ”
NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard recently wrote about a lawsuit filed in Maine to abolish fly fishing only regulations in Fly Fisherman magazine. The lawsuit was enabled by an ill-advised and poorly written “Right to Food” law passed by Maine voters in 2021. If the plaintifs win it could forever change how fish and game are managed in Maine and elsewhere in the country…
“If this is about protecting fishing and hunting, there are far better places for the IOTR to put their efforts than fly-fishing-only regulations. While some see restrictions as the number-one threat to hunting and fishing, poor hunting and fishing are a far bigger threat, and this is exactly what this lawsuit would create if it succeeded... ”
