BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 25, 2023
The law for the taking of state-level endangered species in Maine is pretty clear. If you harvest, possess or harass an endangered redfin pickerel, you are subject to a $1,000 fine that may not be suspended. And according to another webpage, Class E crimes also carry a maximum penalty of up to 180 days in jail. Although there is nothing in the rule book that tells anglers not to harvest redfin pickerel, nor any signs saying where they can be found, the status of redfin pickerel as endangered at the state level is readily available online, as are the rules pertaining to the “take” or “possess.” This is another example of how fish are treated differently than wildlife in Maine. The state has refused to list federally endangered Atlantic salmon at the state level, even though other federally listed species are also listed by the state under both the Maine Endangered Species Act and Maine Marine Endangered Species Act. ~ Bob Mallard