Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine, Spring 1990

MAINE

FISH AND WILDLIFE SPRING 1990

$3.50

.Amencans spend millions of dollars a year to kill cockroaches. Md most use poisonous chemicals to do it. See l'MIF's Citizen kfion Guide for safer and cheaper wa.,s to get rid of pes1s. , - -

fast-food folly Each year, a leading fast-food restaurant chain uses enough foam packaging ~....-...::::..,, to c<:Ner Washington. OC. with a foot-deep layer of trash. If you eat a fast-food restaurants. ask for poper packaging.

ri one SYent rock stars and artis1s raised a most $500,00) to help save tropical rain foresfs.

Organize your friends to raise money for an ernironmental project yoo care about.

Laid end-to-end.

the 18 billion disposable diapers thrown ONOy in the US each year could reach back and forth to the moon 7times. ~ you hcr{e a baby brother or sister. encourage your parents to use doth diapers.

/lmericans open their refrigerator door an average of 22 times a day. You can save energy and money by rooking fewer trips to the fridge and by keeping the door open for only a few seconds.

shower power

something to fume about

Awater-saving

showerhead can save 50 gallons of water tor eJerV

On the CNerage, a car adds its own weight in carbon o the air each year.

Help keep the air cleaner by wal ¡ng. riding your bi e. taking a bus. or sharing a ride with a mend.

10-minute shower you take. Help your parents install a water-SCNer in your showen

throug~,.the grapevine nyou convinced 1wo people to do something for the environment, and the next day they convinced two people, and so on. it would take less than a month to get e.1eryone in the US to toke action.

speak out!

Every 20 minutes Americans dump enough cars into junkyards to form a stock as high as the Empire State Building.

Keep cars; bikes. stereos. and other possessions in

goodwooong condition so they will last longer.

National Wild! e Apnl 22-28 1990 Join and support e Wildlife Fede ation a Affiliates.

~AINE

FISH AND WILDLIFE Governor John R. McKeman, Jr.

Department of Inland Flahertea and Wildlife William J. Vail, Commissioner Norman E. Trask, Deputy Commissioner Frederick 8. Hurley, Jr., Director, Bureau of Resource Management Charles A. Atwater, Director, Bureau of Administrative Service Larry S. Cummings, Director, Bureau of Warden Serulce

SPRING 1990

VOL. 32, NO. 1

Features The One That Didn't Get Away Club 1989 Penobscot Salmon Restoration by E.

2

T. Baum

Here's what's happened to salmon in this historic river in the past 20 years

4

Advisory Council

F. Dale Speed, Princeton, Chairman Alanson 8. Noble, Otisfield, Vice Chairman F. Paul Frinsko, Portland Carroll York, West Forks John Crabtree, Warren William Sylvester, Clayton Lake Dr. Ogden Small, Caribou Eugene Churchill, Orland

Close Encounters Of The Natural Kind

by Michael Warren ... and

The Rest Of The Story by Ken Spalding Up-to-date words on the Maine Conservation Corps

9

A Bum Rap For Beaver? by Henry Hilton 13

Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine W. Thomas Shoener, Editor Thomas J. Chamberlain, Managing Editor Thomas L. Carbone, Photo Editor Dale S. Clark, Editorial Assistant

Wild running water- did it make you sick? Could've been Giardia!

All photographs in this issue were made by the Public Information & E.ducation Division unless otherwise indicated.

Animal ... vegetable ... mineral. They're all worth a second look!

16

Maine's Record Fish List

20

MAINE ASH AND WILDLIFE OSSN 0360-00SX) Is published quarterly by the Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State Street, Station 41, Augusta, Maine 04330, under Appropriation 01409A-0529. Subscription rate: $14.00 per year. No stamps, please. Second dass postage paid at Augusta, Maine and at add!Uonal mailing offices. e Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 1990.

Permission to reprint text material is granted, provided proper credit is given to the author and to MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE. Clearance must be obtained from artists, photographers, and non-staff authors to reproduce credited work.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send both old and new addresses to Circulation Section, MAINE ASH AND WILDLIFE Magazine, 284 State St., Sta. #41, Augusta ME O 333. Please allow six weeks for changes to take effect. POSfMASTER: Please send address changes to Circulation Section, MAINE ASH AND WILDLIFE, 284 State St., Sta. #41, Augusta, Maine 04333.

UESllONS ABOlJr YOUR SUBSCRIPTION? ust call toll-free 1-800-288-8387 Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife ecelves federal funds from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Accordingly, all department programs nd activities must be operated free from discrlmlnaon with regard to race, color, national origin, age, or handicap. Any person who believes that he or she has been discriminated against should write to The Office pf Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the lntelor, Washington, D.C. 20240.

Enjoying Nature In Your Own Backyard

by Rosalind Morgan

How About Those Bruins?

by Ken Elowe and Craig McLaughlin Are Maine's black bears in trouble? And wh.at are we doing to help?

21

Ciet Hooked On Fishing Ethics

by Tom Shoener and Kristin Merriman Simple things can mean a lot - here are some good-neighbor tips

25

Depart111ents KID-BITS

28

FISH AND WILDLIFE BRIEFS

30

The Front Cover "Canada at Rest" - reproduced from the original acrylic

by Patti Carter of Brunswick, Maine.

1

The One That

Didn't Get Away

Club 1989

A matching pair of 16-inch, native brook trout, taken on a grasshopper fly last June on a small pond in Somerset County. The angler, who prefers anonymity and says the pond has no name, practices "catch and release" but does enjoy an occasional trout on the camp table. Photo by G. Robinson.

2

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

Top Freshwater Catches From Maine Last Year - Winter & Summer The Fish Brook Trout (Qualifying Weight 4 pounds)

16 entries In 1989

Brown Trout (Qualifying Weight 6 pounds)

9 entries In 1989

Lake Trout (Togue) (Qualifying Weight 15 pounds)

18 entries in 1989

Sunapee Trout (Qualifying Weight 2 pounds)

Landlocked Salmon (Qualifying Weight 6 pounds)

25 entries In 1989

Smallmouth Bass (Qualifying Weight 5 pounds)

8 entries in 1989

Largemouth Bass (Qualifying Weight 7 pounds)

11 entries In 1989

Pickerel (Qualifying Weight 4 pounds)

14 entries in 1989

White Perch (Qualifying Weight 1 1/2 pounds)

15 entries in 1989

Northern Pike (Qualifying Weight 15 pounds)

Black Crappie (Qualifying Weight 2 pounds)

Muskellunge (Qualifying Weight 15 pounds)

The Angler

Lbs. Length (In.) Date Where Caught

Lure

Oz.

Gerald Lapierre, Van Buren, ME Mark Hoffman, Nobleboro, ME Rick Leathers, Milo, ME Michael Gross, Stockton Springs, ME Gerald Michaud, Patten, ME Dwight Gurney, Mexico, ME

6-12 6-4 5-8 5-6 5-4 5-3

22 231/2 23 24 22 22 1/2

6/22 9/12 1/29 1/21 5111 6/13

Long Lake, St. Agatha (Lincoln County) Eagle Lake Tunk Lake Aroostook Pond B Pond, Upton

Flash King Mister Twister shad jig with smelt shiner silver Flatfish May Fly

Bill Mitchell, Spri ngvale, ME Tom Williams , Sanford, ME Craig Nichols, Abingdon, MD Donald Poulin, Waterville, ME Robert Gorham, Buxton , ME Kenneth MacMaster, Winthrop , ME

8-9 8-2 8-0 6-12 6-11 6-9

24 25 1/2 25 24 23 1/2 25 3/4

4/19 7/1 6 7/8 3/19 6/2 1/14

Square Pond , Acton Square Pond, Shapleigh Little Sebago Lake Salmon Lake, Belgrade Kennebunk Pond Androscogg in Lake

Rebel live bait trolling plug red fi n shiner shiner li ve bait

24-0 22-0 21-12 21-4 19-10

38 40 39 36 37 1/4

5123 2/26

Sebago Lake Tunk Lake Beech Hill Pond, Otis Embden Pond Sebago Lake

Flatfish live bait live bait Flashking Wobbler Mooselook Wobbler

4-1 0

23

6/4

Lower South Branch Pond

nightcrawler & spoons

Peter Thibeault, Madawaska, ME Ronnie Picard, Frenchville, ME Michael Ayotte, Van Buren, ME Wayne Morey, Benton, ME Jim Cyr, Van Buren, ME Stephen Sudsbury, Dexter, ME Phillip Bechard, St. David, ME

10-12 9-11 8-10 8-0 7-4 7-2 7-0

30 1/2 28 30 27 1/2 28 1/4 27 25 1/2

3/4 3/4 5113 2125 1/7 1/15

Long Lake, St. Agatha Long Lake, St. Agatha Long Lake, St. Agatha Messalonskee Lake Long Lake, Van Buren Lake Wassookeag Long Lake, Van Buren

smelt smelt live smelt Mapps Agla Mino live smelt

-live smelt

Steven Mayo, S. China, ME David Pickoski, Bucksport, ME George Plath, Wilmington, DE Donald Hines, Albion , ME Wayne Morey, Benton , ME Kevin Lundevall, Thomaston, ME Scott Norwood, W. Enfield, ME Todd Blood, Freeport, ME

6-2 5-5 5-1 5-1 5-1 5-0 5-0 5-0

22 21 1/2 21 3/4 19 22 21 20 1/2 20

2/10 4/27 8/12 3/5 1/8 3/18 9/4 3/11

Three Mile Pond Swan Lake Grand Falls Flowage Lovejoy Pond Nokomis Pond, Newport Megunti cook Lake South Branch Lake Tricky Pond

shiner Moose look Purple Mister Twister shiner Mepps live smelt Dardevle smel t

Norris McElwain, E. Wakefield, NH Dominick Pono, Bath, ME Bill Goldschmidt, Hollis Ctr., ME Harvey Wheeler, Falmouth, ME Denzil Lee Cole, Clinton, ME Tony Connors, Gorham, ME

