Maine Fish and Game Magazine, Summer 1974 by Maine State Library

MAINE Governor Kenneth M. Curtis

FISH AND GA~E

Department of Inland Fisheries and Game Maynard F. Marsh

Commissioner

I. William Peppard

Deputy Commissioner

Kenneth H. Anderson Stanley P. Linscott

Supt. of Hatcheries Chief Warden

Charles S. Allen Lyndon H. Bond

STATE OF MAINE

Director. Planning and Co-ordination

Vol. XVI, No. 3

Summer, 1974

Chief. Fishery Division

Business Manager

Ralph C. Will Robert W. Boettger

Chief. Game Division

William C. Mincher

Director. Information and Education

Clayton G. Grant Richard B. Parks Lorenzo I. Gaudreau Robert H. Johnson Alfred L. Meister

Acting Chief. Engineering Division Chief. Realty Division

Director. Safety and Snowmobile Registration

Main e Citize ns Realiz e a Need

1974 Deer Seaso ns Se t

Hi s Ma jes ty. th e Moose Tag ue Eggs: Keep Cove red

4 Kenneth W. Hodgdon

9 Roger P. AuClair

Th e Day Moo sehead Turn ed Over 11

Director. Watercraft Registration and Safety

Th e Lonely Yodele r of Main e Lakes 12

Chief Biologist , Atlantic Salmon Commission

???????????????????????? 16

Advisory Council

Frank W. Ande rson v\ '. Thomas Shoener

Main e Ri ve rs: T he Aroostook 18 Peter M. Bourque

Dr. Alonzo H. Garcelon . Chairman Augusta. Maine Glenn H. Manuel

Asa 0. Holmes

Littleton

Belfast

Robert D. Steele Scarborough

Burleigh Richards. Ir. Buxton

Reginald L. Parker

Rodney W . Ross

Bath

Brownville

Maine Fish end Game is published quarterly by the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Game . State Office Bldg .. Augusta. Maine 04330. under appropriation 4223 . No advertising accepted .

William C. Mincher. Editor W. Thomas Shoener. Managing Editor Thomas J. Chamberlain. Features Editor William W . Cross . Photo Editor Thomas L. Carbone. Photographer

Main e's "Black Cat" 23 Dr.

Malco l m W. Coulter

Tagged Atl a nti c Salmon : Wh e re Do They Go? 26 Edwa rd T. Baum Le tt e rs. Notes. Comme nt 28 Vi s it a Wild e rn ess T ro ut Pond 31

THE COVERS Front: Young black bear enjoys a special treat - Maine blueberries! The cub's sweet tooth evidently overcame his fear of Photo Editor Bill Cross. Inside Front: What is there about an old , wooden rowboat that more modern watercraft are lacking? Maybe nostalgia buffs will have some answers. Photo by Bill Cross.

~Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Game. 1974. Written permission must be secured from the Department before reproducing any part of this copyrighted material.

Inside Back: Brief visits to three fly-in ponds in northern Maine yielded enough photos to create this montage, with plenty left over. Read the sad-but-true story beginning on page 31.

Subscription rates : $2.00 for one year. $3 .50 for two years. $4.75 for three years. No stamps. please. Second class postage paid at Augusta, Maine 04330.

Back: The day was clear. the colors vivid. But the subj ect is disgustin g - and it's happening lime and ag ain at Maine's wilderness trout ponds. Photo by Tom Carbone.

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

EDITORIAL

MAINE CITIZENS REALIZE A NEED

T WAS VERY GRATIFY! G lo find ou t Jun e 12 that the citizens of Maine had approved by a two lo one margin th e referendum question on the establishment of the Fisheries a nd Game Acquisition Fund. The $4.000.000 fund will enab le thi s Department lo make H real effort in acq uirin g wildlife habitat in this age when il is beginning lo be "taken ou t of production" by development and other ac tiviti es. In order lo h elp in exp laining the bond issue to the public. and a lso lo gel a head slarl on planning. we formulated some preliminary plans and priorities. Now. we can move a h ead. on behalf of all Maine people. in a program lo reserve some li vin g space for the wildlife that is so much a part of Maine. Com mis sio ner Marsh included th e preceding two paragraphs in his Newsletter for Jun e. and he conc lud ed this way: "Again. our thanks for your support and yo ur voles. We know that the Maine Fish and Game Association. numerous other sportsmen·s clubs. members o f the Legisla ture. the Maine Audubon Society. the Natural Resources Co un cil. the League of Women Voters. co untl ess individuals . our Advisory Council. Maine garden clubs. and other orgc1nizalions worked m:tivel y on behalf of th e b ond issue measure. and the! news med ia devoted space and time lo edilo ri c1ls and explanatory material. W e apprec iat e a ll th ese efforts."

DEER SEASONS SET USING WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT UNITS AKING ANOTHEH STEP in the program to apply th e Wildlife Manag e me nt Uni t id ea lo the establishing of hunting and trapping seasons. the Department has se t the 1974 hunting and trapping seasons in this way . Th e deer seasons were established al a very info rmative mee tin g in Greenville June H: dal es and zon es are shown on the accompanying map. Because the Management Units will b e us ed as th e basis of managing several species . the zo ne line for deer hunting will be approximately but not exa c t/ ~· the same as last year's zone line. A c lose look al the map is advised . Th e hunting and trapping law summary. which went to the printer ju st af ter mid-June . is schedu led to be finished by ]ale August and will ca rry a large map with good. readable type. The Advisory Counci l unanimously recommended the seasons the Commissioner approved. which provide 17 hunting days for the southern zone and 23 days in the northern zone. The seasons start abou t one week later than in 1973 (because Thanksgiving we e k. th e final week . is later). but th e number of hunting days in each zone is only one fewer than last year. The Commissioner and Counc il were somewhat reluctant to have the sou th e rn zone closed on Ve terans Day (Nov. 1'l ). But the hunting pressure on this holiday is so h eavy th at it was judged that an effec tive con serva ti on purpose would b e served by not h aving the sou th ern zone open. The northern zone is not closed Veteran's Day. as hunting pressure in that zone is much less. Al the Greenville meeting. warden supervisors and wildlife biologists presented reports on wintering cond iti ons and so on. In genera l. cond iti ons w e re favorable lo the deer herd statewide . Small gains w ere indicated in recovery from low population levels of a few years ago excep t in northern areas. where recovery is slower. •

Maine Fish and Game -Summer 1974

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Northern zone (Management Units 1 and 2) Firearms season Nov. 5-Nov. 30 Archery season Oct. 1 - Nov. 4 Southern zone (Management Units 3,4,5.6. 7,B ) Nov. 12 - Nov. 30 Firearms season Oct. 1 - Nov. 11 Archery season Season limit on deer : one of either sex. All deer killed must be registered. For archery season : special license required and special registration of deer killed. No Sunday hunting in Maine. Nighttime and Sundays : Closed to hunting of all wild birds and animals (except raccoons , which may be hunted in the nighttime under special regulations).

wo BIG MOOSE paid a visit to Maine's capital city in 1960 and caused quite a stir, complete with newspaper headlines. A huge bull moose took a stroll in the town of Gorham in 1958 and gave a good account of himself before the cameras, to the delight of local citizens. What is there about this majestic animal that fascinates the lowly human? Perhaps these giants of the forest give man the humble feeling he needs now and then to think temporarily beyond his artificial world of brick and steel. Moose are important to the people of Maine and the nation. The Pine Tree State is one of only six states having sizeable populations of moose. The others are Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming. Montana, and Minnesota. That leaves Maine the only eastern state with a good sized moose herd. Several Canadian provinces have good numbers of moose, including our next-door neighbor, New Brunswick. The large size of adult moose makes sportsmen and naturalists marvel at these animals. Among information taken on moose during studies made by the Game Division are measurements of height at the shoulders. Seventy-nine inches is the current Maine record. Estimates of weight run as high as 1,000 pounds for adult bulls in Maine. This is well within reason, as some actual weights have been taken in other sections of the country even exceeding 1,000 pounds. One weight of 1,123 pounds, dressed (estimated live weight of more than 1,400 pounds), is recorded in E.T. Seton's Lives of Game Animals; this moose was taken in September, 1892, near "Penadomcook" (Millinocket area), Maine.

HE ANTLERS of the bulls are also a source of amazement to most people. It is difficult to realize that such large, majestic antlers are dropped each year, usually in February, and new ones grown. The new ones start to grow about April "when the sap flows in the trees." They are covered with a sensitive "velvet" which is full of small blood vessels during the entire growth period. In September, the velvet is rubbed off. For the most part, these dropped antlers are eaten by rodents such as mice, squirrels, porcupines, etc., apparently for the calcium in them, so very few are found in the woods.

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Occasionally, freak antlers are found on bull moose. Usually this is tied in with some sort of malnutrition, or damage when the antlers are "in the velvet," and results in the antlers being short, rough, and clubshaped. They are not necessarily all alike, but the general condition is similar. While cow moose with antlers have occurred elsewhere, there is no record of any in Maine. Records of large bulls usually include the measurement of the "spread", or greatest distance from the outside of one antler to the outside of the other. The Alaskan moose, a larger subspecies than ours, has the world record spread of 84 inches. In New Brunswick, Canada, a spread of 72 inches is recorded by Seton for a bull moose shot in 1917 (their subspecies is the same as ours). One large Maine bull moose had a spread of 64 1/i inches , a record for Maine to date . In hair color, moose change from a reddish brown as a calf (no spots) to a dull black over most of the body as an adult. Because moose have light colored hair on the lower part of each leg, they appear to be wearing light-colored stockings. The hair is shed about May. usually beginning at the shoulders, and is accomplished, as by other animals, so that there are no hairless areas at any time. Another fascinating thing about the moose is the "bell," which is formed on both bulls and cows. hanging directly behind the lower jaw. The bell consists of a fleshy sac with hair growing all around it, and has no bone or cartilage. To the best of our knowledge, there is no function performed by the bell - it's Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

By Kenneth W. Hodgdon"'

just there. According to Seton, a big bull moose shot at Chesuncook Lake, Maine in 1897 by Charles H. Stonebridge, had a bell 20 inches long, of which the hair was about four inches long. The teeth of a moose are much like those of a deer, but much larger. There are no front teeth (incisors) in the upper jaw. As in a deer, the milk teeth, temporary front teeth in the lower jaw of the moose, erupt at certain times in the early life. By examining these teeth, it is possible to determine the age of a calf moose to the month. The premolar and molar teeth later become evident at various stages in the life of the moose. The wear on the premolars and molars is about the same as with deer. On that basis, we can estimate how old a moose is after it reaches two years of age. The age of a moose cannot be determined accurately by the antlers. HE cow MOOSE usually carries her young for about eight months, so the young are born in May and June in Maine. An adult cow moose in Maine may have one, two, or no young during any one year. The average number of young per year has not been determined for Maine, but it is known to be quite low, as it is elsewhere. Peterson, in North American Moose. states that available records (primarily in Canada) indicate that normally less than half the adult cow moose (two years or older) produce calves each year. The fall season, particularly September and October, is the mating time for these animals; during that period , bull moose are more likely to be belligerent. Normally,

