Maine NFC and Downeast Salmon Federation Oppose Proposed Brown Trout Stocking in Atlantic Salmon Watershed
As most know, Atlantic salmon are not only federally endangered, they are in fact critically endangered and hanging by a thread.
Efforts to restore Atlantic salmon to the Connecticut River in Massachusetts, once the largest run in the United States and the conduit for the historically important White River in Vermont run as well as the Deerfield River in Massachusetts, etc., via federal stocking have been suspended. The same situation holds true in regard to the Merrimack River in New Hampshire, the largest run in that state.
While NFC disagrees with the classification, Atlantic salmon are also a Priority 1 Species of Greatest Conservation Need at the state level. We disagree with Maine’s classification because we believe the federal designation is an accurate reflection of their status, and Atlantic salmon are extant in Maine only. In fact, one critically important web page doesn’t even list Atlantic salmon.
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) recently proposed stocking nonnative brown trout in Patrick Lake, a water located within a designated Atlantic salmon watershed. The lake is located in the headwaters of the East Machias River, a historic Atlantic salmon river with an active restoration stocking program.
Per MDIFW, Patrick Lake is home to pickerel, pumpkinseed, white and yellow perch, largemouth bass, and possibly small mouth bass. It was last stocked in 2005. Brook trout were stocked in 2001 and 2005. Brown trout were stocked annually from 2001 to 2004. The brown trout stocking program was suspended in 2005:
“The [brown trout stocking] program was terminated due to public concern for stocking brown trout within an Atlantic salmon drainage. -MDIFW ”
The question is what has changed? Are Atlantic salmon in better shape than they were in 2005? Are brown trout less of a threat? And what about the fact that the proposal gives the impression we care more about a nonnative trout stocking program on a warmwater lake than we do an endangered fish? Below is a copy of the actual MDIFW proposal:
Below is the joint letter of opposition to the proposed brown trout stocking submitted by NFC and DSF. Per ME TU, they submitted a letter which reiterated our concerns while taking a neither for or against position:
