PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 3, 2021
Maine’s hatchery system is a huge drain on the state’s fisheries and wildlife management budget, a distraction from wild native fish management, a source of pollution, and one of the primary drivers behind Maine’s nonnative fish introductions. Maine’s trout hatcheries are also a form of forced subsidy, where hunters, warm-water anglers and wild trout anglers who do not utilize the resource are forced to pay for it. And many anglers who do take advantage of this resource consume more money in stocked fish than their license pays for. Stocked fish compete with wild fish for food and space, prey directly on them and can introduce disease, parasites and viruses. Stocked fish can also swamp the genetics of wild fish, and result in the establishment of self-sustaining nonnative fish populations. We need to enhance, preserve and restore Maine’s special place as the last bastion of wild native brook trout, Arctic char and Atlantic salmon in the nation. ~ Tom Johnson, chairman, Maine Chapter of Native Fish Coalition