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

moose will retreat from human beings and even during the mating season will do so except on rare occasions. While moose often stay in a relatively small area during the winter, they are not necessarily confined there. Because they have such long legs, they can walk through most of the snow that we get in this state . Ordinarily. snow does not crust hard enough to allow moose to walk on top. and when it crus ts in any other manner. it makes travel dif~icult for them. Although moose compete with deer to some degree for food. it is not too serio us a problem since moose usually live in somewhat different areas than deer. Also, moose, being such tall anima ls and having the ability to stand on their long hind legs if necessary, can reach seemingly impossible heights to ge t food. By stripping it with their lower teeth, moose will also eat the bark of trees, especially the bark of mountain ash, striped maple (also known as moosewood), red maple, mountain maple, and even rock (sugar) maple. Moose have the abi lity to "ride down " small trees to obtain food when necessary and will take limbs to a larger diameter th an deer will. Winter foods often include a large percentage of balsam fir, sometimes eaten from lower limbs of larger trees but more often from the tops of small trees growing in thickets. The top of Turner Mountain (beside Mt. Katahdin) has lon g been a w inter feeding area for moose. During the summer months, moose are often found in or about marshes, beaver ponds, and other small ponds where they can eat aquatic plants. One of the more important foods is the pond lily. Also, during the time of year when flies are particularly bad, moose will go into the ponds to get away from these pests. Studies of Maine moose, particularly in regard to food consumption , were made by the Maine Co-operative Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Maine in 1938-39. Findings to date show that moose use a relatively small area for their annual range. Moose that were monitored covered an area ranging from a minimum radi us of three miles to a maximum radius of six miles. Plots of animals that were recorded during the rutting

"'Ken Hodgdon was chief of the Game Division at the time of his death in August of 1968. This article, which originally appeared in the Spring 1961 MAINE FISH AND GAME, has been revised and up-dated for publication in this issue. 5

season indicated that the frequency of movement increases, but the animals don 't move out of their summer range. Once the moose go into their wintering yards, their average movement is extremely limited. The limit of activity seems to be a self-imposed one as moose stay pretty much in one area even when the snow is not deep enough to restrict movement. In a sample of 62 observations, it was found that moose activity ranged from a diameter of 500 feet to 1500 feet and averaged 1,065 feet. This feature of staying tightly yarded is an important factor in our work of censusing moose. HE FIRST CLOSED SEASON on moose was in 1830. They could be taken in September, October. November, and December, and in unlimited number. At that time also, we had our first wardens who were known as "moose wardens. " The open season was lengthened in 1840 to include the period from November 1 to June 30. This was changed again in 1848 to include the period from July 1 to February 28. The season generally became more restrictive , and in 1889, only one bull per hunter was allowed. At that time. the open season was October. November, and December. The last open season was 1935 in the counties of Knox, Lincoln. and Waldo on November 28 . 29 , and 30. during which time each hunter was allowed to kill one bull.

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Before that, there were periods from 1875 to 1880. 1915 to 1919. 1921 until 1927, then again in 1928, and from 1930 to 1934 when there was no open season on moose in Maine. Maine's moose population has been growing at an increasing rate. An aerial census conducted during 1970 and 1971 set the total population of the state at more than 13,000, and projected totals to date would indicate a population of approximately 15,000. The aerial method has been utilized more and more in conjunction with "moose collars " - radio transmitters implanted in a weatherproof collar and affixed by various methods around the moose 's neck to determine the range and seasonal movements of Maine's moose population . Visual collars - which have no transmitter, but are easily seen from some distance away - are also utilized as a method of tracking moose.

Maine is at the southern limit of the range of the moose: because of this , the moose population is subject to greater fluctuation, from several causes, than it would be farther north . While moose occur almost everywhere in Maine. including York County, they are more abundant in the area north of Bangor. It has been mentioned that moose reproduce slowly. Certain factors seem to prevent the population from building up as fast as it might under ideal conditions . In 1970 and 1971 , moose mortality studies showed illegal hunting as the major limiting factor in population growth, although the population continues to climb. In 1970, a total of 216 moose mortalities were surveyed, broken down as follows: illegal hunting , 96 : car or truck, 65: unknown , 30: miscellaneous, 15; and train , 10. The figures for 1971 show that. of the 205 moose deaths surveyed, 95 resulted from illegal hunting: 57 were killed by cars or trucks; 23 were listed as miscellaneous: 18 were listed as unknown causes ; and 12 were struck by trains.

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

It is apparently a temptation for some people to shoot a moose if they see one in the woods. This kind of hunter is not welcome in Maine, and wardens are inclined to deal harshly with them. by Maine Fish and Game S Department biologists in co-operation with animal pathology personnel at the University of Maine have EVERAL YEARS OF RESEARCH

rows into the brain, causing hemorrhage and damage to the sections of the brain which it penetrates. An infected animal seems to lose all fear of man and ventures into open and often populated areas. Blindness, circling, and unsteady gait all are symptoms. Some exhibit outward aggression, while others become docile.

verified the theory that a parasitic worm prevalent in white-tailed deer in Maine is the cause of "moose disease" - a neurological affliction which has been noted in moose for some time. Pare/aphostrongy/us tenuis, commonly known as meningeal worm, causes a variety of external symptoms in moose, but signs of the disease in deer are rare. As the common name implies, the parasite locates in the brain cavity of the afflicted animal. In affected moose, the worm bur-

" Moose collars " such as the one worn by this animal , have been a great aid to biologists seeking to determine the home range of Maine 's moose population .

Research is continuing to determine more about the distribution and prevalence of the parasite in the deer and moose herds throughout Maine. Moose found exhibiting symptoms of the disease are transported to the University of Maine for study.

A sick moose usually shows no fear of man , and not much interest in anything else. One ear often droops, and the animal may be blind on that side.

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

The most common external moose parasites are ticks. which may occur in such numbers that large hairless areas of black skin become apparent on the moose. The ti c ks. although small when they start to suck blood from th e animal. engorge themselves until they are nea rly the size of a thumb nail. Ticks by themselves are not considered to be fatal to the moose. However. il is possible that they may contribute to the death of a moose which has some other sickness or deficiency. The moose is a considerable attraction for tourists and naturalists in the stale and so has a considerable aesthetic value. In addition. th e census figures show an increase from B.800 moose in 1966 lo more than 13,000 in 1971. indic a ting that it would be possible lo have a limited hunting season in the northern portions of the state. At the present time. Montana. Wyoming, Idaho, and New Brunswick are having successful limited moose sea-

sons with even smaller populations of moose than exist here in Maine. These stales, by controlling the moose kill. seem to be providing another big-game season without endangering the populations. On the other side of the ledger, a moose is a dangerous thing on any road. especially a high-speed highway. They are not afraid to the point of darting away from cars as deer do . Instead, they amble off or sometimes don't move. Consequently. accidents have occurred involving moose in which humans have lost their lives. Such accidents do not take place often. and in places where they seem more likely to occur. signs have been erected to caution drivers. All in all. the moose is a very striking animal which we are fortunate to have in the State of Maine. Interested persons may obtain more detailed information by reading Lives of Game Animals, by Ernest Thompson Seton. 1937; and North American Moose. by Randolph L. Peters n, 1955. â&#x20AC;˘ 8

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

East Outlet dam at Moose head Lake, one of the lakes where managed water levels will benefit the natural togue popu lation .

some of our lakes the Grand the deeper lakes in the Allagash and St. John river drainages - were mainly togue and brook trout waters . Many of these had large populations of togue maintained by natural reproduction. Today, we face problems with natural reproduction in many togue lakes . It is quite likely that most problems related to natural reproduction are caused by man 's use of these lakes for water storage. Most of the waters have had dams built at their outlets lo store several additional feet of water. This water is retained during periods of heavy runoff. usually during the snow melt, and is released whenever it is needed. In early times, most dams in central and northern Maine were used only for log driving. The water was usually released in early summer, and the gates were left open until the following spring. Today, most of the stored water is used for power generation and is released gradually through summer, fall, and winter. Moosehead Lake. for example, has had approximately seven feet added to its natural level. This is not an unusually high dam, of course, but before construction of the dam, the water level of the lake probably did not fluctuate more than a foot or so. When the water level was raised, it eroded millions of cubic yards of soil which was re-distributed by wave action and currents until a new equilibrium was established. It is difficult to ascertain if the new shoreline is as good for togue spawning as the old areas, or if silt deposits have had some permanent detrimental effect on old spawning areas . T ONE TIME.

like Moosehead, A lakes , Schoodic , and

Togue eggs don't live out of water. Careful management of lake levels helps assure that they will hatch. HE ID EAL TOGUE LAKE is more than several hundred acres in area with at least half of its area 50 to 100 feet deep. The bottom is irregular, and the water is clear and cool. This ideal lake has a natural outlet, and much of the shoreline has stabilized to clean, stony rubble , some of which extends out to depths of 10 or 20 feet. Tague (lake trout) spawn over rocky, windswept or currentswept areas at depths ranging from a few inches to more than 200 feet. The female drops a portion of her eggs over the rocks and crevices, and one or more males immediately fertilizes them . In the better spawning areas, there are many loose rocks, which allow most of the eggs to fall into narrow spaces between them, where they are reasonably safe from predators. Sometimes, other fish and some amphibians attracted

Maine Fish and Game -Summer 1974

ByRogerP. AuClair Fishery Biologist

to the spawning site eat many or all eggs that may be exposed. Unlike salmon and brook trout, togue do not dig egg pits to deposit their egg s. In Maine waters, togue spawn around mid-October when the water temperature is in the low fifties. Tague eggs require oxygen for satisfactory development, so the spawning area must remain clean from silt until hatching time in late March. The young fry leave the spawning site soon after hatching , and are usually gone before mid-April. A summary of the requirements for successful togue reproduction includes : 1. Cold , windy weather to reduce lake temperature to about 55Â° F. 2. A windswept area having a bottom with various-sized loose rocks and rubble containing many cracks and crevices that will shelter and protect eggs for about five months. 3. When spawning occurs in shallow water, it follows that the eggs must remain covered with water throughout the incubation period.

Log drives down the inlets to togue lakes have also caused sediment deposits that may have changed some of the traditional tog ue spawni ng areas. One thing we do know is that most fi sh eggs cannot survive out of water or w hen exposed to hard freezing and possible grinding action by ice. With a knowledge of the tog ue spawning season, the Maine Fis h and Game Departm ent has ent ered into ag reement s with parti es owning water rights on some of our togue lakes. These ag reements provide fo r th e wa ter to be drawn to its mi nimum level by earl y Oc tober, or about 10 days before th e known ave rage spawni ng date (t hi s wo uld mean October 5 w here tog ue spawn around the middle of Oc tober ). Aft er thi s date and through spawning, the lake level is held reason ably constant.

