NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • July 19, 2023
Blueback trout were discovered in Big Reed Pond in the 1950s. Biologists realized they were actually distinct populations of landlocked Arctic charr that had likely been isolated since the glaciers of the last Ice Age retreated. Unfortunately, the bluebacks in Big Reed Pond were soon to face a threat that almost wiped them out: smelt. In 2008 intensive fishing efforts to catch all of the remaining blueback and brook trout began. Any caught in Big Reed were transferred to a special hatchery and used to create a breeding stock to repopulate the pond. Over the course of 3 years, only 12 blueback trout were caught, revealing just how close to being wiped out they were. To make sure the smelt were eradicated, the decision to kill all remaining fish in the lake was made. In 2010, Rotenone was applied to the pond. Then it was time to reintroduce the native fish. The blueback trout numbers had increased to more than 1,000 fish. After a few years of anxious waiting, young blueback were discovered in 2017. The largest pond reclamation project in the state of Maine was deemed a success. ~ Nathaniel Child