9-0 8-5 8-0 8-0 8-0 7-12

22 1/2 24 24 23 1/2 23 23 1/2

8/19 5122 2/10 6/4 2/11 3/15

Symmes Pond, Newfield Cobbossecontee Lake Shaker Pond, Alfred Moose Pond, Bridgton East Pond, Smithfield Raymond Pond

Jitterbug rubber worm shiner plastic worm shiner live shiner

Robert Foster, Bridgton, ME Todd Richardson, North Windham ME Erika Heffernan , Augusta, ME John Waring , Union , ME Sheldon Dud ley , Benton , ME Susan Rooney, Readfi eld, ME Russell Hall, Berwick, ME Errol John Barker, Oxford , ME

6-8 6-0 4-14 4-12 4-1 2 4-1 0 4-9 4-8

29 28 26 26 25 1/4 26 25 24 3/4

2/16 1/12 2/18 2/4 1/14 2/26 2/14 1/1 4

Moose Pond , Bridgton little Sebago Lake Webber Pond Sebec Lake Messalonskee Lake Wilson Pond , Monmouth Nicatous Lake Kezer Lake

shiner li ve bait li ve bait smelt li ve shiner live bait shiner minnow

Jay Wallace, Franklin, ME Orton Preble, Winter Harbor, ME Lisa Rothstein, Woodside, NY Georgia Rae Arsenault, Gorham, ME

2-3 1-13 1-13 1-13

15 3/8 15 1/4 15 13 3/4

2/5 3/11 8/2 5129

Webb Pond, Eastbrook Donnell Pond, Franklin Echo Lake Jordan River, Sebago Lake

-

Richard Dodge, Union, ME Will iam LaBreck, Winslow, ME Milton Lacombe, Waterville, ME David Osmond, Gorham, ME

26-1 2 18-8 16-0 15-7

44 37 3/4 39 39

2/12 1/30 9/2 6/24

G reat Pond , Belgrade

Great Pond , Belgrade Great Pond , Belgrade Great Pond , Belgrade

shiner live bait li ve chub Pink Rooster Tail

Ted Sperdakos, Gray, ME Phil Bozenhard, Gray, ME Warren Eldridge II, Gorham, ME Warren Eldridge II, Gorham, ME

2-8 2-4 2-3 2-3

15 7/8 15 3/4 15 1/2 15 1/4

1/28 2/12 2/11

Sebago Lake Lake Arrowhead Sebago Lake Sebago Lake

rubber jig live bait shiner shiner

17-2 17 16-8

43 41 39 1/2

8/10 6/ 15 6/17

Baker Lake Baker Lake Baker Lake

Sewed Bait Rapala

Wayne Stewart, Saco, ME Joe Joy, Ashville, ME Sheldon Dority, Mariaville, ME Russell Stocker, Wappingers Falls, NY Kenneth Goslant, W. Gardiner, ME Wayne Dillon, Brownville, ME

Jacob Cowperthwaite, Houlton , ME Laurie Salisbury, Ellsworth , ME Carl Stewart, Lincoln, ME

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

-

6/12 4/17

7125

519

-

Jig & Grub minnow

-

3

I n 1967 the Penobscot River "Model River" Restoration Program was initiated in order to develop measures that could be used to restore anadromous fish to other rivers in Maine and elsewhere. At that time the Penobscot was obstructed by numerous dams, water quality was very poor, and the salmon run had been decimated by dec4

ades of abuse. Fortunately, the "environmental awakening" in America in the 1960s provided the impetus to implement the program.

The Anadromous Fish Conservation Act, passed by congress in 1965, had made funds available to aid in the construction of nine fishways on the eight Penobscot River dams ajob completed by 1973. State and federal legislation that appropriated funds to clean up

water pollution led to significantly improved water quality throughout the Penobscot drainage. By the mid- l 970s the Penobscot River estuary no longer experienced the dissolved oxygen "blocks" (insufficient oxygen in the water to support fish life) that were characteristic of the 1960s.

Coincident with improved upstream fish passage facilities and cleaner waters, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service built a

Maine Fish and Wildlife -

Spring 1990

PENOBSCOT RIVER ATLANTIC SALMON RESTORATION 20 Years of Progress

by E.T. Baum "Guerin Pool" by Tom Hennessey. Signed and numbered limited edition prints are available from the artist (219 Main Road North, Hampden ME 04444). Print size 22" x 14".

second Atlantic salmon hatchery in Maine, which by the late 1970s had quadrupled the number of hatchery-reared salmon available to be stocked.

Although the number of juvenile salmon available for release in the Penobscot was about half of the actual requirement for restoThe author is program coordinator for the Atlantic Sea Run Salmon Commission, headquartered in Bangor.

ration, a large annual Atlantic salmon run was gradually established.

The numbers of salmon returning to the Penobscot increased from zero in the 1960s to hundreds in the 1970s to thousands in the 1980s. More significantly, a run of wild salmon was re-established.

Today about one of every ten salmon returning to the Penobscot originated from natural reproduction.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

Re-establishment of the Atlantic salmon run also led to the rejuvenation of the sport fishery that dated back to the 1880s. The combination of large numbers of returning fish, very liberal bag Iin1its, and extremely low license costs ($1 per year for Maine residents, $15 for nonresidents) resulted in a skyrocketing sport fishery. Three new Atlantic salmon angling clubs combined with the 100-year-old Penobscot Salmon Club to swell 5

Aerial view of the Veazie dam and fishway, where biologists trap and count Atlantic salmon returning to the Penobscot. Photo by Norm Dube.

the Penobscot's "organized" angling fraternity to nearly a thousand; hundreds of others fished the river but didn't join a club.

By the early 1980s the most intensive fishery in the state of Maine had become established, with 25,000 angler days expended on 115 acres of "fishable" water. Symbolically, the tradition (which began in 1912) of presenting the first Penobscot River salmon to the President of the United States was revived in 1982 after an absence of 28 years.

The Penobscot River Atlantic salmon restoration program was so successful that, ironically, the original goal of the program 6

PENOBSCOT RIVER ATLANTIC SALMON RUNS z

5,00

:: ...J

4,00

en

3,00

C:

2,00

II

0

ct

u.

0

w

TRAP CATCH

[IT] ROD CATCH

al

:: ::::, z

1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 198119831985 1987 1989

YEAR

Since the Penobscot River Model River Program began, the Atlantic salmon run has increased to an average of 3,000 yearly .

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

Distribution of Tag Recoveries From Tagged Hatchery Smolts Released In The Penobscot River

Since the capture of tagged salmon at sea is not accurately reported, it is believed that more than 50 percent of Penobscot River salmon are harvested in distant fisheries.

re-establishment of a predominantly natural Atlantic salmon run - became in jeopardy.

Increasing numbers of returning salmon (up to one of every three) were being caught and killed by

enthusiastic anglers, and beginning in 1985 several significant changes had to be made to reduce the kill, distribute the sport catch equitably and increase the number of salmon surviving to spawn. Since then,

reduced catch limits and other regulatory changes and more anglers adopting the "catch and release" philosophy have resulted in a majority of the sport catch now being released.

Spawning salmon. Photo by Paul Fournier.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

Ten years ago, with a rod catch of 700-900 salmon, most would be killed. With the new management emphasis of the 1980s, a similar rod catch now results in 350 to 500 of that number being released. Admittedly, some of the released fish probably suffer delayed mortality due to handling, but there is no doubt that "catch and release" has significantly increased the number of salmon available for spawning in each of the last five years.

Wuh

cleaner waters, improved fish passage facilities and increasing numbers of returning Atlantic salmon, the future of the Penobscot River Model Restoration Program looks bright.

There are, however, a few dark

clouds on the horizon that must be reckoned with for the restora tion to be considered truly successful.

First, upstream fish passage facilities on existing dams need to be upgraded to modern, state7

of-the-art facilities, and, more importantly, downstream fish guidance facilities are needed to enhance suivival of young salmon on their way to sea. Due to existing regulatory laws and . an awareness by dam owners of their responsibility to provide these facilities, tremendous improvements in fish passage will undoubtedly occur in the next decade.

Second, construction of a new hydroelectric dam has been proposed in the river's main stem in the Orono area. If this dam becomes a reality, virtually all salmon moving in either direction on the Penobscot would have to negotiate a fourth major obstruction in the lower river, seriously diminishing the odds of restoring salmon to some headwater tributaries of the Penobscot drainage. While another hydro dam on the river would not totally eliminate the possibility of a successful salmon restoration program, expectations for the program will have to

8

be re-evaluated if the state of Maine and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approve the project.

A third major problem in need of resolution involves the .interception of Maine Atlantic salmon in commercial fisheries in Canada and Greenland.

During the past 20 years, we've determined that for every salmon that returns to Maine, one or more is taken in distant commercial fisheries. As international regulatory agencies such as NASCO - the North Atlantic Salmon Conseivation Organization - become more effective, there is confidence that fewer Maine salmon will be taken at sea and more will suivive to return to the Penobscot.

T he first 20 years of the Model River Program were filled

with hopes and dreams that a successful Atlantic salmon restoration program could be established on the Penobscot River.

The re-establishment of an annual salmon run and the creation of the best Atlantic salmon sport fishery in the entire U.S.A. in barely four generations of salmon runs were a manifestation of those hopes and dreams.

Entering the 1990s and the next 20 years of the Model River Program, we are on the threshold of a great opportunity to successfully restore a significant run of native salmon on Maine's largest river. For that to happen, though, it will be essential for everyone - business and industry, government, the international community, and most importantly, the citizens of Maine - to work together to be sure the potential for this program to be successful is not squandered. â&#x20AC;˘

George Fletcher, 87, of Strong caught the first salmon on the Penobscot River in 1987.

He presented the 15 1/4-pound female fish to President Ronald Reagan, continuing a tradition started in 1912. BANGOR DAILY NEWS photo.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

CLOSE The Maine Conservation Corps ENCOUNTERS OFTHE NATURAL KIND ON SWAN ISLAND

by Michael Warren

Le

day always began with a dewy ride on the Swanee, a flatbottom boat used to transport people to Swan Island. Most mornings the river smoke on the Kennebec was so thick that we couldn't see the island until we reached the dock. As we approached the shore, we could hear great blue herons wading through the water. Several of our team said they felt as if they were going back in time as the still fog separated us more from the mainland than the river itself.