The 10-day period allows some leeway on the spawning date and time fo r wave acti on from fa ll winds to wash aw ay some of the fine silt tha t may have settl ed on spawning areas. On many lakes , thi s effect can be seen as a muddy band aro und the shoreline w hen th e lake level has been lowered and the shores was hed by heavy wave ac ti on. When heavy runoff occ urs aft er spawning and causes the reservo ir to fill above the October 5 level, drawdown to bu t not lo wer than the October 5 level is permissible.

, AT ATER LEVEL FLUCTUATI ONS may V V also ca use additional biological problems. We presently need more in formation concerning the homing instinct in tog ue, incl uding answers to such qu es ti ons as : "Do tog ue tend to spawn at th e

same approximate dept h regardless of the water level, or do th ey tend to spawn on the same rocky area regardless of the water level?" Another is: "Where we have annual flu ctuations of water levels on important tog ue lakes, sho uld we try to establi sh a race of deepspaw ning fi sh. or should we continue to maintain the proper water levels fo r existi ng populatio ns to reproduce naturally?" Obvio usly it is important and hig hly desirable that our tog ue lakes produce natural populations. Al though it is possible to provide some tog ue fis hi ng by stocking hatchery-reared fis h, such fish are expensive to raise. Consequently. they should be used only in sit uations where spawning areas are li mi ted or w here other tec hni ques such as water level management are impossible. â&#x20AC;˘

ecologogriphs .... .. .. ....... .......... ... .... .... ... ........ ..... .. ... .. test your outdoor knowledge ACROSS

1. A couple of ducks. 6. Part of a tree . 9. Petroleum Eng ineer (abbrev.). 11 . Wild asses of central Asia. 13. Ascends for food , as a fish. 15. Small tooth on bird 's beak used in breaki ng out of egg . 17. A hole in a boat might do this. 18. Membership fees . 19. To whiten , as a plant kept from sunlight. 21 . Fish that mates in the Sargasso Sea. 23. A whirlpool. 24. Mister. (abbrev .). 25. Opposite compass points. 26. Our only big , round-headed brown ish owl without ear tufts. 28. Field Office (abbrev. ). 29 . Small , long, narrow, pointed boat. 30. Bass, trout, crappie, etc .. 32. Fish with flattened body and no anal fins. 33 . Rock co ntain ing metal. 35. The Great Bear constel lation: ___ Major. 37. To the left of a boat (2 words). 40. The sting of an insect. 42. Sm all, secluded valleys. 45. The anaconda or python . 46. A beehive made of straw. 48. Large Am erican moths with eyelike spots on hind wings. 50. Th ird largest land animal.

53. Iron (chem . sym. ). 54. First or highest class: _- _ _ _ 55. Initials of common names of : Salm o salar; Totanus flavipes. 56. One of the senses. DOWN

2. A fierce elephant separated from the herd. 3. A butterfly fish . 4. Cougar, lynx, and pan ther. 5. Self. 6. Trash droppers. 7. Agricultural Research (abbrev.). 8. A young mare . 9. Moss that is largel y composed of peat (2 words ). 10. A ridge of glacial gravel. 12. Fish eggs. 14. Ocean . 15. Parad ise . 16. Skin of an animal. 20. Not even . 22. To fo rbid or prohibit. 26. A marshy in let or outlet of a lake. 27 . Underground portion of a plant. 28. Cone-bearing everg reen tree. 29. The master of a vessel. 30. Driving less conserves this commodity. 31 . An exclamation . 34. Our only male duck white abo ve and black below. 36 . A zodiacal constellati on.

38 . Initials of common nam es of: Procyonidae; Sciuridae. 39 . A railroad stati on. 41 . Th is male salmon turns red during spawning . 43 . Island east of mouth of Hudson River. (abbrev.). 44 . Th e- - -shell ed clam. 46. Soil Conse rvati on Serv ice (abbrev .). 47 . A low coral island along a coast. 49. Observe. 51 . Direction. 52. A continent (abbrev.). 57 . Compass point

ANSWER ON PAGE 29

ÂŠ Doup,

Jac k son

Maine Fish and Game - Summer 1974

Farm Island. Moosehead Lake

By Frank Whitehouse Anderson HE HEAT had been blistering all New England for three days running in late July , 1949. On the 31st, with an official temperature reading of 99° at Bangor, there was a steady influx of motorists to Moosehead Lake, Maine's largest inland body of water, forty mile s long and fifteen miles across at its widest poi nt. The visitors sought relief from the heat on the lake·s sprawling expanse, and in the cooling shadows of its surrounding peaks. Yet nowhere on the lake was there much escape. The occupants of the hundred or so boats scattered over the water rode a surface that was like black glass ... not a ripple, not a breath of wind. Then, suddenly. Old Dame Nature yawned and stretched. Earl Holt and Harvard Linscott of Ellsworth, fishing off Farm Island , one of the many islands dotting the inland sea, were eye witnesses to the phenomenon which occurred when the Mighty Moosehead decided to "t urn over." Linscott gives the following account: "As the day wore on, the heat became stifling. We hadn't landed a fish, nor had we had a strike. I was about to ask my compa~ion, who was running the motor at slow trolling speed, to open it up in hope of creating a breeze , when I noticed the black surface of the water had changed to a rusty tint. It was three o'clock, and at that time we were about a mile out from Farm Island. Suddenly, a low, moaning sound came to my ears. There wasn't a breath of wind; yet, down the lake, I saw monstrous waves rushing toward us. ''We ripped the motor wide open and ran for a small beach on the island, but the first wave rolled under us when we were still about one hundred yards from shore. We went up and up on its giant crest, hung there for a few seconds, then slid down into its trough with breathtaking speed. A second wave rolled under us, then swept us along to hit the beach in a rush of blinding foam. The impact threw us from the boat. Dazed and bruised, we managed to scramble out and salvage our boat and most of our gear. Watching our chances, we dragged the boat beyond the reach of successive walls of water, and waited for the waves to subside.

The author, from Ellsworth, Is a State Senator and Is Chairman of the legislative Committee on Fisheries and Wildlife.

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

"It was nine o'clock, six hours after the first wave, before the lake flattened out and we could shove off for the mainland. Many other boats were just getting in when we tied up at the dock at Rockwood. Even local residents, who had seen the phenomenon before, had been awed by the unusual violence and length · of this particular disturbance."

HE FORCE BEHIND this prank of nature is primarily a matter of weight and tempe.rature. In the deeper lakes, water separates into layers of varying temperatures during the summer. This layering is known to biologists as 1hermal stratification. If a vertical series of temperature readings is taken at regular intervals from surface to bottom just before the ice cover goes off, it will be found that the temperature of the water just under the ice is very near the freezing point and that at successive depths it is gradually and very slightly warmer. At this time , bottom-water temperatures differ somewhat in different lakes, but they tend to be near the temperature at which water is at its maximum density: 39° Fahrenheit. This condition is one in which the colder but lighter (less dense ) water is on top of warmer but heavier water at the bottom. With the coming of spring and its gradually rising air temperatures, the ice begins to disappear, and the surface water rises in temperature. When the surface water rises to 39°, or thereabouts, heavier water is on top of the lighter water immediately below. The heavier water tends to sink through the lighter, with the mixing often being aided by spring winds. In this process, the underlying colder but lighter water tends to rise to the surface where it, in turn , is warmeq up to a temperature of 39° and then sinks if there still remains any colder but lighter water below. This continues until the whole lake becomes of the same temperature and density throughout , from surface to bottom. Being now of the same density throughout, the whole lake, under the influence of spring winds , will circulate or mix from surface to bottom , producing the phenomenon known as "spring overturn" or the spring circulation. Thermal resistance is at a minimum and relatively light winds may cause complete circulation.

continued on page 31

Common loon on nest.

The Lonely Yodeler or ~aine Lakes By Tom Shoener

HANCES ARE GOOD that anyone who has ever fished or camped at a Maine lake can recognize a loon, at least by sound, if not by sight. These large, water birds are so distinctive that they would be im-

C 12

possible to ignore. mistake, or , forget. But aside from their striking black and white coloration, their prolonged underwater swimming ability, their curiosity, and their wild cry, how much do you really know about loons? Did you know that in Maine we have two species of loons? The red-throated loon is mainly a coastal bird and is rarely seen except on spring and fall mi-

gration. The common loon, sometimes called "the great northern diver, " is the one we see on Jakes and larger ponds from earl y spring through fall. Although th e co mmon loon is larger than the red-throated loon and is colored differently, much of what may be said about one species is also true of the other. Loons are long-bodied birds with short tails, thick necks, and strong, dagger-like bills. They swim lower Maine Fish and Game - Summer 197 4

in the water than ducks and geese, more resembling grebes, although grebes are smaller and have thinner necks. Loons are somewhat primitive birds that show no close affinities to any other bird orders. They are among the very few birds whose bones are solid and heavy. Their specific gravity is close to that of water, and they have the ability to expel enough air from their bodies and from under their feathers to be able to sink slowly and quietly beneath the water surface. The common loon is a large bird, about the size of a goose. An adult in breeding plumage in the spring bears white marks arranged in regular lines across its black back and wings. Its head and neck are a glossy purple-black. The bird sports a white "necklace," and its upper throat bears a thin line of white spots. The loon's eyes are red, and its three-inch bill is black. The breast and underparts are white. Both the male and female are similarly marked. Adult common loons lose their breeding plumage in late summer, becoming dull gray-brown with a dingy white throat. Even their eyes change color, from red to brown. Loons' legs are placed far back on their bodies, and they are the only birds whose legs are encased in the body down to the ankle joint. As a result of this peculiar leg arrangement, loons can scarcely walk on land. The best they can do is waddle awkwardly in an almost upright position or push themselves along on their breasts and flopping wings. Loons have one of the smallest wing areas of all birds in proportion to the weight of their bodies. With such small wings. they cannot fly from land at all, and they require a long, splashing run across the water before they can finally rise into the air. Once airborne , however, their flight is strong, swift, straight, and long sustained. In flight, loons appear hump-backed Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

and pointed at each end. The head and neck are carried below the level of the back, and the large feet trail slightly downward. Almost as much water runway is required for a loon landing as for takeoff. Somewhat less than graceful. the landing can perhaps best be described as a controlled crash. The loon, unable to check its momentum with its small wings, flies closer and closer to the water until it finally splashes in, breast first, plowing a long, watery furrow. What loons lack as walkers and fliers they more than make up for by their abilities in the water. They are rapid swimmers, using powerful thrusts of their large, webbed feet. As divers, they are probably unequalled. The birds plunge forward with arched necks to dive quickly and gracefully beneath the surface, creating hardly a ripple. They can remain underwater for lengthy periods, dive to great depths, and travel long distances submerged. Normal feeding dives are less than one minute long, but escape dives of two to three minutes are not uncommon . Some dives of eight to 10 and even 15 minutes have been reported, but these times are almost impossible to authenticate because of the loon's ability to take a brief breathing spell unobserved, by swimming with only its bill protruding above the water surface. Loons have been caught in fish nets 60 feet beneath the surface, and dives to depths of more than 200 feet have been reported . Loons feed largely on fish . supplemented occasionally with such animal life as frogs . leeches. insects , and shellfish. Fishermen are sometimes apt to blame loons for a luckless day on a trout pond. Although it is a fact that they dine on desirable game fish as well as other species . it is unlikely that the fish population in any pond large enough to accommodate a pair of loons could be seriously depleted by them . It's also unfair to blame loons for competing with us for a

