BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 31, 2021
Early springs and late falls are resulting in longer and deeper summers. While salmonids can survey some level of warm water for a period of time, how warm and for how long is the question. And while species can adapt to changes in the environment, it’s a race against time and if things happen too fast, the result is often extirpation. In addition to what is dangerously warm water for salmonids, we are also experiencing summer and fall droughts. Small streams are going intermittently, big rivers are recording record low flows, critically important spawning streams are running low, and lake levels are retreating beyond boat launches and docks. This is bad for fish. At some point in the not-so-distant future, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is going to have to respond to the changes in Maine’s seasons and the new extremes — chronic warm and low water. This will mean looking at temporary fishing closures during high-stress periods. ~ Bob Mallard