Once we tied up to the dock our seven person Maine Conservation Corps team unloaded equipment and personal gear onto the truck that took us to our worksite for the day. Occasionally, we would catch a glimpse of a weasel as it dashed under the dock, and it was a daily ritual to take note of how rapidly the shore plants grew.

In the beginning of the summer the new, green wild rice and bull rush could be seen breaking through the muddy banks of the river. By the end of the summer most of the riverbank vegetation towered over us.

As we drove down the island's dusty dirt road to the open mowed fields we saw deer by the dozens, but sighting a spotted fawn was the reward of the

week, as they kept well hidden in the damp underbrush to escape the day's heat. The heat effected our team also. We were more productive in our work of brushing trails, shingling and painting during the cooler morning hours.

Just as the fawns learned to cope, we also found a way to live with the noon day heat. We discovered that by climbing a giant, northern white cedar tree the extra breeze and shade of the of the branches provided relief. So every day the entire team would eat lunch in the branches of that big tree. One day the tree came alive as thousands of tiny, brown beetles migrated from the base of the tree to the top branches in a continuous single file. We were fascinated by this phenomenon and discussed it throughout the day. It never ceases to amaze me how such a seemingly small event can dominate the conversation of a group and bring everyone closer together.

Midway through the summer our team spent a night camping on the island. We had the entire island to ourselves that night.

The author was conservation team leader for the summer 1989 Swan Island MCC project. He lives in Chelsea and teaches biology at Monmouth Academy.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

Early morning mist - view of the Kennebec River from the Swanee.

Photo by Ken Spalding.

The crackling of the campfire blended with the snapping of dry branches as the nocturnal inhabitants moved about us.

From their la ugh-like noise we assumed that most of these camp visitors were raccoons.

The rest of the night was quiet except for the continuous talk

Replacing a boardwalk over a marsh at the Maine Audubon Society's Fore River Sanctuary in Portland. This team also worked on trails and resource inventories at Audubon sanctuaries in Biddeford and Freeport . Photo by Ken Spalding .

9

and laughter that arose from around our campfire, until coyote pups yelping in the distance awoke us before the arrival of the sun.

The Maine ConseIVation Corps (MCC) provided a memorable summer with all the special events and programs that were set up. Much learning and growing took place among our team; and for most of the corpsmembers this was their first work experience. A major goal of the MCC's work program is to teach corpsmembers to work hard and feel proud of their accomplishments. The Swan Island project, sponsored by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife , involved painting and renovating the exterior of two historic houses, shingling five campground leantos, building log benches and clearing brush on the nature trail. Although the work was hard, all five corpsmembers stuck it out to the end to successfully finish the project and receive their MCC Certificates of Achievement.

Through the environmental education program, corpsmembers developed a greater knowledge and respect for the natural world around us. Basic ecological concepts were discussed, along with tree and plant identification, river study, eagle obseIVa tions, lyme disease study, and a field trip to another MCC project.

Swan Island was also a field trip destination for three other MCC teams. Our team gave the other groups tours, describing the natural and human history of the island. It was gratifying to see how well the team was able to teach the other corpsmembers all that they had learned about "their" island.

Environmental issues were also discussed and the corpsmembers developed a concern for the .environmental challenges such as growth and pollution that face our state. Besides these concerns the environmental education helped to create an interest in the possible pursuit of a career in wildlife management or conseIVation.

All of us experienced many close encounters with the natural inhabitants around us and also with ourselves. It was a summer that we will all remember for the rest of our lives. â&#x20AC;˘

Members of an MCC team bu ilding log steps to prevent erosion on a newly-cut section of the Appalachian Trail. This team lived in tents and worked on the Appalachian Trail in Maine for four weeks, then went to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming for four more weeks, working with the Greater Yellowstone Recovery Corps to repair 1988 fire damage. Photo

by Ken Spalding .

Young people from Lubec have served with the MCC at Roosevelt-Campobello International Park since 1984. The teams, supervised by Park Naturalist Harold Bailey, clear trails, build stairways and observations decks, plant flowers , etc. Photo by Harold Bailey.

Safety equipment parked at the end of the day on a backcountry ridge near Greenville. Photo by Ken Spalding.

10

Maine Fish and Wildlife -

Spring 1990

MCC corpsmembers and team leaders from around Maine gathered at the University of Maine in Orono for "Recognition Day" on August 17, 1989. Photo by David Coleman.

An MCC team heading back to their base camp after a day of clearing trail through thick growth on Goose Eye Mtn., north of Bethel. Photo by Ken Spalding.

Left and below: the historic Reed House on Swan Island received attention from MCC corps-members in the spring and summer of 1989. The roof was repaired and the exterior walls painted. Photo by Ken Spald ing.

A NEW GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE WILL WORK/ LEARN AND GROW WITH THE MAINE CONSERVATION CORPS IN 1990 TO BECOME AN MCC CORPSMEMBER:

MCC corpsmembers are hired through local Job Training Offices. A person must meet the eligibility requirements, including income guidelines, of the Job Training Partnership Act. To determine if you are Maine Fish and Wildlife -

Spring 1990

Conservation Corps, Maine Department of Conservation, State House Station #22, Augusta, Maine 04333. Telephone: 289-4931.

11

The Maine Conservation Corps

Th e Rest Of The Story

by Ken Spalding As the Maine Consetvation Corps' Swan Island team prepared for work each day last summer, there were 24 other MCC teams all across Maine preparing to spend hard days working on outdoor projects. On public reserved land north of Bethel, a team was emerging from tents to build a new trail to the summit of Goose Eye Mountain. In Wells, the team was building a boardwalk to provide wheelchair access to the Wells National Estuarine Research Reseive. In Lubec, they were crossing the bridge to plant flower gardens at the RooseveltCampobello International Park.

Another team was getting into their canoes to install a privy on the West Branch of the Penobscot River; yet another team was boarding a feny in Portland to build a ballfield on Peakes Island.

Building trails, improving wildlife habitat, fighting fires, repairing playgrounds and picnic areas, moving backcountry cabins, working on the Appalachian Trail and on Frye Mountain - in Portage, Lewiston, Eastport, Baxter State Park -all over Maine, the young MCC corpsmembers worked on outdoor projects to benefit the public for eight weeks during the summer of 1989. One team even worked in Yellowstone National Park for four weeks!

They all started their summer in Thorndike for an "Orientation Day" where the 100 corpsmembers met each other, learned about the MCC, hand tool safety, and environmental awareness,

and shared team building activities. From there they went home or to project sites.

For the next eight weeks they learned good work habits and how to cooperate as part of a team. They gained a better appreciation of Maine's environment by working in it; and through an organized conseivation education program. They worked hard and they took home a small paycheck.

At the end of the summer all the corpsmembers got together one more time at the University of Maine for "Recognition Day." They renewed acquaintances, they learned which 10 corps

members had been selected to top off their summer with a three-day Outward Bound course, they learned about bald eagles with the help of a live visiting eagle, they told the other corpsmembers about their accomplishments and saw slides of every team's worksite. The corpsmembers learned that their efforts were appreciated and they collected their Maine Conservation Corps Certificates of Achievement.

Like the Swan Island team these corpsmembers worked hard, learned, grew. and experienced a summer to remember for the rest of their lives.

•

Maine Conservation Corps A 1989 Project Locations 1990 Project Locations

• Spring • Summer

Campobello (Lubec)

sla wni1~1-Neck (Freeport) J.A,~~lrMaine Audubon Sanctuaries ·(Falmouth)

The author is director of the Maine Conservation Corps.

12

Maine Fish and Wildlife -

Spring 1990

Giardiasis: say "Gee-are-DI-a-sis" Scenes similar to this, although fortunately rarely this disabling, but ever so uncomfortable, are becoming increasingly frequent along the ever popular trails and wateiways of Maine's wilderness areas.

Giardiasis, or "beaver fever" as it is often called in wilderness settings, is an intestinal illness ca used by a protozoan, Giardia lamblia. It is rarely fatal, but can be awkward at best, and even debilitating if symptoms persist. The organism, ubiquitous in human waste, is the most frequently found pathogen by public health labs across the country. Humans can pick up the "bug" in a number of ways; in the case described it was most likely by drinking untreated water that had been contaminated by improperly disposed human waste. Ironically this girl may have picked up the tiny organisms in a cool sip of seemingly pure stream water early in the trip, and still happened to be on the river at the end of the one- to two-week incubation period for Giardia cysts. On shorter trips other people may not get sick until they have returned home, and then just blame their illness on something else - such as Mom's cooking! Or the flu.

In any case, intestinal discomfort can be more easily endured in the comfort of home than out in the woods or on a canoe trip, so many, if not most such cases go unreported.

The illness is giardiasis; the bug that causes it is Giardia Imagine a clear summer morning on the Allagash River, with loons calling in the distance, trout plop-plopping in the misty shallows and the smell of breakfast and woodsmoke lingering over the campsite. A canoe-camper, one of the many thousands to enjoy the wilderness of Maine each summer, begins to experience extreme intestinal discomfort, and in just a short time abdominal cramps, diarrhea and nausea become unbearable; so extreme, it turns out, that a float plane is summoned to evacuate the dehydrating youngster to a hospital. Only after several days of treatment and rest do the symptoms subside and the youngster, who returns home to recover, misses her long-awaited wilderness camping expedition in northern Maine. Her 15 companions are unaffected and go on without her.

Bummer!

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

The bug is so small that 16,500 cysts can fit on the head of a pin. In fact their small size, roughly 6 x 10 microns ( a micron equals one millionth of a meter), makes it difficult to filter out in conventional water treatment systems. The cyst stage is also tough, and is resistent to normal concentrations of chemical disinfectants. And it can survive through freezing cold for months.

It is this tough, protected cyst form of Giardia that can spread and infect by being ingested by man and other mammals and birds. Once safely in the gut of a compatible host, the cyst then transforms itself into a mobile form called a "trophozoite", and attaches to the lining of the intestine (see photo on page 14). Here it lives off the host's system and reproduces. The host, particularly human hosts, may also cast off new cysts through the stool, into the

The author is a wildlife biologist for the Department, and is coordinator for the Animal Damage Control Program.