meal of trout. They have a right to live, too, and they're an important part of the total atmosphere of a wilderness pond. mainly on salt water, south as far as Florida and the Gulf Coast. They are not uncommon along the Maine coast in the wintertime. but because their winter plumage is so different from their summer coloration, they might not be recognized as loons. The breeding range of the loon is in Canada and the northern states. In the spring, they migrate through Maine just behind the melting ice. Those that remain to nest here select lakes and larger ponds throughout the state except close to the coast and in extreme southwestern Maine where they are less common as nesters. Nesting loons prefer solitude , and some former nesting lakes have been abandoned as too many motorboats, cottages, and people came on the scene. Not only do loons prefer absence of human intruders on their nesting territory, they also don't like other loons there. Ponds and small lakes never hold more than one pair of breeding birds. Larger lakes may have several pairs but always at some distance from one another. Loons are paired when they arrive at their chosen nesting lake. and it is believed that they mate for life. Nesting normally starts in late May and early June in Maine. The nest itself is usually made of aquatic vegetation and is often located on the end of a point that juts into a lake or on an island . a muskrat house, or on a floating mat of vegetation. Nests average about three inches deep , with an inside diameter of a little more than one foot and an outside diameter of about two feet. They are always built within a few feet of the water so that the birds can slip out of the nest and directly into the water. The same nest sites are used year after year. OONS SPEND THE WINTER

Loon chicks leave the nest within minutes of hatching and can swim immediately.

Loons typically lay one clutch of two eggs each breeding season. Occasionally. only one egg is laid, and rarely there are three. They are about three and one-half inches long. Coloration varies from dark olive-green to brown. with a sprinkling of small, dark spots . Both prospective parent loons take turns sitting on the eggs through the 29 to 30 day incubation period. They are rather easily frightened from the nest early in incubation, but as hatching time nears. they become more reluctant to leave. The parents almost never leave their eggs alone voluntarily. Loon chicks are covered with thick, brown-black down. They leave the nest within minutes of hatching and can swim at once. During their first few weeks. th e young frequently ride on th e parents' backs among the feath ers. For a month to six weeks. the adult loons and their offspring stay in the vicinity of the nest, gradually increasing their cruising radius as the chicks' swimming and diving abilities improve. The baby loons eat regurgitated food . minnows, crustaceans , and bits of vegetation, supplied by the parents. Some observers report that although both parents gather the food, only one does the actual feeding of the young. The chicks learn to dive and catch fish while still quite young, but it is usually about six weeks before they are able to catch most of their own food. Young loons grow rapidly, lose their down, and acquire gray feathers . By late September, they can fly and are almost as large as th eir parents. The family groups usually begin breaking up once the ~Âˇoung have learned to fly. Fall 14

migration occurs in October and November, with the young birds usually preceding the adults by several weeks. The immature birds do not migrate back to nesting areas in the spring. Maturity and adult coloration are not attained until their third year, and until then the immature birds congregate in the summer on coastal waters.

T DONS

ARE PROBABLY KNOWN BEST

by their calls, which are loud, varied, and - for the uninitiated camper spending his first night on the shore of a wilderness lake rather frightening. They seem to have an uncanny ability to do most of their calling at times when its effect is most dramatic - in the stillness of the night and predawn and during the period when all else in nature is quiet before an approaching storm . Loon calls have been variously described as wild, crazy, eerie , uninhibited, cacophonous, weird,

maniacal. screaming, laughing, wolf-like, and mournful. Regardless of how you describe the sound, you'll probably agree with the author who long ago asked, "Who has ever paddled a canoe, or cast a fly, or pitched a tent in the north woods and has not stopped to listen to this wail of the wilderness? And what would the wilderness be without it?" Although there are a great numer and variety of loon calls. four basic types of calls have been described: (1) the "tremolo.ÂˇÂˇ (2) the "yodel, " (3) the "wail," and (4) the "talking calls ." The following information on loon calls is condensed from a study entitled The Common Loon in Minnesota by Sigurd T. Olson and Dr. William H. Marshall, published by the University of Minnesota . The tremolo is the best known loon call. Fundamentally. it consists of from three to eight or ten notes uttered rapidly, either as a medium or high-pitched tremolo, Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

depending upon the individual loon and purpose of the call. The tremolo call is given under varying circumstances and may be regarded as an all-purpose call, registering alarm, annoyance, worry, greeting. and courtship. The yodel call in many respects is similar to the yodel effected by the human voice. The call and its infinite variations have a definite throaty quality. This is the weirdest and wildest call of all and has been described as beautiful and thrilling, and also as maniacal and bloodcurdling. The yodel is most typically heard at dusk, during the night, and in the early morning, as an integral part of choruses. Often it is given alone and seems to stimulate the tremolo call. later followed by similar yodeling. Loons flying at dusk and at night are prone to break out with a wild series of yodels, swinging in wide circles, calling repeatedly, inciting other loons on the lakes to further calling. The final result is a pandemonium of sound, coming from miles around. This may die gradually, or it may stop abruptly as though by a signal. which makes it all the more impressive. The third basic call, the wail, is often mistaken by the inexperienced for the howl of a wolf. This call is given with the bill almost closed, the throat swelling considerably as the sound is seemingly forced out of a nearly closed bill. It often prefixes the yodel as well as the tremolo. It is often used as a summons to the mate or young. The talking calls are simple, often one-syllabled notes, used as communicative utterances between mates or members of a flock. They are never given in excitement or as part of courtship display. The "hoot" is the most common of these calls. It consists of short, abrupt, medium-pitched, one-syllabled notes uttered at irregular intervals of from three to ten seconds. A second talking call is the "kuk" call uttered during flight. Other, Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

barely audible, sounds are exchanged between a pair of loons.

NE DOES NOT observe loons very long before becoming fascinated with their behavior patterns. Some of their more dramatic displays are associated with courtship, protection of young, and defense of territory. Courtship displays are often characterized by such activities as bill dipping, head flips, quick dives, exaggerated preening and stretching. and long footraces across the water, usually accompanied by repeated high tremolo calls. One such race, after but a moment's rest, is followed by another and then another, over and over again. Footracing is also a favorite activity of parent loons and their young. Loon parents are very devoted to their offspring, and they employ several tactics for protecting them from intruders. A favorite is the decoy act in which one parent calls loudly and makes itself as conspicuous as possible to the intruder while the other parent tries to sneak from the area without being observed. It is in defense of their territory that loons put on their most spectacular performances. When territory defense is heightened by protection of eggs or young, these frenzied displays sometimes border on violence. Daily flocking is another interesting trait of loon behavior. Early in the summer, birds believed to be unsuccessful breeding pairs, nonbreeding pairs, and unmated birds begin to associate in flocks which build up through the day, reaching peak size by mid-afternoon - sometimes 20 or more birds on larger lakes. These flocks begin disintegrating late in the afternoon, and by late evening the individuals are completely dispersed. The purpose of flocking is unknown although some observers suspect that it may be nothing more than a gathering at good fishing grounds.

In a clean and undisturbed environment, individuals have been known to survive for 20 to 25 years. Enter man: Oil on coastal wintering areas ... pollution in lakes .. .insecticides in the food chain ... shooting ... harassment by boaters ... destruction of nesting sites ... fluctuating water levels during the nesting season ... all are either known or strongly suspect factors that shorten individual loon lives, limit loon populations, or restrict their range. Despite these problems, loons are certainly not facing extinction. Some of their present difficulties should diminish in importance in the future as new environmental protection laws begin to show their value. The various pollution and pesticide laws, and shoreline and marshland protection efforts, will benefit loons and man alike. Loons have been protected from shooting for some time by both federal and state laws, and there is really no excuse for "mistaken identity" shooting during the waterfowl hunting season. Boaters can help loons by steering clear of nesting areas during the early summer breeding season. One of the biggest threats to loons in the future will be the continued nibbling away of the private nesting places that they require. As lakes are developed, and humans in increasing numbers make their presence felt, the breeding range of loons in Maine can be expected inevitably to shrink. Fortunately, Maine still has hundreds of lakes and ponds where man's impact is not yet too severe, and the wild enchanting beauty of the loon and its call continues to be an inseparable part of the adventure of fishing and camping on lonely lakes. â&#x20AC;˘

OONS ARE LONG-LIVED.

DID YOU KtlOI. ..

WENEE Our children's pages still don't have a name!! Since our last issue, when we announced our "Name The Pages" Contest, we have received a few suggestions from you - but not quite enough to make a choice yet. A reader from southern Maine, whose initials are K. D.. sent in a good name, and said she was going to give the subsc1'°ption to her father if she

Th at caribo u have ho llo w hair, whi c h allows the m to fl oat high in th e wate r a nd swim very we ll ?

••

Th at it is safe to ho ld a q uee n bee in yo ur ha nd , because she will use he r stinge r o nl y o n o th e r quee n bees?

Th at newborn possum s a re o nly abo ut the size o f the eraser o n yo ur pe nc il ?

T hat a wild goose has abo ut 12,000 muscles 10,000 o f the m to co nt ro l th e move ment of its feat hers?

Th at frogs can sing unde rwate r, because they sing with the ir mo uths a nd noses closed?

Connect the dots and find out!

12 /

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. 52 T hat a snake's teeth are po inted backwa rd to preve nt escape of a nimals capt ured li ve for food?

---11

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Maine Fish and Game -Summer 1974

MAIL!!!

At a certain time of the year, the males are formed, and mate with the new queens, who then find a secluded place and start a new colony. Did you know that ants have herds of "cattle?" Small insects called aphids feed on the juices of plants - and ants "milk" these aphids by stroking their stomachs. The aphids, when "milked," produce a honeydew liquid which ants love to eat.

won it - but she forgot to send us her address! We hope she will send it along, because we wouldn't have any way of telling her if she won the prize. Send us your ideas - for naming these pages, or for things you would like to see on them. Remember, the first prize is a three-year subscription to Maine Fish and Game!

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Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

How would you like to be able to lift 450 times your own weight? You could, if you had the strength of an ant! There are more than 13,000 kinds of ants in the world. And they are amazing insects. They live in orderly groups called colonies. which vary in size from only a dozen or two to more than a million ants! The colonies include three types of ants - the queen. workers. and males. The queen spends her whole life laying eggs for the colony. And she may live 15 to 20 years. Most of the colony is made up of workers, which are fem ale that are unable to lay eggs. Their jobs include caring for the queen and tending her eggs, fighting off enemies, and building, cleaning, and repairing nests.

