PORTLAND (AP) — Fisheries biologists say Maine's wild brook trout are in danger from predatory invasive species.
Brook trout are the top freshwater game fish sought by anglers in Maine, according to the University of Maine School of Economics. But because some fishermen prefer non-native species — including black bass, crappie and northern pike — the state's brook trout populations are in danger of being lost.
Merry Gallagher, the head fisheries researcher with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, tells The Portland Press Herald brook trout can thrive in many habitats, but when a competitor is introduced, they tend to disappear.
The Sportsman's Alliance of Maine has suggested several remedies including a mandatory kill law on invasive fish; tougher penalties introducing invasive species, and better public education on the issue.
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Invasive species
I'm with SAM on this one. Authorities need to hit these people and hit them hard. I realize that pinning responsibility in these cases is difficult, but if one doesn't exist already, IFW should institute a reward program as an incentive for people to report the morons who do this. And force them to pay for the cleanup their idiocy has made necessary.
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