13

Ironically it was poorly researched reports of two cases of giardiasis, one in Camus, Washington and the other in Berlin, New Hampshire, that led to the popular implication of beaver as the principal contaminating factor; both cases were widely reported in newspapers and outdoor magazines before a more plausable explanation was proposed. Thereafter, "beaver fever" became more frequently reported and diagnosed, and municipal water suppliers became anxious if beaver occurred in their supply system. As it turned out, in Washington and in New Hampshire, Giardia infections occurred as the direct result of human waste contamination.

But the word was out on beaver!

Giardia lamblia in the trophozoite stage (inset), here magnified by a scanning electron microscope. This protozoa attaches to the intestinal wall (see larger photo) and causes (to some people, under certain circumstances) a dysentery-like illness.

Photos courtesy Stanley Erlandsen, University of Minnesota.

environment, enhancing the rate of infection. The trophozoite is veiy fragile and withers up quickly upon the death of the host, and is difficult to discern even under a microscope. But it is the presence of this stage that most accurately indicates the role of the host in the life cycle of Giardia. Cysts, on the other hand, may be ingested and passed through the digestive tract without further involvement. To further complicate investigation, in some hosts cysts may not be cast off, and therefore not apparent in stool samples. So it is important that researchers examine the gut of potential hosts to make this determination, and not depend on the occurence of cysts in the stools.

Research Because beaver, as well as muskrats and other wildlife, have been associated with this potentially severe human health problem, wildlife agencies have a keen interest in isolating the real cause and determining the implications for wildlife management. In 1983 the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a contract to study the vectors and transmission of the illness. Dr. Stanley Erlandsen, a cell biologist, and Dr. William Bemrick, a veterinaiy pathologist at the University of Minnesota, developed a study that included field examination of beaver and muskrat intestinal tracts in the northeast - Maine and four neighboring states-over a period of five years.

Their goal was to find out what role the beaver or muskrat plays in the infection of humans by Giardia lamblia cysts; and why outbreaks of giardiasis occur so sporadically and unpredictably.

14

So what role do beaver play?

In 1983, department biologists and technicians collected beaver fecal samples and shipped them to the laboratoiy in Minnesota, confirming the presence of Giardia cysts in Maine wildlife. Drs. Erlandsen and Bemrick then came to Maine to enlist the help of Maine trappers to capture beaver and muskrats alive for fresh intestinal samples of the trophozoite. With their technicians, they returned to Maine each summer to collect more specimens and perform the microscopic intestinal examinations. These necropsies involved the removal of the intestine of each subject, necessitating a lethal injection and the sacrifice of the animal.

Because the research was to require the lethal removal of 20 or more beaver and muslcrats each

About 25 nuisance beaver and muskrat were captured in Maine by ADC trappers and wildlife technicians using Hancock live traps and foot traps. The animals were brought to the field labs for necropsy. They were humanely dispatched by lethal injections of phenobarbital.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

year of the study it was important to the department to minimize any negative impact on wildlife resources and to assure that all the animals were treated humanely (this agency, and the University of Minnesota, both conform to the standards of the National Animal Welfare Act, relating to the experimental use of research animals). Because the department regularly captures nuisance beaver in the spring and summer, they were a logical source of information on which to focus. Even then, the removal of beaver mothers or pregnant females was avoided. Because muskrats are so prolific and their reproductive status difficult to determine, these measures were not applied; however fewer muskrats were sampled throughout the study.

Initially the department's furbearer project leader, and later the animal damage control program leader, coordinated the data collection in Maine. Several registered animal damage control trappers using Hancock and Bailey beaver live traps, and various box and leghold traps to capture muskrats, provided fresh samples for necropsy when the lab teams arrived from Minnesota.

So what did they discover?

About 17 percent of the live-trapped beaver, and 95 percent of the muskrats in the four states studied, were infected with Giardia - that is, they carried trophozoites! However, while the research team demonstrated in the laboratory that human derived Giardia could be transmitted to these animals, it was not so clear if beaver-derived Giardia could infect humans (obviously you can't test that!). They did demonstrate that cysts and trophozoites of Giardia found in the beaver and muskrat are visually different from those found from humans. In subsequent studies it became apparent that wading birds contain Giardia as well, though their cross infection is not known. Perhaps most important. however, is that all the sites from which infected beaver or muskrats were taken possessed a high potential for human waste contamination. All of the "outbreaks" in Maine were associated with some 'event' involving human contamination. Contamination of waterways, and of the beaver in them, by human-originating giardia poses the principal Giardia health problem.

Drs. Erlandsen and Bemrick conclude that giardiasis, contracted even in remote areas, is probably derived from human sources. The role beaver or other aquatic wildlife may play is secondary at most. Beaver and man, thankfully, are not mutually exclusive. â&#x20AC;˘ (Editor's Note: Turn to page 27 for a few words about prevention, control, and treatment of giardiasis.) .

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

Above: Researchers Dr. William Bemrick (left) and Dr. Stanley Erlandsen (right) from the University of Minnesota conducted field research on Giardia in Maine and three other states.

Below: Dr. Bemrick studies fresh slides prepared on site with a portable laboratory setup (see photos on facing page).

Acknowledgements The field work for the Giardia study came each year at a busy time for department field staff, biologists and technicians; and it required extraordinary patience and persistence to provide the animals in good condition for the research.

Cooperating trappers in the department's Animal Damage Control program made that contribution, and to them we owe a debt of gratitude, for it was their persistence and unending concern for the resource, as well as for the treatment and welfare of the animals that made the participation by this agency possible.

15

Enjoying Nature In Your Own Backyard Text and photos by Rosalind C. Morgan Fox Hollow Photography

You 're interested in photography and/or studying nature, but you can't afford to go running off to Yellowstone, or Alaska, or some other distant place. Should you give up on becoming an amateur naturalist? No -just look around and take advantage of your local resources. With a little effort and forethought, most people can.find plenty of nature subjects to watch and photograph close to home.

Bank swallow nestlings, Riparia riparia, in a dump in Maine.

Far left, beaver, Castor canadensis, swimming. Left, the results of some creative endeavors by Castor.

D

riving along back roads can offer a gold mine of subjects for attentive shutterbugs and nature watchers. Even though major excursions offer their own rewards, I've found many of the shots that fill our files within a sixty mile radius of home.

The author, a free-lance writer and photographer, is enjoying life in Houlton after "transplanting" here from New Jersey.

16

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1990

Red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus.

Sonie fauna . ..

Granted, I now live in northern Maine, but I actually find that I have to work harder to spot wildlife here than I did when I resided in New Jersey. Not likely, you scofil Consider this: New Jersey is more densely populated than Maine, thus its wildlife is confined to smaller areas, forcing them to come into contact with people more frequently. Meanwhile, Maine is full of open spaces which provide wildlife with the opportunity to avoid human contact. Most places have an abundance of nature subjects that are overlooked by many of their residents.

S imply keeping your eyes open while driving the roads in your area can prove to be fruitful. On numerous occasions I have driven along and noticed a lump on a tree, which turned out to be a porcupine. Repeatedly I find myself saying, "Look there's a deer.", or "Did you see that hawk?", only to find that I was the only one who noticed. Of course, once they've been alerted everyone looks out the back window, but it's too late.

Left, female osprey, Pandion haliaetus, landing on nest. Below, camouflaged killdeer eggs in nest. Inset below, killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, on nest on a lawn.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1990

17

When driving along. allow your eyes to sweep over your surroundings. Look for trees that bulge in unlikely placed. movement in the air or on the ground and flashes of color. Any of these signs can lead to pleasant surprises! Obviously you must pay attention to other vehicles and abide by the rules of the road or the excitement you find yourself in the midst of may not be what you had in mind. It helps to have a second pair of eyes on the lookout.Sometimes you will spot a place that warrants a return trip. Once. while exploring U.S. Rte 1. my partner and I discovered Moosehead National Wildlife Refuge. a magical place that is loaded with both roadside and short-hike photo opportunities. Other drives have yielded small locally run wildlife refuges. (these usually have s111all signs that are easily missed). state owned game management reseives. state parks and assorted public or private facilities. Many of these havens are under-utilized by comparison to their better publicized brethren and can be enjoyed at a relaxed pace. Quite often personnel at these smaller facilities are very friendly and extremely helpful. they can offer tips on places to find specific behavior and point to subjects you may be unaware of.

conseivation groups_or simply asking friends. An amazing wealth of information can be gleaned from friends. These people ar normally glad to assist others in the enjoyment of their

local surroundings while doing a little educating at the same time.

Local naturalists can point out appropriate habitat for certain plants and animals. blooming dates for wildflowers in your

A nother under-utilized resource is the local expert. the amateur or professional naturalists who are familiar with a certain area. They can be found by contacting colleges. local

Above right, great horned owl, Bubo virginianus, in Spruce Acres Wildlife Refuge. Right, porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum, seen while driving.

18

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1990

area, (most guides are quite general and thus may be misleading); aid in plant or bird identification and even notify you of interesting finds not generally made public. Such assistance has proven invaluable to me in my quest for knowledge of Maine's wildflowers and particularly in nearing my goal of documenting Maine's fortyfive native orchids. Most states probably have agencies that can provide a list of plants and

animals indigenous to the area and their current status. Few people realize that plants and animals that thrive in one state may be endangered in another, and any information you gather during your observations may prove helpful in their preservation. Your hobby can take on a new meaning of active conservation.

I t doesn't matter whether observation or photography is

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Summer 1990

your goal; nature study can be very rewarding. All that's needed are a few basic tools: a camera with appropriate lenses if photos are your goal (see a good photo instruction book for technical info), a notebook to record observations, a pair of binoculars (to avoid chasing clumps of leaves masquerading as animals), and a sense of adventure and curiosity. Everyone has the chance to enjoy nature without going far from home. â&#x20AC;˘ 19

Maine's Record Fish List Grows

0

ne of Maine's most common fish species, yellow perch, and one of its rarest, Sunapee trout, are now represented among Maine's state record freshwater ·fish.