Ants are hard-working, busy creatures - and they are very tidy insects. They clean themselves in much the same way as a cat. and they are constantly removing trash from inside the nests. They do thi because they live where sunlight and air cannot get in, and rotten garbage in the nest could wipe out the colony. We can learn a lot from watching ants. This summer, why not find an anthill and see if you can tell what the workers are doing. It's lots of fun! 17

n !. â&#x20AC;˘ o.iJte, KW'ru: M

The headwaters of the Aroostook River and many of its tributaries rate highly among brook trout fishermen .

THE AROogrooK By Peter M. Bourque Fishery Biologist

HE AROOSTOOK RIVER, a major sub-drainage of the St. John River system, arises in the wilderness of northern Piscataquis and Penobscot counties. The major watercourse flows northeasterly through Aroostook County. Many small brooks and a number of larger tributaries enter along its course from Millimagassett, Millinocket, and Munsungan lakes to the Canadian border at Fort Fairfield. This river joins the St. John River four miles beyond the international boundary. The Aroostook River is the fifth largest river in Maine, draining approximately 2,440 square miles. Most of the drainage lies within privately-owned forested land, but much of the eastern portion is open farmland. The main river is 105 miles long from the forks of Munsungan and Millinocket streams to its mouth. Approximately 1,632 miles of tributary stream enter along its course. The elevation drops 360 feet along its 105 mile distance at a relatively uniform slope.

Much of the information in the article has been co ndensed from : AroosÂˇ took River - Salm on Resrorarion and Fisheries Management by K end all W arner, 1956. (out o f print )

There are 156 lakes and ponds draining into the Aroostook River. The largest lake in the drainage is Squapan with an area of 5,120 acres. The other large lakes in the drainage include the three major headwater lakes Millinocket Lake (2,701 acres), Munsungan Lake (1,415 acres) and Millimagassett Lake (1,410 acres). Portions of both Squapan and Millinocket lakes are flowed by small water-control dams owned by a local power company. Madawaska Lake, further down the drainage, is 1,526 acres. Before the construction of artificial obstructions, and the advent of heavy development and pollution , most accounts of the Aroostook River's fisheries dealt with the anadromous (from the sea to fresh water to spawn) Atlantic salmon. Although the history of the Aroostook River salmon runs were not always well documented, there are a few written reports available. The earliest report on record was made by Atkins (1874), who wrote: " There are no artificial obstrnctions on the main river, Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

Lower stretc hes of the Aroostook are burdened with industrial and municipal pollution .

and salmon can run quite to its headwaters. Th ey have been caught a hundred miles above its mouth. Their favorite stream in old times was the Big Machias. A dam built near its mouth about thirty years ago shut the salmon out almost co mpletely, but occasionally one leaps th e dam. From the tributaries belo w this point, they are likewise shut out by dams. In Presque Isle Stream and Salmon Brook they were formerly abundant." The history of salmon runs in the Aroostook appears to be tied in closely with the appearance of obstructions on the main river. Atkins ( 1874) reported that Aroostook Falls in New Brunswick presented a 15-foot partial barrier to fish migration before dams were built on the main river. The first dam on the main river was built at Caribou about 1890, according to an early report (anonymous, 1895), which says, " Th e salmon fishing at Caribou is a sport which has been introduced sin ce the building of the dam 5 years ago. It is already becoming kno wn to sportsm en from other states. " This same report mentioned a fishway in the dam but noted the reluctance of salmon to use it since large numbers of them were attempting to scale the dam . There are other reports regarding salmon and the Caribou dam too numerous to mention in this article. From these repo rts, it is apparent that a substantial salmon run existed before the construction of Tinker Dam at Aroostook Falls, New Brunswick, in 1906. Spearing o f salmon along the Aroostook was common from Aroostook Falls upriver to the Oxbow. Atkins (1874) Maine Fish and Game - Summer 197 4

reported that salmon were taken in great numbers at Aroostook Falls by spear and torchlight. The spearing method used above Aroostook Falls was described by one author (Anonymous , 1895): "In the night it is possible to paddle quietly along the stream with a light burning in the bow of th e boat. Then the sharp eyes of the men in the boat detec t a salmon in the bottom of the stream. A quick thru st with a sp ear and the salmon is in the boat." Another author (Anonymous, 1902) wrote, ,; Th e editor of The Sportsmen has seen when living in Fort Fairfield. salmon carried through the streets by Tobique Indians. who were commonly reported to have secu red th em by sp earing at the pool below Aroostook Falls. ÂˇÂˇ Phair ( 1937) wrote of the days before construction of the Tinker Dam at Aroostook Falls, in 1906: " Th e Aroostook River in northern Main e had quite a salmon run , but there was practically no fly fishing don e for them . ff a man wanted a fish, he went out in a boat at night with aflambeau in the bo w and speared himself one." Tinker Dam virtually blocked the spawning run of the great silver-backed salmon. In 1936, a poorly planned fishway was constructed in Aroostook Falls gorge, permitting limited passage of saimon at ideal water levels. This dam , coupled with severe pollution problems, in both the Aroostook (downstream from Washburn) and the St. John rivers, has shifted fishery management from sea-run salmon to inland fresh-water fisheries management.

of ice cover and short, cool summers make the Aroostook River drainage some of the top-

ONG PERIODS

One of the unusual features of the Aroostook River is its oxbow. located in the town of Oxbow. The upper stretches also offer several good canoe trip possibilities .

notch cold-water fisheries habitat in the State of Maine. The most widely distributed and most popular game fish in the drainage is the well-known brook trout or "squaretail." Brook trout are found during some season of the year in nearly every brook, stream, and pond in the drainage. From the headwater section on the main river, downstream to Washburn, the spring brook trout fishery can be rated as one of the finest in the northeastern United States. At this time of year, the trout are widely dispersed and actively feeding in the cold water. It is quite common for an experienced angler to catch a number of brookies in the one- to three-pound class in the mainstem or one of the major tributaries during this '路 hot" spring fishing! Water levels and water temperatures seem to be the two major factors determining prime fishing time. Local anglers seem to have these factors well figured and frequently return home with some attractive strings of fish. As the main river warms during late spring and summer, trout congregate in springholes, at mouths of brooks, or in the cooler tributary streams themselves. When this occurs the fast fishing is generally over, but skilled fly fishermen, who know the springholes, are successful in in creeling 路路quality'路 trout throughout the summer months. For the less skillful angler, small brookies can be taken in many of the smaller tributaries throughout the season . The following major tributaries are noted for their fine spring squaretail fishing: Limestone Stream, Little Madawaska River, Presque Isle Stream , Beaver Brook, Little Machias Stream, Big Machias River, St. Croix Stream, Mooseleuk Stream, Munsungun Stream, and Millinocket Stream. Only limited sport fishing opportunities exist for the other game fish in the river and its tributaries. The main river supports a small resident population of landlocked salmon. These fish are generally of small size. Growth

studies show that their growth rate is far below the average for Maine waters. As is the case with most Maine rivers, the Aroostook lacks ideal habitat and forage (smelts) for best growth of adult landlocks. It is doubtful that the resident river population of salmon will ever support a sizeable fishery. Rainbow trout provide a sma ll fishery in the lower reaches of the Aroostook River. Rainbows were stocked in the early 1940"s in the river around Caribou, and some fish taken by anglers have been of considerable size. Natural reproduction is still supporting a limited fishery in this area and in the lower reaches of the Little Madawaska River and Otter Brook. Although the rainbow is often a feared competitor with some of our native coldwater game fish , this population has not spread in the more than 30 years following their initial introduction. Fortunately, at least for the cold-water gamefish, the Aroostook River lacks some of the serious warm-water competitors, such as the pickerel , bass, and white perch that are abundant in many of our Maine rivers. However, there are other serious competitors that reduce game fish production and are a nuisance to fishermen as soon as the water begins to warm. Eels, fallfish, suckers, and yellow perch are among the major ones. These species are widely dispersed throughout the drainage. The lake and pond fishery is chiefly for brook trout. Nearly all the ponds contain brookies or have supported them in the past. However, shallow depths and com-

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

plaguing the fishP eries of the Aroostook River was manmade obstructions. Dams on tributaries of the Aroostook have been ROBABL y THE EARLIEST PROBLEM

Dams and intensive agricultural operations each cause several of the complications to fishery management that exist in the lower Aroostook.

petitive species permit only remnant populations of trout in many of these waters. The Maine Fish and Game Department has management reports on 71 of these ponds. These reports. along with depth maps. are available from : Maine Inland Fish and Game Department. State House. Augusta. Maine 04330. When these waters were originally studied. many of them were inaccessible by road. Now. recent logging activity has made many of the areas easily accessible. Landlocked salmon fisheries are pretty much confined to the larger lakes. This list includes Munsungan. Millinocket. Millimagassett. Madawaska. and Squapan lakes. Salmon have been introduced into several other lakes and ponds in the drainage but have produced only sporadic fishing because of marginal habitat and poor spawning areas. Lake trout or togue fishing in the Aroostook watershed is confined almost entirely to the deep. cold waters of Munsungan Lake. However. the 1973 fishing season saw Millimagassett Lake give up a 16-pound laker. the first ever known to be taken from that lake. When hatchery togue are available. an introduction of the deep-dwellers will probably be undertaken there. The only other coldwater game fish in this drainage that provides a small bit of angling is the rare blueback trout. Bluebacks are present in Big Reed Pond, a small pond just south of Munsungan Lake.

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

in evidence since the beginning of log-driving days in the early J800's. All of the old dams used for driving long logs have long since disappeared. but remnants of some are still in evidence on stream banks and at lake outlets. Along with the expansion of the pulpwood industry came a new era in dam building. Dams were constructed at lake outlets and in brooks of all sizes throughout the upper part of the drainage, especially in the Mooseleuk and Big Machias watersheds. torage dams were built at Squapan and Millinocket lakes to supply water to the hydro dams at Caribou and Aroostook Falls. N.B. The Aroostook Falls installation is the major obstruction in the drainage. The majority of other dams in the drainage were located in the lower section - the more developed. agricultural area. Most of these dams were built to store water for one of the following purposes: starch manu facture. public water supply. sawmill operation. farm use, and recreation. In the early 1950-s, biolngi\tS of the Fishery Division made a study of obstructions in the Aroostook watershed. At this time. 70 man-made obstructions and two natural falls were located. There were only eight fishways. and of these , only three were considered workable at most water levels. Dam building. in addition to blocking migration routes. also created many more complex biological problems. Since the water-control facilities were primarily owned and operated by industrial interests, little thought was given to multiple use of the water resource. Drastic fluctuations in stream flows occurred. Complete closure of gates resulted in dry sections of streambed. Low water flows curtailed fish migration, stranded fish in small pools, became adversely warm in hot weather. reduced aquatic insect populations (prime fish food) , and crowded fish together in reduced pool areas which caused increased competition. Dams on the outlets of many of the lakes and ponds resulted in large areas of flooded timber. An increase of large. warm. shallow areas was conducive to thriving coarse fish populations. resulting in a decrease in the numbers of cold-water game fish . The addition of organic material caused water quality to degrade, resulting in oxygen deficiencies which limited production of coldwater game fish. Major flowed lakes in the Aroostook drainage include Rowe, Big Machias. Mooseleuk, Millinocket. and Squapan lakes. In an effort to obtain additional water for pulp driving . lake outlets were often bulldozed, which sometimes lowered lake levels thereby reducing productive areas by permanently exposing shoal areas. Pulp driving brought on additional problems. The early I 950's saw entire lengths of tributary streams bulldozed to facilitate driving. Most of these were never restored. Bulldozing eliminated bank cover, resulting in warmer water and a reduction in terrestrial insects that fall from over-hanging vegetation, providing major portions of food for brook trout and young salmon. Channel alteration destroyed aquatic insect populations: silted gravel

