|
205 Church Hill Road, Augusta ME 04330 207-622-5503 |
|
Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine 205 Church Hill Road Augusta, ME 04330 Telephone (207) 622-5503 Email: george@samcef.org
Maine Fishing Initiative Invitation
You are invited to become a partner in an exciting initiative to expand Maine’s economy by restoring great fishing statewide. The work of the Fishing Initiative Committee of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine over the past 12 years has led to this comprehensive proposal, and we hope you will join us to make it happen! Maine anglers demand and deserve better fishing. Over the last two decades many residents and nonresidents have given up fishing in our state. The sale of fishing licenses to residents peaked in 1991, at 203,245, and had dropped to 186,351 by 2006. The story with nonresidents is even worse. Nonresident fishing license sales peaked in 1990 at 310,278, and had dropped to 279,262 by 2006. Using the estimate of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that a nonresident angler spends $500 per trip, the loss of 31,000 nonresident anglers costs Maine’s economy more than $15 million a year. We believe the loss is much greater. States that invest in and manage their fisheries wisely have seen the sales of fishing licenses increase. For example, during a period when Maine’s nonresident fishing license sales decreased by 28 percent, Montana’s nonresident fishing license sales increased by 19%! Every survey SAM has taken has demonstrated why the state is losing anglers. Surveys of SAM members have consistently found 50% or more rated fishing as only fair or poor. When asked what single thing SAM could do for them, many members ask for better fishing. Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife commissioned its own scientific poll in 2001. Dr. Christian Potholm of Command Research found that nearly half of those who fish freshwater reported that the quality of fishing in Maine over the previous five years had declined. Specifically, 47% said fishing had declined, 23 reported that fishing had improved, and 24% felt that fishing had stayed the same. That same year, DIF&W reported that overall revenue was off pace, “largely due to a continued slow down in resident fishing license sales.” They never commissioned another poll. Maine can and must do better. We have waters that match any in this country or Canada in beauty and opportunity. We just don’t have the fishery. But we could. The goals and objectives of this new Maine Fishing Initiative can deliver that fishery. The initiative is inclusive for all anglers and constructed on sound science. We intend to take this initiative directly to the angling community in a major outreach and education project. We will also be more aggressive in bringing these issues to the Maine legislature and the general public. We intend to focus a lot of our effort on informing and activating anglers to build a better fishing future for all of us. For twelve years, SAM’s Fishing Initiative Committee has tried to work closely with DIF&W’s fisheries division with little progress. Bolder changes are needed now. FIC believes this new approach may provide better results. Your help can make it happen! Fishing experiences on beautiful Maine waters ought to be enjoyed by every Mainer. It is our goal to get everyone out there on a lake, pond, river or stream, enjoying their outdoor heritage. Most importantly, we know that better fishing will contribute substantially to Maine’s economy, particularly in rural areas of the state where this is so desperately needed. We hope you agree. Please contact SAM today to join this initiative or receive more information. Thanks! Maine Fishing Initiative
Created and Coordinated by the Fishing Initiative Committee of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
Goals
Restore great fishing statewide Double the sales of fishing licenses Triple the economic contribution of recreational fishing
Objectives
Manage for sustainable fisheries and habitat protection and enhancement
Simplify fishing rules and remove other barriers that keep people from fishing.
Recognize and protect wild and native trout and salmon, managing for sustainable populations and not stocking waters in which they are the principle fishery.
Produce accurate and reliable data, including data on fish stocking and license sales.
Create and implement management plans for every Maine lake, pond and river that includes access and fishery goals.
Make stocking programs efficient and without negative impacts on wild and native species.
Offer year-round open water fishing, following regulations for sustainable fisheries.
Expand and improve ice fishing opportunities.
Manage bass for sustainable populations and big fish using protective regulations, in waters where this will not conflict with preservation and/or enhancement of native and wild salmonids.
Manage landlocked salmon for big fish in all salmon waters.
Actively discourage invasive species and aggressively rid waters of them wherever they negatively impact native species.
Establish legislative and public review of species management plans every 5 years and make revisions as necessary.
Study fishery management programs in other states that are destinations for the nation’s anglers and be open to new and creative ideas that help achieve the goals and objectives of this plan.
Provide appropriate access to all Maine lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, and better information about access to and fisheries in all Maine waters.
Schedule annual conferences of anglers, hosted by angler groups, to work on the implementation of these goals and objectives, gather new ideas, and build a coalition to improve Maine’s fisheries and expand fishing opportunities.
Establish annual reports on the economic contributions of recreational fishing, prepared by a nonpartisan organization.
Establish a credible professional opinion poll annually to measure the satisfaction of Maine’s anglers and gather their opinions on critical fishing issues.
Establish bi-annual public reports on fishing license sales.
Annually evaluate progress on these goals and objectives and issue a report.
Fishing Initiative Committee Members
Vaughn Anthony, Steve Brooke, Tom Carter, Gary Corson, Ed Courtenay, Larry Fiori, Greg Ponte, Dennis Smith, George Smith, Hal Porter, Harry Vanderweide
|