There's a ·good reason neither fish was previously on the list: Until now, no one who caught a big one ever submitted it to the Fish and Wildlife Department as a possible state record. Now that they have, the department will recognize the two fish as state records until someone can prove they've caught a bigger one.

The department is also recognizing a Northem pike caught last winter as a new state record.

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The record Sunapee trout was caught last June at Lower South Branch Pond in Piscataquis County by Wayne Dillon of Brownville, who was trolling with spoons and nightcrawlers. The fish weighed 4 pounds. 10 ounces and was 23 inches long.

It was four inches long when it was stocked in spring 1980, according to fishery research biologist Fred Kircheis, who confirmed the identification of Dillon's catch.

Richard Dodge of Union broke the year-old record for Northern pike by over four pounds with a 26 pound, 12 ounce pike he caught on a shiner at Great Pond on February 2, 1989. The 44 inch fish had a girth of 23 inches. and barely fit through the hole in the ice after a half-hour fight.

The yellow perch was caught last August by 14-year-old Chad Mostats of Portland at Worthley Pond in East Peru. It weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces and was 14 3 I 4 inches long. Young Mostats was trolling a bass lure. a Creek Chub, when the big perch struck .

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Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

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20

how about those

BRUI

by Ken Elowe

and Craig McLaughlin

(Editor's Note: The black bear la a valuable natural resource of Maine. It is the largest carnivore in the northeast and a symbol of "wilderness" to many people.

Bears are increasingly soughtafter as a big game trophy animal. They are wary, difficult to hunt, and the meat is excellent table fare.

The annual bear kill by hunters and trappers has been increasing for several years, and recent research by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife indicates the bear population ls beginning to decline. To reverse these trends and restore the bear population to the desired level, Commissioner Vail has shortened the 1990 bear hunting and trapping seasons. This article briefly explains how the department manages Maine's bear population, and discusses the events and reaaonlng leading to this management action.)

A trio of newcomers to the black bear community. Photo by George J. Matula, Jr.

M

aine bear hunters will have less time to pursue their trophies in 1990. This year's bear seasons (see boxed article on page 22) are considerably shorter, and more complex than in recent years. Many affected bear hunters, professional guides, and outfitters are asking why the season was changed in this manner, and what factors influenced the decision.

To answer these questions, let's review how the department manages Maine's bears, and examine recent trends in the bear harvest and population size.

In 1985, the department developed species assessments

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

for Maine's bears and other wildlife species. The black bear assessment was basically a status report of the bear population, its habitat, and its importance as a species in Maine. A working group, composed of representatives from several public interest groups concerned with the welfare of black bears in Maine, reviewed the bear assessment. After considerable discussion, the group recommended establishing a population goal of maintaining the bear population at 1985 levels (about 21,000 bears before harvest).

The authors are, respectively, project leader and wildlife biologist in the department's furbearer /bear project.

21

This goal was approved by the commissioner and the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Advisoiy Council early in 1986, and it has guided our bear management efforts since then.

We assess progress toward the goal each year by using what we call our "Bear Management System," which uses research data and harvest data to estimate the bear population. If the projected population is near the goal, the system recommends no change in management. If it's above the goal, the system recommends increasing the hatvest in order to reduce the population toward the goal. And, if the population is below the goal, the system recommends decreasing the bear hatvest to allow the population to increase.

S ince 1982, the Wildlife Division has conducted intensive bear research on three different study areas to help keep track of the bear population. The three areas were chosen because they represent three major types of bear habitat within the state (see map on page 24). The Spectacle Pond site represents the north

woods habitat type - no organized towns, mostly logging and recreational activities. The Stacyville site is a transitional area between the north woods and farmland areas. Bradford was chosen as the third site to typify the farmland/mixed woods habitat belt that runs through the central part of Maine.

Initially we intensively livetrapped all three areas to capture and tag as many bears as

Intensive research at three study areas indicates Maine's bear population has been declining over the past few years.

possible. Each bear was eartagged, but only females were radio-collared because females yield the most important information about the population.

Male bears travel widely, making tracking veiy difficult and

Annual bear hatvests that have gone too high have caused a shortening of the open seasons on hunting and trapping the big game animals.

Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Bill Vail, with the unanimous support of his citizen's advisoiy council, has adopted a rule allowing bear hunting without dogs from August 27 through September 22 and from the first day of the firearms season on deer to November 30. .

Dogs may be used to hunt bear between September 15 and October 26, and beginning September 24 they must be used. Between then and October 26, no one may take or attempt to take a bear unless it is being pursued, treed or held at bay by a dog or dogs.

The 1990 bear trapping season will be Oct. 1-31.

The new bear seasons are intended to reduce the annual kill to the range of 1,500 to 2,500, where wildlife biologists say it should be to attain the current statewide population goal of approximately 21,000 bears. The registered bear kill has been in a general upward trend since the mid-1970s and has jumped dramatically from 1,533 in 1985 to 2,651 in 1988 and 2,690 in 1989.

Much of the increase in the bear haivest is attributed to a large increase in the number of bears taken over bait. Hunters who take bear over bait are most affected by the shortened seasons.

Of the 2,690 bears killed in 1989, about 64 percent were taken over bait, 15 percent by the use of hounds, 2 percent by trapping and 10 percent during the firearms season on deer.

The department held several public informational meetings and three public hearings prior to shortening the bear season.

22

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

expensive. The reproductive information we collect from females is much more important than knowing how far the males travel, (which, as we already know, is a long way!).

We continue to trap the Spectacle Pond and Bradford study areas as needed to maintain a sample of 20 to 35 radio-collared female bears in each area. We track the radio-collared bears throughout the year, from the time they emerge from dens in the spring until they re-enter dens in the fall. Every winter we visit each of the denned bears and change their collars to make adjustments for size and to make sure the transmitter batteries are fresh.

females each year since 1982, and we have examined nearly 300 cubs born to these bears.

We estimate the status of bears on each study area based upon three groups of information: 1) density (the number of bears living in each study area), 2) cub production (the number of cubs born each year in each area), and 3) mortality (the number of bears that die each year in, each area from hunting and all other causes.

As mentioned before, each study area represents a different habitat type. We have estimated how much habitat there is of each type throughout Maine's bear range. The bear density, cub production, and mortality

FIGURE 1. MAINE BEAR HARVESTS, 1982-1989

Population estimates have been declining slightly over the past few years, and our projections indicate the rate of decline will accelerate if hunting harvests continue to rise.

The major cause of the recent downward trend in bear numbers is increasing harvests due to increasing hunting pressure.

In 1985, the Wildlife Division estimated that bear numbers would stabilize near the 21,000 goal if annual harvests remained between 1,500 and 2,500 bears.

However, the harvest quickly rose through this range, and has continued to increase since exceeding it in 1988 (Figure 1). If no management action had been taken to reduce it, we estimate

FIGURE 2. BEAR POPULATION PROJECTIONS UNDER TWO HARVEST LEVELS

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We also collect a variety of information from the denned female bears, including their rate of growth and the number of cubs born. Cubs stay with the mother for about 17 months, and the entire family group dens together when the cubs are one year old. All year-old female cubs are radio-collared before they leave the den. In this way, we maintain an adequate sample of collared bears and replace those collared bears that are lost to hunting and natural mortality. These efforts have allowed us to collect information from between 45 and 75 collared

1991

information from each study area is applied (or extrapolated) to the total amount of that habitat type. In this way, we estimate the bear population for all the north woods, farmland transition, and farmland belt areas of the state, and also the cub production and bear mortality in each region. We combine these estimates to arrive at a statewide bear population estimate and to evaluate population trends.

Q

ur current estimates place the bear population below the goal, at about 19,000 bears.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

the harvest would have climbed to 2,700 to 3,000 bears in 1990, as there is no reason to believe that hunting pressure or the bear kill would have declined on its own.

With current levels of natural mortality and cub production, and a continued unchecked upward trend in harvest, the bear population would start declining more radically in the next few years (Figure 2). This is because bears produce fewer offspring than many other large mammals, and because Maine bears do not produce cubs before they are four to six years 23

SPECTACLE POND

BEAR RESEARCH STUDY AREAS OF MAINE old. At best, they have cubs only every other year, and many of the cubs do not live to breeding age. Fall food shortages often cause potential mothers to enter winter dens in poor physical condition; these bears usually will not produce cubs that winter. Thus, the interval between litters of cubs can be longer than two years.

If the number of young female bears surviving until they are able to reproduce is less than the number of adult fem ales that 24

are dying, the population will start to decline. Because it takes four to six years for bears to start producing cubs, there is a lag of a few years between the time a population first starts to be overharvested and the time when a dramatic decline becomes noticeable. By then, drastic reduction in harvest size is needed to allow the population to recover. Since bears produce offspring so slowly, recovery of an over-harvested population may take many years.

In January 1989, the bear management system indicated that a season adjustment was needed in 1989. By law, however, any bear season changes must be in place by January 15, and there ¡simply wasn't enough time available to change the 1989 season.

Instead, we held a series of six public meetings in May and June to discuss the bear situation and let the public know that changes were on the horizon if the harvest trend continued. By December it was obvious that the trend had continued in the 1989 bear season, and the Wildlife Division recommended a reduction in the harvest to below 2,300 in order to reverse the current downward population trend (Figure 2).

Commissioner Vail has acted upon that recommendation by shortening the open season on bears. It is important to note that a season adjustment is the only management action available to the commissioner at this time; all other options are controlled by the legislature.

At

this point, only minor corrective action is needed to get Maine's bear population back on track. The management goal of 21,000 bears is reasonable and achievable, but the bear population is now below that goal. Harvest trends are continuing upward and, if unchecked, will result in further population declines. If the season shortening action had not been taken, much more radical action would have been needed in the future. The new bear season dates will help insure that bear harvests will not adversely affect the population, thus protecting Maine's black bear resource and the array of benefits that it provides for years to come. â&#x20AC;˘

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

What do you think . . . ?