spawning a reas : elimin a ted pro tec ti ve cover - la rge bo ulders, logs, a nd d e bri s - a nd elimin a ted pools by fillin g and leveling the strea mb ed . Th e strai ghte ning o f the streambed contribut ed to fas te r run o ff a nd lo we r summ e r strea m levels. All th ese c ha nges virtu all y tra nsfo rm ed tribut a ri es fro m prim e brook tro ut ha bit a t to sh allo w, wa rm , minn ow ha bit a t. In add it ion. b ulld ozing o f haul road s to th e stream's edge a nd pre pa ra tio n of pulp la ndings o n the strea mba nks ge ne rall y ca used inc re ased silt loads a nd high turbidity o f strea m wa te r. has been a n ex te nsive pro bl e m in th e lowe r P Aroos took Ri ver d rain age fo r mo re th a n 120 years . In th e ea rl y I8SO's, sta rc h fac to ri es bega n to sprin g up OLLUTI ON

alo ng the m ain ri ve r a nd o n a num be r o f its small e r tributa ri es. The sta rc h was a muc h-need ed produc t fo r New Engla nd 's la rge te xtil e industry. At th e turn o f th e ce ntury, there we re a bo ut SO pl a nts ma nu fac turing sta rc h a nd di scha rging waste into wa te rways o f easte rn Aroos too k County. Abo ut 20 yea rs ago. seve re sta rc h po lluti o n was no ted o n the m ain ri ver be low Ca ribo u, lower Presq ue Isle Strea m , a nd lowe r Big M ac hi as Ri ve r. In th e same e ra, sta rc h waste in Lim esto ne Strea m. Ca ribo u Strea m , a nd in a secti o n o f No rth Bra nc h Presq ue Isle Strea m virtu ally elimin a ted th e broo k tro ut fi she ry. Severa l o th e r small e r broo ks had sec ti o ns ta ke n o ut o f tro ut produ c ti o n by the fac to ry efflu e nts. Sta rc h fac to ri es gradu all y gave way to o th er types o f food processing pl a nts (peas a nd po ta toes) th a t co nt inu ed to add an in c reased po llutio n load to the ma in ri ve r fro m Washburn to Fo rt Fairfi eld . Al o ng th e same stre tc h o f th e rive r, do mes ti c sewage add ed to th e already heavy load . Furth e r up th e drain age, sawdu st po lluti o n in varying d egrees increased o rganic po lluti o n. Alo ng with "ad vances" in th e fi eld o f c he mi stry ca me a ne w pro blem to the Aroos took - pesti c id e po lluti o n. Th e careless ha ndling o f c he mical insec tic id es a ro und th e fa rml a nd tro ut strea ms result ed in fi sh kill s. In additi o n, multipl e sprayings o f th e fo restl a nd with DDT fo r spru ce budwo rm co nt rol also killed fi sh a nd aqu a ti c in sec ts. o f the c urrent probl e ms fac in g W Main e's fifth la rgest drain age'? Are the re soluti ons'! Will the Aroos took wa te rshed li ve to p rovid e fi shing fo r HAT A RE SOM E

th e future, o r will it die und e r th e pressures o f ma n ? As is th e case wo rld-wid e, man 's respo nse has bee n slow to environm e nt al d eg rad a ti o n ta king pl ace all around him . T od ay, too, th e sin gle grea test pro bl e m fac ing th e A roostoo k Ri ve r is pollution - be it silt a tio n. d o mesti c waste . industri al was te . pesti c ides, o r just pl ain destruc ti o n o f th e aesth e ti cs alo ng thi s grea t wa te rco urse. Again , industri al wastes a re still th e c hi e f ca use o f wa ter qu ality degrad a ti on. With o nly a single sta rc h facto ry no w o perating spo radi call y in Ca ribo u, th e waste lo ad is prim a ril y fro m fren c h fri ed po tato p rocessors. So me o f the la rgest fren c h fry pl a nts in the country a re loca ted o n the bank s o f th e Aroos took. A fe w yea rs ago , it looked as th o ugh the ri ver wo uld neve r be c lea n again ; but recent legislatio n a nd e nfo rce me nt by th e Ma in e De pa rtm e nt o f En vironment al Pro tec ti o n has res ulted in a majo r reduc tio n in the a mo unt o f o xygen-d e ma nding wastes going int o th e river. Muc h o f this reduc ti o n is a res ult o f just plain "good ho usekee pin g" a nd a reduc ti o n

in th e a mo unt o f wa te r used by eac h o f th e p roces ing pl a nts. T he poss ibiliti es of a "core trea tm e nt sys te mÂˇÂˇ to ha ndl e both industria l a nd d o mes ti c was te fro m Was hb urn to Ca ribo u is a ve ry real possibility within th e nex t fi ve years. Th e future fo r th e Aroostook Ri ve r is begi nnin g to loo k mu c h bright e r th a n its most recent past. Tribut a ry streams a re no lo nger receiving sta rc h po llution. a nd sawd ust waste is no lo nge r a pro bl e m . T oday, pestic id e po llutio n is a ve ry wides pread a nd co mpl ex p ro bl e m. Altho ugh th e re has bee n a shift fro m ma ny o f th e lo nge r-li ved c he mi ca ls to those o f "sho rte r life" (a few days to a year). most still seem to be quite tox ic to fi sh a nd o th e r aq uati c life. Po ta to fa rm ers use a ho t of pesti cides - he rbic id es, fun gicides, a nd in sec ti c ides. Re pea ted a ppli ca tio ns o f ma ny o f th e insec ti c ides bring a bo ut in c reased c ha nces o f in sec t immunity, so th e fa rm e r is o ft e n faced with tryin g new c he mi cals. Unfa mili a rit y can lead to excessive dosages! In th e pas t, fillin g o f s p rayers. pesti c ide storage. a nd pesti c id e dumps alo ng th e wa terways led to frequ e nt fi sh kill s - o ft e n brook tro ut ! In 1973, th e Pesti c ide Co nt rol Board dele~a ted a uthorit y to th e Ma in e Wa rde n Se rvice fo r e nforceme nt o f th e pes ti cide laws. Thi s has bro ught abo ut a bi g reduc ti o n in th e imp ro pe r sto rage a nd di sposal o f co nt ain e rs. With in c reased publi c a wa re ness, edu cati o n, a nd law e nforceme nt . fi sh kill s ca n be ke pt to a minimum . T he lowe r Aroostoo k Rive r wa tershed is pl ag ued by still a no th e r po lluti o n proble m - silt a ti o n. Poo r soil co nse rva ti o n prac ti ces o n ma ny fa rms ca use tre me ndo us silt loads in th e main ri ve r and a grea t numbe r of its tribut a ry strea ms. T he So il Co nse rva ti o n Service in d ica tes an a ve rage loss o f 15 to ns o f so il pe r ac re pe r yea r, up to a ma ximum o f 2] to ns pe r ac re pe r yea r! T hat's a lo t o f dirt go in g cl ow n th e ri ver in a seaso n! Alo ng with thi s ag ri c ultu ra l so il go th e lim e. fe rtilize r, a nd pestic ides th a t a re used so heav il y. Thus. th e pro bl e m is mo re th a n silt. T he silt fill s-i n poo ls a nd smo th e rs fish eggs in th e grave l riffl es. T he nutri e nts in fe rtili zer e nh a nce aqu a ti c weed growth a nd a lgae bl oo ms (accele ra ted e utrophi ca ti o n l. a nd th e pes ti c id es build up in th e sedim e nts. Ma ny fi sh kills have been a ttribut ed to fi eld run o ff , fo ll owing heavy ra in sho we rs. With a n in c reased need fo r lum be r a nd fi be r, la rge r timbe r-ha rvesting o pe ra ti o ns a re in full swing o n th e uppe r po rti o ns o f th e Aroostoo k wate rshed. Additi o nal mil es o f road , coupl ed with heavie r c uts a nd th e use o f mec ha ni cal skidd e rs. have co ntribut ed to silta ti o n pro ble ms o n ma ny o f th e small e r strea ms a nd some la kes . Fas te r runo ff a nd wa rm e r wa te r ca n tra nsfo rm a tro ut stream . Ca reful m a nageme nt in all as pec ts o f timbe r ha rvesting will he lp insure tro ut streams fo r th e future. Onl y JO pe r cent o f Aroos took County soil s a re good fo r septi c sewage di sposal. Therefore, d e velo pm e nt must be carefully planned if th e Aroos took River is always going to provide recreati o nal a ngling fo r coldwa ter game fi sh. Recent legisla tive ac ti o n in the fo rm o f sho rela nd zoning a nd la nd use sta nd a rds provid es the necessary tools to in sure the Aroostook Ri ver a bright future - a nd it is possible! This job o f zoning must be ta ken seri o usly by all - fro m the pri va te timber co mpa nies in the uppe r pa rt o f the drain age to to wn a nd c ity gove rnm e nts o n th e lowe r pa rt. Pro per de velo pm e nt guidelines will go a lo ng â&#x20AC;˘ ways towa rds kee ping tro ut in the Aroostook River.

