Laws and the Atlantic Salmon

[Scalloper]

In relation to the other post about the 25” law on some lakes that require us to release salmon and browns over 25”. I thought I would add if these so called conservation organizations were truly interested in restoring our magnificent wild Atlantic salmon they would drop all bag and size limits on bass in these same waters. Why should we protect predators while wasting millions trying to bring the wild Atlantic salmon back? I drive by the DESF hatchery on the East River boasting about 40  years of conservation. What a dam joke. The salmon numbers have not improved IMO one bit. And the fact they just killed all of this years young is yet another reason to question the massive poor management.

[eiderz]

And the fact they just killed all of this years young is yet another reason to question the massive poor management.

What happened? Are you saying the hatchery had an upset and this years fry/smolt were lost?

[Scalloper]

Yes, they claim disease killed them all. But from my experience disease would kill a high percentage some times but not all. Ether way they have lost all of 2024 stocking par. They were trying to get more eggs in the last I herd.

[eiderz]

Sorry to hear that. They spend a lot of money, the results are marginal without losing an age class. I wonder if the recent dam removals will help.

[9huskies]

Yes, they claim disease killed them all. But from my experience disease would kill a high percentage some times but not all. Ether way they have lost all of 2024 stocking par. They were trying to get more eggs in the last I herd.

Did the disease kill all of them or did the disease kill or sicken some and hatchery personell kill them all to keep the disease out of the watershed?

[Anomaly]

A good friend of mine was involved with ph studies studies in the Machias River watershed. Very acidic attributed to forestry work runoff and blueberry field spraying of insecticides. Anyway. aquatic insects where nearly non-existent due to acid waters. So, they put in tons of clam shell to decrease acidic flows... in less than 6 months, the clams shell had dissolved. The did see a resurgence in aquatic insects and larvae presence. That was a few years ago now. Anyway, Estimates were that ALL THE CLAM SHELL PRODUCED by processors in the entire state of Maine wouldn't be enough to take care of just The Machias River watershed. The biggest issue, my friend said, wasn't the harm to salmon egg survival, though that is an issue, but to the lack a a food source for the fry and par. Deforestation was considered the largest single contributor to runoff resulting in acidity plus the added factor of pesticides runoff.

[Anomaly]

Just thinking a little further.. The past few years we've seen a lot of stripers around Maine's estuaries. Just another factor where smolt need to get by on the way to sea and then to North Atlantic commercial fisheries...

[woodchip]

PH PH PH--- when all the tree cutting and logging continues the Phousfous  running into our lakes and streams will increase, if they had a process of getting the tree tops and branches hauled out to road side and left there in piles to decay. When snow is all around they could burn all those piles and then POT ASH would be left to run into lakes and streams causing P H to rise instead dropping all the crap from DECAYING TOPS.. This would make a healther water shed!!

[Fin Reaper]

     The millions spent on Atlantic Salmon restoration is a joke.  The fish are never go into make a comeback until Canada, Iceland,etc. stop fishing them with mile long nets exhausting the population.
     25" rule is also a joke but is in place because there is NO way to tell an Atlantic Salmon from a Landlocked Salmon.  The Atlantic's generally just grow bigger.  The Atlantic's generally do not feed when in fresh water but can be caught if you piss them off.

Fin

[EmeraldShiner]

     The millions spent on Atlantic Salmon restoration is a joke.  The fish are never go into make a comeback until Canada, Iceland,etc. stop fishing them with mile long nets exhausting the population.
     25" rule is also a joke but is in place because there is NO way to tell an Atlantic Salmon from a Landlocked Salmon.  The Atlantic's generally just grow bigger.  The Atlantic's generally do not feed when in fresh water but can be caught if you piss them off.

Fin
Well I would certainly think MDIFW fish biologists can certainly tell whether or not a true sea run Atlantic Salmon could possibly access an inland fresh water lake through tributaries that connect to the Atlantic Ocean!  So that begs the question of why use such a broad brush approach with 25" length limit on Landlocked Salmon on inland waters in Maine with no possibility of an Atlantic Salmon being caught in the first place?

[Jack978]

The easiest thing to do about any problem is nothing.  The easiest rule to enforce is not to have any rules about anything.  The chances of a massive Atlantic Salmon run in the future is probably not going to happen but a lot of the work that is being done about habitat restoration is benefiting other species.   I remember when the Kenduskeg stream was a toilet.  It stunk and if you fell in your mother would probably have dunked you in bleach.  I was driving by there last spring and saw some guys fishing so stopped to take a look.  I got to see a 10 year old kid catch his first brook trout and he was thrilled by it.  Granted it got there in a truck and was a pale imitation of a wild one but to him it was a milestone. When I was 10 anything you put in that water would probably be dissolved or worse.  Either way the money wasted to make that possible probably could have been spent on something "usefull" but to that young boy it was money well spent.