It's one of those memorable days at your favorite pond: The mayflies are hatching, the trout are rising. There's action on every cast, and you're having the time of your life catching native squaretails. Do you: a). catch and keep as many as you can rationalizing it by remembering all the times you've been skunked, and hoping this ls the game warden's day off? b). catch your limit, eat some for lunch or give them to someone, and then go back and take another limit, again keeping an eye out for the warden. c). catch and keep the legal limit, and then either stop fishing or carefully release any other trout you catch. d). stop short of the limit, and kill only what you need to go with your Oddleheads for a One supper tonight? e). carefully release all the fish you catch, hoping you might get to enjoy another day like this? f). carefully release all the fish you catch, thinking someone else might enjoy a day like this?

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

As the numbers of anglers increases, the need for ethical behavior becomes more and more important.

by Tom Shoener

and Kristin Merriman

I

f your answer to the little quiz at the left was (a) or (b), you'd better change your ways. If it was between (c) and (f) you are on your way toward being considered an ethical angler. Ethical angler?

What's an ethical angler? What's ethi.car?

Though we hear a lot about ethics these days the word evades a simple definition. Entry level ethics involves knowing right from wrong. and then doing the right thing all the time - basically. obeying laws and rules others have set as everyone's minimum standards of acceptable behavior. Violate them and you are in trouble with society. If your answer to the opening question was (c), this is where you stand as an ethical angler. at the entry level.

The authors are, respectively, editor of MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE magazine and former editor of the Izaak Walton League's OUTDOOR ETHICS newsletter.

25

Advanced ethics involves the adoption of personal codes of self-restraint that go beyond the written rules. These are things you decide for yourself are right. You do them because you want to, not because you might have to go to court if you don't. You do them even when no one is looking.

Violate them and you are in trouble only with your conscience.

The ethics of many anglers never evolve beyond answer (c). precious few ever reach (f). but as the number of fishermen continues to climb, the need for more ethical behavior on everyone's part becomes more important. Surveys show that 60 million Americans - one in every four people consider themselves recreational anglers. In Maine, the number of licensed fishermen is growing annually, to over 300,000 last year, and unknown numbers of others fish without needing a license.

That's a lot of folks trying to catch a lot of fish!

How can our fisheries resources withstand the pressure of their own growing popularity? Are evershrinking daily limits and other regulations the only solution? In the face of more and more participants, how can the quality of the fishing experience be preserved and peace kept between fishermen and with landowners? The answer may be in wider acceptance of fishing ethics.

At the 1987 International Conference on Outdoor Ethics, sponsored by the Izaak Walton League of America. a group from the Sport Fishing Institute formed a long, grim list of common complaints about unethical anglers: vandalism. trespassing, littering, angling law and regulation violations, crowding ofwatetways. improper handling of catch, wasting of catch and abuse of non-targeted fish species, to name a few.

In response, the group called for more vocal support for catch-and-release practices, less emphasis on the fish itself as a measure of angling expertise or success, no-kill rules in tournaments. and increased attention to the teaching of fishing ethics.

Norville S. Prosser. vice president of the Sport Fishing Institute, indicated the seriousness of these problems during the League's conference, saying, "More and more crowding and lower harvest rates can be expected in the future as fishing pressure on the nation's more or less finite fishery resource base continues to increase as a result of inevitable human population expansion. This scenario emphasizes the need for propitious ethical behavior on the part of anglers if fishing is to continue to rank as a leading national recreational pastime."

Not only is ethical, conservation-minded fishing important, it is without a doubt necessary. But what is an "ethical" angler, as the very definition of the term varies sharply from angler to angler? No 26

definitive answer can be found. Still, Prosser and other sport and conservation leaders did pinpoint several practices that seem to logically follow an attitude of respect for the fish resource: • Ethical angling demonstrates appreciation of the rights of other anglers and for the resource in general. On public waters, an ethical fisherman is always considerate of other anglers and boaters and fully complies with fishing and boating regulations.

When fishing private waters, one first secures permission from the landowner, obeys his or her rules and offers to share any catch.

• If fishing from a boat, one is careful to observe sensible wake speeds, to always give the right-of-way to boats with fish on, and to spend minimal time launching and loading a boat from crowded ramps.

• The ethical angler also works to increase his or her knowledge of the sport and of news related to fishing. While improving personal fishing skills, the angler develops a more intense fishery conservation ethic and participates in resource enhancement and protection projects.

• An ethical fisherman avoids purposely introducing non-native fish species or discarding unused live bait in fishing waters.

• He or she also takes care to use none or only minimum recommended dosages of pesticides and

Starting young anglers with an ethical attitude toward the sport may be more important than encouraging adults to adopt one.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

What makes anglers ignore common sense and courtesy? Greed, egotism, stupidity? In many cases. But perhaps much of the blame goes to ignorance, lack of education about the profound effects a lone angler can have on the natural resources, and on other anglers, around him or her.

State and federal agencies, as well as sporting publications and organizations, are beginning to realize the importance of an education iri outdoor ethics. As a result, money from sources such as the Wallop-Breaux funds is being devoted to outdoor ethics programs for youth and adults.

"Fishing opinion leaders are going to have to concentrate more on angling ethics and boating safety," according to Jack Lorenz, executive director of the Izaak Walton League. "ConseIVationists, fishing clubs, youth educators, outdoor equipment manufacturers, government fisheries and boating agencies should start forming partnerships now to build programs for the future - programs that will protect our resources and ensure the future of fishing well into the 21st century."

•

other hazardous household chemicals that could harm the aquatic environment, and ensures that unused portions are disposed of safely.

• Finally, emphasizes Prosser, "the ethical angler recognizes fishing is for fun, that fishing pleasure is not measured by the heft of the stringer, but by the size and scale of angling difficulty offered by the particular fish caught and released in an aesthetic environment."

Stories abound of those anglers who feel unfettered by general ethical guidelines; their actions make up the tales repeated and inflated from community to community, eventually discrediting all anglers, all sportsmen. Few haven't heard about the jigging of Atlantic salmon and the trashing of bluefish, or about the so-called sports who "high grade" their daily catch to keep a limit of only the best fish , wasting the rest. At the personal level, what do you say to the guy who comes over and fishes right next to you after he sees you catch a nice one? Chances are you won't politely tell him his behavior is unethical, but that's what it is!

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Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

27

STATE AND NATIONAL E~ 1970 Rachel Carson was a prominent environmentalist and a co-founder of the Maine chapter of The Nature Conservancy. In her honor, the Nature Conservancy dedicated all of its coastal preserves as the Rachel Carson Maine Seacoast Sanctuary System.

I

1970 FIRST ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION 20 nr illion people throughout the country participated, and took the opportunity to demonstrate their environmental concerns.

1973 The first wild Iif e and wetlands acquisition qond issue allocated $4 million to purchase Maine wildlife habitat.

1974 Bald eagle eggs were first transplanted from active nests in Minnesota to wild foster eagle parents in Maine in order

:~~=Ip increase Maine's deplete.

-

1975 The Endangered Species Act was introduce,.d nationally to protect our country's rare and threatened plants and animals.

1971 Littering became punishable by up to a $100 fine in Maine.

1972 The pesticide DDT was banned nationally; Maine had already banned the sale of th is dangerous poison in 1969.

1977 The Billboard Bill was designed to require the removal of excessive numbers of deteriorating and unattractive billboards found throughout the state.

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111i

1976 Maine's Bottle Bill passed in the legislature, and was ratified by voters in November; it became effective Jan. 1, 1978.

11

1979 The proposed construction of a 250,000 barrel-a-day, $700 million oil refinery with a supertanker terminal in Eastport was blocked once and for all due to its threat to the survival of bald eagle popul,

area.

1981 The Dickey-Lincoln

1980 Tremendous improvement in Maine's water quality was noted.

The Kennebec River went from "open sewer" status in the 60's to a river where fish were once again swimming .

28

Hydro-Electric Project and proposal to dam the upper St. John River was dead after two decades of controversy. 256 miles of free-flowing rivers and streams, and 86,000 acres of land that would have been flooded for the project were saved. It would have required 56,000,000 cubic yards of earth fill and installation of 365 miles of transmission lines.

1981 The first Maine Presidential Salmon since the 1950's was presented to Vice President George Bush . Salmon had stopped running in Maine's rivers due to industrial pollution. By 1981, the rivers were getting cleaner and the salmon were returning.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

The environmental movement came of age on April 22, 1970, with a remarkable event called Earth Day. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin first introduced Earth Day as a nationwide event in which citizens would participate to dramatize America's environmental plight. Earth Day in 1970 was to begin an annual observance, focusing national attention on the problems of the environment. As a result of this collective show of support and concern , many laws were passed to protect our air, our water, and the lands around us. But in spite of the laws, our environmental problems continue, including changes in our climate, thinning of the protective ozone layer, loss of forests, wetlands, and other wildlife habitats, acid rain, air pollution; ocean pollution, and hazardous and solid waste buildup. Earth Day 1990 is being organized in response to peoples' desire to act, and their uncertainty about what they can do. It is rooted in a belief that people working together can accomplish extraordinary things. Earth Day 1990 has been designated and proclaimed by the U.S. Government to be set aside for public activtties promoting the preservation of our global environment.

RONMENTAL MILESTONES 1984 The 'Chickadee

1111

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Checkoff' appeared on Maine .¢t>ANGe#~ ~v; income tax 7 ; '$ forms and established § a fund to ~,h \~<c;""'·W1LO\; preserve and protect Maine nongame and endangered wildlife.

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41

Wetlands ·-.,.:. ,.·· Protection Law :,:,; ·.'. · ., ·· was enacted to 1-r' regulate the alteration ~... since the 1950's of unforested freshwater wetlands over ten acres in size.

1985 Nesting terns and prospecting puff ins returned to Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge in Maine after a long absence.

1985 Open burning at town dump is banned as of Jan. 1, 1989.

1986 Voters enthusiastically endorsed a $5 million bond issue for Inland Fisheries and Wildllife to acqu ire wildlife habitat.

1984 The Bureau of Public

1987 Voters endorsed a $35 million bond fund for the Land For Maine's Future

Lands completed several land swap negotiations, putting 485,000 acres of Maine lands under state management.