Maine Fish and Game - Summer 197 4

Once rare, now common, the fisher represents one of Maine's conservation success stories

!SHERS found in Belfast along Penobscot Bay? And beside the Kennebec River in Richmond? And in Berwick way down in York County near the New Hampshire border? Unbelievable! But it happened, mostly within the past 15 years. During the 1930's, a few fishers were known to live in some of the more remote, mountainous sections of northern and western Maine. Given complete protection by law in 1937, the animals began to multiply and by 1950 had spread throughout most of the highland area of northern and western Maine. During the 1950's, they had pushed southward to the coast near Portland and across the state eastward to Bangor. Today. fishers are found throughout all of the state, but

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

they are not common in much of Hancock and Washington counties in southeastern Maine. Originally, according to the histories, fishers ranged as far south as the mountains of North Carolina. During the first half of

By Dr. Malcolm W. Coulter

the twentieth century in the eastern United States, they were found in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Northern Maine woods , and, infrequently, the Green Mountains of Vermont. In these places, the numbers of these animals dwindled to the point where they were given complete protection in the mid-1930's; by the 1960's, fishers were expanding their range rapidly in New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire as well as in Maine. are dark colored, short legged members of the weasel family. Males average three feet

!SHERS

long and generally weigh between six and fifteen pounds. Females are much smaller than their powerfully built, muscular mates. Few females weigh more than six and one-half or seven pounds. As a rule, they average about five pounds and are about two and onehalf feet long. Exceptionally large individuals are found occasionally. Regional Biologist Harold Blanchard recorded a 20 pound, 2 ounce male live-trapped in Sebec. Maine, on February 12, 1972, by Forest Smart and weighed the next day by Myron Smart. This is the record weight for fisher anywhere, so far as I know. In common with the mink, weasel. skunk, and other members of the weasel family, fishers have welldeveloped anal scent glands that produce a musky scent with a penetrating odor. Fluid from these glands, often deposited along the The author is Associate Director for Wildlife in the School of Forest Reso urces and

Professor of Wildlife Resources at the University of Maine at Orono. He has studied fisher and followed their spread throughout Maine since 1950.

fisher's trail. presumably serves as a means of communication between the animals, especially during the breeding season. Locally, fishers are sometimes called "black cats." The name black cat probably originated because of the fisher's dark brown or blackish fur. Older animals, especially males, have many whitetipped hairs over the shoulders and back that give them a grizzled appearance. O MANY PEOPLE. the fisher is perhaps best known for tales of its appetite for porcupines and its seeming indifference to the porcupine's needle-sharp quills . Follow the fisher on snow, and sooner or later you will find where he has dined upon porky steak. Porcupines are killed on the ground by repeated attacks to the head region. Fishers circle their well-armed prey, then dash in for the strike. The porcupine succumbs to a succession of wounds. Fishers begin feeding either on the underside where there are no quills or at the head and neck where there is minimum exposure to quills. The skin of the rodent is left flat and remarkably cleaned of most flesh and bone. How often does the fisher attack porcupines? That, no doubt, depends, in part, upon the abundance of porcupines and other foods for fisher. However, the examination of 242 fisher digestive tracts in the laboratory provides some clues. About one in every four fisher has contained evidence of a recent meal of porcupine. About a third of the 350 animals I have examined had quills embedded somewhere in their bodies, giving evidence of past encounters with porcupines. Contrary to popular opinion, the quills often penetrate deep into the fisher's flesh. I have found them lodged against bones, penetrating the stomach wall, and embedded into many of the organs in the body cavity. Yet, the barbed

needles seem to cause no apparent inflammation or festering. Fishers eat a variety of foods. Porcupines are only one of several animals commonly taken. About one in every four fishers examined from Maine has contained snowshoe hare, birds, carrion, and shrews. Squirrels and mice occurred in about one in every five animals. The remains of deer were common. But from extensive tracking on snow, it has been apparent that the deer eaten by fishers came from animals that had died from other causes. Fishers return repeatedly to carcasses and paw about the sites long after all edible parts have been eaten. I have never found any evidence of fishers attempting to attack deer during the winter. There are occasional reports of these mustelids attacking young fawns during the spring, but there is no evidence to suggest that such predation is very common. Foxes and house cats often kill shrews but seldom eat them. Frequently, a house cat will carry a shrew home and leave it on the porch after playing with it. It's also common to find where foxes have left them in the field. Yet fishers eat shrews often and even during winter are able to find and catch sizeable numbers of the tiny mammals. Some members of the weasel family are not especially fond of carrion. Here again, the fisher is an exception. A beaver carcass discarded after pelting by trappers, a dead deer, waste from slaughter houses, or any other form of meat is readily eaten. I well recall finding where two fishers had denned in the vicinity of several beaver carcasses for at least four days. Clear sign in the snow indicated that they had fed each night on beaver meat and, during the entire period, had not ventured more than one-half mile from this banquet deluxe. On another occasion, I knew the location of a dead doe, killed but not found by a hunter earlier in

the season. Long after the meat had been eaten, fishers repeatedly visited this carcass to dig through the snow in search of one more morsel of food. Bobcats and foxes came occasionally, too. and, during late winter, raccoons. But usually it was the tracks of Mr. Black Cat, wanderer of the woodlands, who returned most often to see that nothing had been wasted. afield. as a clearer picture of the fisher's eating habits , follow his trail through the snow. The tracks are distinctive. Five toes generally show. Other large mammals active during winter show four toes. The fisher's tracks are generally spaced 20 to 30 inches apart in sets of two - or if the snow is soft, one large snow print - reflecting the normal bounding gait. If the animal is hunting, it will dart beneath every log or upturn ed stump. Hollow trees and rock crevices may be quickly investigated. And the black cat will probe into the pockets made by low-growing fir boughs holding the snow from the space underneath. Any place where a mouse, shrew, rabbit, or squirrel might chance to be is searched. Sometimes a hare is caught off guard under the low branches of a fir or cedar. At other times, the hare may take flight, covering the ground in long leaps. Occasionally, the black cat pursues the fleeing hare. More often, he will continue his hunt, apparently hoping to surprise some unsuspecting bunny before it can get its snowshoes into high gear. One soon gains the impression of an energetic, alert animal. investigating all sorts of places where other creatures might hide, and counting on surprising them before they escape. And, as one snowshoes along the trail, piecing together the story recorded in the snow, it becomes apparent that fishers catch and eat whatever creatures are most readily available. They are opportunists. It

OR AN INTERESTING DAY

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

seems that a snack of shrews is as good as leg of hare or breast of blue jay - feathers and all. And . when a kill is found. little remains. Bones, fur. and claws of small animals are devoured. The red squirrel is well known for its habit of storing a supply of food, and some fishers take advantage of the squirrel's wisdom. One February afternoon, while tracking fisher along a ridge southwest of Caucomgomac Lake, I found where an animal I was following had dug out and eaten a squirrel's cache of beechnuts. This black cat added four other similar stores of beechnuts to its fare in a distance of less than a mile. During later years, I have found other fishers that apparently learned

that the red squirrel's winter food supply, as well as the squirrel itself, provides suitable meals. The most puzzling observation of the feeding habits of the fisher occurred one brisk March morning

a day's rest. Suddenly, I saw, the animal had turned and dug through thirty-four inches of snow to a spring-hole. Nearby, I found part of the skin of a frog. Why did the fisher turn aside from an otherwise direct route and burrow into this spring? Had it killed the frog months earlier and stored it. or was this merely a favorite hunting spot where the fisher had previously found a ready meal? We shall never know. However. it seems apparent that the black cat is capable of finding a variety of foods under all sorts of conditions. HE FISHER is pretty much a solitary traveler during much of the winter. When snows blanket the woods, these animals sometimes travel long distances in search of food. When the snow is three feet deep and the temperature zero, they have to travel long distances - some of their prey species are not easily found under such conditions. In the heavily forested north country, it is not uncommon for an individual to travel ten miles or farther in a single night. The animals appear to have certain general routes that they use repeatedly at intervals of a few to several days. They prefer to travel the ridges. usually crossing small stream valleys to get to the next ridge. The same "crossings" may be used by generations of fisher . This habit is well known by experienced trappers. A series of baited sets located near such routes often results in a string of black cat pelts which generally com mand an attractive price on the raw fur market. During this period of winter wandering, the fisher may use a series of temporary dens or beds. Sometimes these consist of shallow dens dug into the snow. often in the tangle of a fallen tree top. Others may be in rock ledges. and occasionally, I have found a fisher denned in a hollow tree. Now and

Fisher tracks in snow.

when I was trying to track a black cat to its den . The animal seemed to be traveling without hunting. and I suspected that it might already have fed and was headed for

then, a ground burrow made by some other animal will serve as a fisher's home. Later in the winter. when the warming sun begins to rise high. beds consisting merely of hollows in the snow are common. They are usually made on the south side of a small evergreen, where the fisher will lie during the day, so'aking up the welcome rays of sunshine. The solitary life of the fisher ends briefly during late winter and early spring. when the mating season is at hand. Mating takes place a few days after the young are born. generally in March or April but occasionally during late February. The gestation period. or the time from mating until birth. is about a year. an unusually long period for any animal. and especially for one of this size. But even more remarkable is the way this takes place. After mating. the fertilized egg remains dormant within the female for a period of nine or ten months. Then . when the lengthening days of late January and February foretell the approaching spring. the embryo begins to develop. The three or four sparsely-haired, blind young. whelped in March or early April. are cared for in a nest in a hollow tree or perhaps a crevice in some ledge. The young grow quite rapidly. In early July. 1956, woodcutters working near Patten. in northern Penobscot County. felled a tree and found a small male fisher crawling about on the ground. A few days later. it weighed 2 pounds. 13 ounches and was 24 inches long . Since male fisher during their first winter may weigh 7 or 8 pounds. this youngster had attained about onethird of his weight during the first three months. The remarkable recovery of fishers in Maine and other parts of the northeast is illustrated by the numbers of pelts tagged by the Fish and Game Department during carefully regulated trapping seasons in Maine. 26

In 1950. 52 pelts were tagged. All came from northern and northwestern Maine. During the early 1960's, the take statewide exceeded 2.000 pelts per year. In one year. the combined take in York and Cumberland counties alone was more than 1,000 fishers. Remember that for half a century before 1950. black cats were not found in that area! By 1970. a dozen or more animals were being taken each year in many townships in Waldo County in south-central Maine, in places where fishers were unknown before 1955 or even 1960. Strange as it may seem. there are probably many more fishers today living in overgrown pastures or in second growth hardwoods near small cities and villages than are found on those spruce-seen ted rocky ridges in the north woods. Someone. a half century or more ago. wrote that black cats required large remote areas , forested with old-growth conifers. That description of the animal's needs has been repeated in much of the literature since - even in texts on wildlife management. However. Mr. Fisher has proven to be more adaptable than the naturalists of yesteryear believed. Given the protection and sensible regulation possible with current wildlife management practices combined with forested areas where hares. mice, shrews. and other prey abound - the fisher should continue to thrive. We cannot expect the animals to be as abundant everywhere as they were when they first invaded new areas . Their numbers will fluctuate in response to food and competition and probably other things that we donÂˇt fully understand. HE NEXT TIME you see a fisher bounding across the road - or hunting through the tangles of wind-thrown spruce, remember that you are viewing an old citizen once nearly gone-now abundant. He represents one of our twentieth century conservation success stories. a

TAGGEDATLANTI By Edward T. Baum, Fishery Biologist Atlantic Salmon Commission

AINE'S Atlantic Salmon Restoration program depends partly upon the release of hatchery-reared salmon. The tagging and subsequent recapture of these fish has contributed a great deal to our assessment of hatchery stocks and rearing techniques. and to increased knowledge of the life history of Maine Atlantic salmon. Beginning in 1966, an average of 50,000 young salmon have been tagged before being released in selected Maine rivers. The tag is applied below the dorsal fin where it won't injure the fish or hinder swimming ability. When stocked in the river, usually during the first two weeks of May, these salmon "smolts" range from 7 to 12 inches in length. The Atlantic salmon is an anadromous fish, which means that it spends most of its adult life in the ocean before returning to fresh water streams to spawn. Most Maine salmon spend two years at sea, returning to their "home" river at an average size of 30 inches in length and 10 pounds in weight. This article will answer the oftenasked question - "where do Maine Atlantic salmon go during their two years at. sea?" The map on the opposite page shows where tagged salmon released in Maine have been caught by commercial fishermen. Remember. these salmon are captured in the ocean, not in other salmon rivers. By following the pattern of tag returns shown on the map, it is clearly evident that many Maine salmon migrate to Greenland. From Maine to Greenland and back is more than 4,000 miles - a remarkable journey for a fish that starts off barely longer than your finger and returns nearly as long as your leg! Most Canadian tag returns have come from Newfoundland, Nova