Board to acquire recreational and water access lands, rare, threatened or endangered plant or wildlife habitat or lands with vital ecological or conservation functions; areas of scenic interest or farmland and other open space.

1988 An amendment to the Endangered Species Act grants Inland Fisheries and Wildlife the authority to identify, and develop guidlelines to protect, critical habitat in cooperation with Maine Audubon, Nature Conservancy and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

1989 Established the

1989 Legislation was passed to ban the use of plastic "6-pack" yokes and juice "brick packs" in Maine by 1991.

1983 A "Rivers Legislation" package was passed to improve land use controls; provided for fishways construction, regulaion of abandoned dams and prohibited new dams on portions of Maine's premier rivers.

II 1982-83 Black duck hunting was severely restricted in response to population declines throughout the country.

1989 Four pairs of peregrine falcons returned to nest successfully in Maine for the first time in a quarter of a century, producing six chicks!

Maine Waste Management Agency, with statewide goals to recycle 25 percent of our solid waste by 1992, and 50 percent by 1994!

1990 What are you doing on Sunday, April 22? To show your support, you can plant a tree, put up a bird house, ride your bike instead of riding in a car, raise money for an environmental project you care about, find out about recycling in your area, or just wear the color Green on Earth Day!!

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

29

FISH AND WILDLIFE BRIEFS ROACH RIVER PRESERVED

A pristine river that affords some of the best fishing and production of wild salmon in the Moosehead Lake region is one of two valuable properties recently purchased by the Fish and Wildlife Depa rtment.

Commissioner Bill Vail announced the purchases of the Roach River at Moosehead Lake and Black Brook Pond Flowage in Somerset County from S.D. Warren/Scott Paper Company, for $950,000, with funding from the Inla nd Fisheries and Wildlife Land Acquisition Fund.

The commissioner described the 6.3-mile stretch of Roa ch River between First Roach Pond, Kokadjo, and Moosehead Lake as "the most important tributary to Moosehead, in terms of spawning and nursery areas for the lake's salmon population." He said the acquisition will preserve the river from developmen t pressures growing in the Moosehead Lake area due to its recreational attractions.

The purchase includes title to a 250-foot strip of land bordering both sides of the stream and an easement to an additional 250-foot strip along each side, creating a 1,000-foot wide corridor the entire length of the river.

Also included are several routes of walk-in access over p rivately-owned land. to enable fishermen to reach remote stretches of the river .

Fisheries biologists consider the Roach River to be Moosehead Lake's most valuable spawning tributary.

Their studies indicate that about half of the lake's wild salmon population originates in the Roach River, and that its brook trout production is also significant.

The river also affords outstanding fishing opportunities, and in recent years has become increasingly popular as a spot for fly fishing during September. The fall fishing is provided by mature salmon and brook trout which ascend the river to spawn.

Black Brook Pond Flowage is a 400-acre marsh and wetland near Flagstaff Lake in Somerset County.

The department hopes to build a lowhead dam at the s ite of an old log driving dam to create a large, shallow

30

marsh in an area of the state where such wetlands are scarce.

The marsh created would provide seasonal habitat for a variety of wildlife including nesting habitat for common goldeneyes, ring-necked ducks and black ducks .

The newest acquisition is the eleventh purchase of wildlife habitat by the department with funds from a $5 million bond issue approved by the legislature and the state's voters in 1986. Previous purchases include: • Narraguagus River, Chenyfield (wetland/upland/access) - 1,450 acres • Killick Pond, Hollis (upland/ access/deer wintering area) - 700 acres • Caesar Pond, Bowdoinham (wetland/upland) - 500 acres • Dwinal Pond, Lee (wetland/ upland) - 2,000 acres • Main Stream, Cambridge (deer wintering area) - 670 acres • Aroostook River, Ashland (flood plain/access) - 149 acres • Androscoggin River, Livermore (upland/ deer wintering area) - 525 acres • Dickwood Lake, Eagle Lake (upland/ access) - 3,860 acres • Penobscot River, Prospect (wetland/ endangered species habitat) 124 acres • Wilbur Neck, Pembroke (coastal wetland) - 200 acres The fund has also been used to add 766 acres to existing wildlife management areas, and to acquire a 20-acre coastal island important to nesting seabirds.

The department has acquired a total of 10,964 acres with the bond issue funds. In addition to their importance as wildlife habitat, the lands are also open to the public for hunting, fishing, trapping and other compatible forms of recreation.

DEER UPDATE

Maine's 1990 firearms season on deer will open Monday, October 29, and end Saturday, November 24.

Residents-only Saturday will be October 27.

The special archery season will run from October 1 to 26, and the muzzleloading firearms season will be November 26 to December 1.

The Fish and Wildlife Department had proposed a firearms season starting and ending one week later as a means of reducing conflicts between deer hunters and other hunters and trappers, but the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Council opted for the earlier season.

The department's proposal, discussed at three public hearings , was opposed by commercial sporting camp operators and guides concerned about its potential financial consequences.

Wildlife biologists will set final quotas for any-deer permits after they assess the condition of the herd this spring. Following several exceptionally easy winters, the winter of 1989-90 appeared at press time to be much more severe for deer.

The winter severity index, which assesses conditions critical to deer survival, indicated that December 1989 was the harshest December since 1971. Conditions moderated somewhat in January and February, but deer were still under normal winter stress. How the herd fares now hinges on the weather of late winter and early spring.

As they were keeping an eye on how the deer were wintering, wildlife biologists were also studying information compiled during the 1989 hunting season. The final deer kill figure was determined to be 30,260, of which 17,009 were adult bucks and 8,292 were adult does.

"One brisk momin,! spent fishin,! on a misty lake can bring home to a child tlie beauty, <lrama and fragility of our natural heritage in a way a thousand classroom presentations never could."

-President George Bush Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

BOAT LAW CHANGES As a new b oating season ap-

proaches, boaters are reminded of several law changes made last year by the Maine legislature.

Perhaps the most far-reaching new requirement is that boats go slow near any shoreline. The law now prohibits watercraft operation at greater than headway speed in the so-called '"water safety zone" (200 feet from any shoreline, including islands) except to pick up or discharge water-skiers or while actively fishing. Headway speed is defined as the minimum speed necessary to maintain steerage and control of the watercraft.

Boaters who consume alcoholic beverages are now in violation of the law if they operate a watercraft while having blood-alcohol content of .08

1990 HUNTING & FISHING LICENSE FEES RESIDENT Hunting (16 and older) $15.00 Fishing (16 and older) 15.00 Combination Hunting and Fishing (16 and older) 28.00 Supersport 38.00 Small Game Hunting 8.00 Junior Hunting (10 to 15 years inclusive) 3.00 Combination Fishing and Archery Hunting (16 and older) 28.00 Serviceman (resident) Combination Hunting and Fishing 15.00 Archery Hunting (16 and older) 15.00 Muzzle-loading (16 and older) 7.00

NONRESIDENT CITIZEN Big Game Hunting (10 and older) Season Fishing (16 and older) Junior Season Fishing ( 12 to 15 years inclusive) 15-day Fishing 7-day Fishing 3-day fishing 1-day Fishing Combination Hunting and Fishing (16 and older) Small Game Hunting (16 and older) Junior Small Game Hunting (1 O to 15 years indusive) Archery Hunting ( 16 and older) Muzzle-loading (16 and older)

n.oo

42.00 5.00 30.00 26.00 17.00 5.00 107.00 47.00 23.00 47.00 25.00

NONRESIDENT ALIEN Big Game Hunting (10 and older) Season Fishing Combination Hunting and Fishing ( 10 and older) Small Game Hunting (16 and older) Archery Hunting (16 and older) Muzzle-loading (16 and older)

117.00 62.00 160.00 62.00 62.00 50.00

NOTES • Above prices do not indude $1 agent fee • All applicants for an adult firearms hunting license must show proof of having previously held an adult license to hunt with lirearms, or having successfully completed an approved hunter safety course.

• A small game license permits the hunting of all species except deer, bear, turkey, moose, raccoon, and bobcat.

percent or more by weight, the same amount as under the motor vehicle laws. The operator is also required to submit to blood-alcohol testing when so requested by a law enforcement officer who has probable cause to believe he or she is operating under the influence or was the operator of a watercraft involved in a fatal accident. Failure to submit to a blood-alcohol test is a civil violation.

Penalties have been increased substantially for operating under the influence in a watercraft.

Anyone operating a jet ski or other "personal watercraft," or any passenger on one, must wear an approved Type I or II personal flotation device at all times. Children under 12 are now prohibited from operating personal watercraft between sunset and sunrise.

Personal watercraft are defined as any motorized craft less than 13 feet in length, capable of reaching speeds of 20 miles per hour and having the capacity to carry not more than the operator and one other person. Jet skis, wet bikes, surf jets, miniature speedboats and hovercraft are among the craft that come under this definition.

OPERATION GAME THIEF

In its first year of operation, Maine's Operation Game Thief poacher reporting program resulted in over 800 investigations of fish and wildlife law violations.

By the end of 1989, Operation Game Thief had received a total of 805 complaints of violations, according to the program coordinator, Warden Sergeant William Allen.

Sgt. Allen said these were primarily the result of anonymous calls to the toll-free poacher hotline (1 -800 ALERf US). He said a total of 137 arrests had been made as of December 31 and other arrests were pending the results of investigations. Charges ranged from illegal possession of big game and night hunting, to littering.

Allen reports that 313 of the complainants had requested the cash rewards offered through the privately funded program. An additional 481 persons who reported violations chose to decline the rewards.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

Allen estimated that total fines for all of the convictions would come to about $70,000 to $90,000 in revenue to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Of the 137 violations for which arrests had been made by the year's end, 79 were for violations which are punishable by fines of $1,000. These included 37 for illegal possession of deer, 14 for night hunting, and 13 for illegal possession of moose.

Of the 805 complaints, the greatest number (229) were for night hunting. Next was illegal hunting of deer (111), followed by illegal possession of deer (54) and exceeding the bag limit of deer (53) .

TOMAH FLOWAGE LEASED

An eastern Maine wetland with remnants of a dam dating back to log-driving days is the focus of a major wildlife habitat restoration initiative.

Resource management rights to the 1880 Tomah Flowage have been conveyed to the department by Georgia-Pacific Corporation in a free, 30-year lease. The flowage is located south of Route 6 in the towns of Dyer, Lambert Lake and Codyville.

The area holds considerable potential for enhancement as wildlife habitat. Among the management options being considered by the department is the feasibility of placing a modem low-head dam at the site of the old log-driving dam.

A new dam would allow the department to manage water levels on the flowage to enhance habitat value for waterfowl such as wood ducks, goldeneyes, hooded mergansers, ringnecks, black ducks, mallards and blue-winged teal. The habitat would also be ideal for moose, beaver, otter and muskrats.

The Tomah Flowage is also recognized as a habi tat for a rare species of mayfly, called Siphonisca aerodromia Needham, and any proposed management actions would include provisions to insure the welfare of this species.

Support for the restoration proposal came from the Princeton Rod and Gun Club, Down East Trappers Association and other local groups. Lease agreement discus-

31

sions between the department and Georgia-Pacific had been on-going since last spring.

Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Bill Vail hailed the new initiative as a positive example of cooperation between sportsmen's groups, the landowner and the department.

REMINDER TO DOG OWNERS

The Warden Service is urging Maine's dog owners to be mindful of the laws requiring them to keep their pets under control.

Chief Game Warden Lany Cummings says the current concern is for the state's deer herd, which which has had a difficult winter without the added problem of domestic dogs chasing and killing them.

"It's been several years since snow conditions have been conducive to serious problems with dogs," says Colonel Cummings. "Because of that, owners may have become less concerned about keeping their dogs under proper restraint, and many new dog owners may not be aware of the problems that dogs roaming at large can cause."

Compounding the concern of game wardens is the development of new residences in rural areas, along with a general increase in the deer population. "More deer, more dogs and a winter with substantial snow - that's potentially a bad combination," Cummings adds.

He says the late winter and early spring period is usually the worst for dog-deer problems. "Deer are in a stressed condition from the long winter, does are pregnant, and dogs have a crust to run on." He says chased deer will often break through the crust, or slip and fall, making them easy prey.

The chief game warden says state law prohibits dogs from being off the premises of the owner and not under control. He adds that uncontrolled dogs often end up in the woods where they may encounter deer and other wildlife, which they often chase and sometimes kill.

The law allows game wardens to kill any dog found harassing wildlife. The owner is also subject to a fine of no less than $500 and no more than $1,000.

32

BAITFISH BOOK Anyone interested raising freshwater baitfish in Maine can learn more about it in a new book available from the department.

Baitfishfor Fun and Profit in Maine is the first publication available with information on baitfish production and marketing in the northeastern United States.

The authors are Frederick W. Kircheis, a department fisheries research biologist, and Catherine A. Elliott, wildlife and fisheries specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service at Orono. The book is illustrated with drawings by Mark Mccollough.

The book is intended to encourage local growing and marketing of bait fish as a means to stem the illegal trade in imported live fish for bait from other states. Imported bait fish present a risk of introduction of diseases and parasites that might be harmful to native Maine fish.

Baitfishfor Fun and Profit in Maine contains information on the laws and licensing of baitfish growers and dealers, biological requirements for culture, holding and transport of live fish, descriptions of common baitfish species, water quality and testing procedures, construction of various facilities and equipment, disease and parasite prevention, marketing and other related topics.

It also provides lists of publications, tips for small business management and record keeping, sources of stocks, supplies and equipment and a glossary of terms commonly used in the business.

Production of the 86-page, softcover book was funded jointly by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service and the federal Sport Fish Restoration Program of Dingell-Johnson, Wallop-Breaux Federal Aid in Fisheries.

Copies are available for $3.00 from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, I & E Division, 284 State Street, Station #41, Augusta, ME 04333.

MOOSE SEASON CHANGED, APPLICATION PERIOD OPEN

Following a 5 to 2 vote of his advisory council, Commissioner Bill Vail has moved Maine's 6-day moose hunting season from mid-October to late September. The 1990 moose hunt will be September 24-29.

The first several moose seasons were in late September, but since 1985 the hunt has been during the third week of October .

The majority opinion of the Advisory Council was that adult male moose are in better condition and provide superior meat when taken early in the "rut," or mating season. Recent moose hunts have occurred when the rut is nearly over, and the meat quality of bulls has been in question. Though cows and young males are legal game, the majority of hunters prefer bulls. . In a related matter, the department is now accepting applications for 1990 moose hunting permits.

One thousand permits will be issued - 900 to Maine residents, 100 to nonresident hunters. Application blanks are available from license agents or from any office of the Fish a:nd Wildlife Department.

The application deadline is April 30.

In 1989, 66,171 Maine residents and 16,653 nonresidents applied for the moose permit drawing- both figures record highs since the limited hunt began in 1980. The one thousand permit holders harvested 922 moose.

Maine Fish and Wildlife - Spring 1990

EAGLE RELEASED AT ORLAND

A six-year-old bald eagle rescued from a nearly-fatal entanglement with monoftlament fishing line has been rehabilitated to the point where it could be returned to freedom in its native Maine.

Wildlife Biologist Charles Todd said the eagle was hatched near Woolwich, and was banded there as an eaglet. Five years later, in spring 1988, the eagle was seen struggling weakly on the ground at Merrymeeting Bay in Dresden.

District Game Warden Brian Worth captured the bird, which was found to have yards of thin monoftlament line wrapped around a wing, and an open festering wound.

The eagle was cared for by Veterinarian Amy Wood of Bath.

Due to the severity of the wound, it was first feared the wing would have to be amputated, but the injury s lowly responded to Dr. Wood's . treatment.

After it was fully healed, the eagle was brought to the Wildlife Veterinary Clinic at the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, at North Grafton, Mass. There, it was kept in a large open flight cage, where it gradually regained its ability to fly.

By early December the bird was considered fit for release to the wild a nd was returned to Maine and released in Orland.

This was the second eagle rehabilitated by Tufts University and released in Maine. Last July another eagle was released by Todd and Stott near Merrymeetlng Bay. It had been found near South Addison in a weakened condition, apparently having suffered a blow to the head, and required three years of rehabilitation at Tufts before it was ready to be returned to the wild.

weather during the December migration period, which may have forced those species to move to states further south.

The total waterfowl count over the areas flown between January 2 and January 5 was 90,240. In 1989 the count was 59,050. The species showing the greatest gains were eider ducks: 58,423, up 87 percent.

Black ducks decreased 17 percent, at 9,825 (11,900 in 1989). Also substantially decreased were Canada geese, which were down 46 percent from 1,106 in 1989 to 598 this winter. Other species whose numbers were down included mallards and mergansers.

The observers noted substantially more ice than normal in protected coves and harbors, particularly in Casco Bay, which may have helped force the dabbling species, which are dependent on shallow marshes, further to the south.

Funded and directed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, winter waterfowl counts are conducted simultaneously each January in all Atlantic Coast states from Maine to Florida. The data gathered is then compiled by the federal agency to obtain an annual population estimate for the Atlantic Flyway. The information is used in establishing hunting seasons and bag limits.

In charge of the Maine segment of the program is Wildlife Biologist Patrick Corr, the Fish and Wildlife Department's leader of waterfowl and game bird programs, assisted by Wildlife Biologist Bradford Allen.

The winter waterfowl count covers segments of the coast, from Kittery to Eastport, including ice-free coves, inlets, estuaries and islands.

WINTER WATERFOWL SURVEY

Department biologists who conducted the annual aerial count of waterfowl wintering along the Maine coast noted a 53 percent total increase over the 1989 survey.

They said the bulk of the gains were among the diving and sea duck populations. Declines observed in the dabbling waterfowl species were attributed to the severely cold

80 Mloot.E STREET* PORTlANO, MAINE 04101-42SO

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Dear Editor: Allow me to compliment you and the staff of MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE magazine. It's an extremely well balanced and professionally presented periodical, and I look foiward to reading it.

I was, however, very disappointed with the feature entitled MBig Bucks, 1988" in the Fall 1989 issue. I quickly scanned your listings and noted a glaring omission. A 275 pound buck of a life-time was shot by my good friend and hunting partner Terry Spear of Stowe, Vermont. It ranked fourth in the Maine Antler and Skull Club official rankings Terry's third such monster Maine buck and his fourth of 200 pounds or better.

Like the others, it was shot in the big woods of Seboomook.

One other point: Whoever put together the formula to determine the estimated live weight of the bucks killed should reevaluate that foqnula. Nearly every big buck killed is now field dressed to a minimum (stomach and intestines only) and in all my years of dressing white-tails I've never seen 90 pounds of this matter! Those numbers are a joke and do nothing to enhance the outstanding experience of hunting in Maine.

- Dell Hill Stowe, Vermont

• Terry Spear's 275-pound buck was not included in the Big Bucks list in the fall issue because Mr. Spear did not enter the animal in the Biggest Bucks in Maine Club, from which our list is compiled.

Anyone who kills a buck weighing 200 pounds or more, field dressed, is eligible to Join that club, which is run by The Maine Sportsman magazine and is the only practical source of informationfor this popular feature - though we know that not all big bucks are entered.

Your comments on theformulafor estimating the live weight of a deer are well taken. For many years, adding 30 percent to the dressed weight (without heart and liver) was the standard way of estimating live weight. It is now recognized that 30 percent gives reasonably accurate results only for fawn deer. For adult bucks, 20 percent is a better figure.

The Biggest Bucks in Maine Club is now using 20 percent, and so wul we.

Sony, but we cannot go along with the idea offield dressing "to a minimum."

Removal of everything in the body cavity and any shot-damaged.flesh is essential to minimiz£ risk of spoilage. Also, deer being weighed for entry in the Biggest Bucks in Maine Club must have liver, heart, lungs and all viscera removed.

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife â&#x20AC;˘ 284 State Street, Sta. #4 t â&#x20AC;˘ Augusta, Maine 04330

One of the signs of spring that we eagerly await is the return of the monarch butterflies! Photo by Lee E. Perry.