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

SALMON:

~/i

o~o/

!<::-c., 7

9:-o /

\)'

GREENLAND

ATLANTIC OCEAN Where Do They Go? Scotia, and Labrador fishermen. In the West Greenland area, salmon are captured by local commercial fishermen as well as those from the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway. and Sweden. The most common type of fishing gear is a gill net (up to 18 miles long in the open sea) which entangles the fish when it tries to swim through. However, salmon can be and are taken by several other types of commercial fishing equipment. It is of interest to note that the salmon are widely scattered at sea, and most are caught within 10 feet of the water 's surface. Salmon tagging experiments conducted by other countries have shown that the Greenland area is a common feeding ground for European as well as North American salmon. Tagged salmon originating from rivers in Great Britain, France, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland, as well as Canada and Maine, have been caught in West Greenland. In addition, adult salmon have been tagged and released in Greenland by fishery scientists. Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

HUNDREDS OF MLES ONE INCH â&#x20AC;˘ 240 t.lLES

Map by Scott Roy

North Atlantic Ocean areas where Maine Atlantic salmon have been caught by commercial fishermen, 1966 to 1973.

While none of these fish have been recovered in Maine yet. they have been taken in Canada and Europe. The number of Maine salmon caught in the areas shown on the map varies from year to year. Generally speaking, for every tagged adult salmon taken in Maine rivers, at least one was taken in the commercial fisheries of Canada and Greenland. Of more than 1,500 tags from Maine salmon recovered since 1966, 53 per cent have come from the commercial fisheries north of the Gulf of Maine, and 47 per cent have come from Maine waters.

Several changes in commercial fishing regulations in recent years have led to a reduction in fishing effort. Those changes will lead to increased returns of Atlantic salmon to Maine rivers. Should you be fortunate enough to catch a tagged salmon, the Atlantic Salmon Commission requests that you return the tag. Additional information regarding the length and weight of the fish, date, and place caught, would be helpful. You will receive a report of the age of the fish along with life history information such as where and when it was tagged. 27

men when they purchase various items of hunting and fishing equipment. NEW DRIVE TO STOP LAW BREAKERS

C GOING TO WORK ON YOUR SHORE PROPERTY?

Late summer and fall months are normally a time of lowered water levels on many Maine lakes. Waterfront owners usually take advantage of the low water to make certain "improvements" to their property and the abutting lake bottom. Many of these projects are now covered by Maine's Great Ponds Law and require prior approval from the Board of Environmental Protection. Common shorefront alterations covered by this law include: • Construction of boathouses. • Construction of retaining walls . • Depositing fill in the water or near enough to it and in a manner that would result in erosion of the fill into the water. • Construction of permanent docks. • Dredging for any purpose, such as to deepen an area, create a channel, marina, etc. • Placing sand to create sandy beaches, or bulldozing the shore area. • Construction of boat ramps. A very good informational booklet, "Protecting Your Lake," explains the reasons for the law and tells how to apply for approval of a project. The booklet is available from the Department of Environmental Protection, State House, Augusta, Maine 04330. 28

WHAT OTHER OUIDOOR SPORTS ARE TIIlS POPULAR?

Better than 20 per cent of the American people hunt or fish, according to the 1973 state license sale figures released recently by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Lynn A. Greenwalt. Greenwalt said, "Hunting and fishing are major pastimes, with one out of every five Americans enjoying the outdoors this way. License sales last year numbered close to 42 million nationwide, increasing by 400 thousand over 1972 and representing an increase of $28 million in state revenues. Overall, in 1973, sales of state hunting and fishing licenses netted $242 million. "The 1973 licenses sold equalled the previous record high number sold in 1971. "These revenues enable states to conduct their fish and wildlife conservation and management programs. Additional funds come from Federal Aid in Fish and Wildlife Restoration programs under which states are reimbursed up to 75 per cent of the cost of ap· proved projects. For the fiscal year which ended June 30, 1974, over $62 million in federal aid funds was apportioned to the states according to a formula which includes the number of hunting and fishing license holders in each state. " The federal aid funds are derived from excise taxes paid by sports-

To help curb poachers and vandals with guns, The National Rifle Association is launching a national violation reporting program. Designated "HOW" - Help Our Wildlife - the program will encourage hunters and non-hunters alike to report game law violations and other offenses they see committed to game wardens and other law enforcers. It is directed toward: • Building up a reporting system which will speed enforcement officers to the scene of violations, and • Providing the enforcers with sufficient information and evidence to insure the arrest and conviction of the violators.

1974 LICENSE FEES Resident

Hunting (under 16) ..... $ 1.50 Hunting (16 and older). 6.50 Combination hunting and fishing . . . . . . . . . . 10.50 Fishing . . . . . . . . 6.50 Archery . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.50 Fishing"' 3-day . . . 6.50 "'(Exchangeable for season) .50 Nonresident

Big game (necessary for deer and bear) . . . .. . $46 .50 Small game .. . ....... . 22 .50 Small game. junior (under 15) . 12.50 Archery ........... 42.50 Fishing: season 15.50 Fishing: 3-day. . . . . . . . . 6.50 Fishing: 7-day . 7.50 Fishing"' 15-day 10.50 "'(Exchangeable for season) 5. 50 Forotherfees. please write to the Department

Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

PHEASANT ST AMP REQUIRED

The main objective of the program is to increase the number of people watching out for violators, thus increasing the chances of apprehension of the perpetrators. The HOW program is a long-term movement to enhance the sportsman 's image by eliminati.ng from the hunting field those who fail to meet the standards of true sportsmanship. Details on the HOW program will be announced by the NRA in the near future.

Pheasant hunters are reminded that they are again required to buy and have in their possession a stamp to hunt or possess this species. The stamps, which cost $1 for both residents and non-residents, are available from most town clerks, some non-resident license agents, and from the Fish and Game Department's Augusta office. Upon buying the stamp this year, the buyer will be asked to fill out a brief questionnaire. The information provided will be used by the Department in evaluating the pheasant stocking program and in planning the future management of this species in Maine. In 1973, the first year that pheasant stamps were required, more than 22,700 were sold. What is unknown is how many of these

were bought by pheasant hunters and how many by stamp collectors. This breakdown is one thing that the Department hopes to learn from the questionnaire.

PHEASANT $1 STAMP 1974,

The stamp is required of all pheasant hunters 16 years of age and older. It must be validated by the hunter's signature in ink across the face.

ANSWER TO PUZZLE ON PAGE 10

This young eagle - shown as it was being banded in June - hatched from an egg flown to Maine from Minnesota by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and placed in a Maine eagle 's nest. The project was to determine the feasibility of egg transplants as a method of increasing eagle populations and also to find out why eggs laid by some Maine eagles fail to hatch. Banding the bird was Francis Gramlich of the Augusta office of the Fish and Wildlife Service .

SUBSCRIBERS: YOUR LABEL IS IMPORTANT Though our subscribers are real people to us - people to whom we give personal attention in the event of problems - the computer which handles our circulation details must deal with subscribers as just numbers. That's why it is important for you to send us your latest label (or a copy of all the information printed on it) when you correspond about your subscription. You might be John Jones to us ... and 1304H to the computer. When we tell the computer something about your subscription, we have to refer to 1304H. and we also have to talk "code" in reference to length of subscription. and so forth. So the full contents of your label is of great importance. By providing us with a label when you have questions, you help us to be fast and accurate in solving problems. If you are moving, please send us your latest label and your new address, including zip code. We must have this information at least four weeks in advance of the next publication date. The magazine is not forwarded automatically. If you see LAST COPY printed on your mailing label. your current subscription has run out. You can check to see when your subscription will expire by noting the last two digits on the top line of the label code - 52, for example, stands for 1975, 2nd (spring) issue. Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

When is agun club... ;;,-:; -

like a library?

I ...ahigh school? ...a state iair?

On N.H.E Day, September 28, 1974 On National Hunting and Fishing Day, locations as unlike as the library, shopping center, high school, state fair and the local gun club are like five peas in a pod . Despite their obvious differences during the rest of the year, they can all serve as locations for NHF Day programs on Sept. 28. When NHF Day made its premiere back in 1972, activities centered around sportsman's clubs. They seemed the logical place to recognize the contributions to conservation of our 55 million sportsmen. However, to the delight of NHF Day organizers, activities soon ran far beyond rod & gun club programs and observances were scheduled for such unlikely locations as libraries and shopping centers, even boat docks and football fields - all selected because they would bring the NHF Day message to the greatest possible number of people. The result-14 million people participated in last year's NHF Day. National Hunting and Fishing Day headquarters has a wealth of detailed information to help your group select the best location in your towo and then to organize a top-notch program whether at the gun club or elsewhere. A 76-page organizational manual, loaded with specific advice and comprehensive aids

kits with posters, banners, press releases, fact sheets, bumper stickers and more, will help promote your program. On NHF Day you can turn your local school, library, shopping center, or sportsman's club Into a good will • embassy for sportsmen. You might find that · • · . you and your neighbors also have something . ·• ·. in common - National Hunting and Fishing ., . ,. : , . Day, September 28, 1974. TO: NHF DAY 1075 Post Road, Riverside, Connecticut 06878

Please send _ _ _ copies of the NHF Day Action Manual @ $2 .00 per copy. Please also send -_ _ _ NHF Day Aids Kits @ $3.00 per kit. I enclose $ to cover the cost of my order. Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Organization _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State _ _ _ _ _ Zip _ _ _ __

MOOSEHEAD -

continued from page 11

To make it plainer to the layman interested in this phenomenon, water is heaviest at approximately 39 ° Fahrenheit. At temperatures above and below this point. it is lighter. When a lake is ice-covered. the water just under the ice is about 32°. with the temperature rising slowly as depth increases. until it is about 39° at the bottom. When the ice leaves a lake in the spring. the surface water begins to warm. approaching the lake"s temperature at lower depths. When equality is reached. the ··turnover·· takes place. with even a light local wind action setting an entire lake in motion as the bottom water is forced to the surface, whi le surface water drops.

to Fishery Biologist Keith Havey of Machias. the explanation of the sudden towering waves on the otherwise windless July day resulted from a small local squall somewhere on Moosehead. The intense heat of the preceding days had so penetrated the depths of the lake that water temperature conditions approximated an almost perfect ··turnover·· balance. similar to that in the spring. As a result. the mildest breeze was enough to set the entire tremendous expanse of water in motion. accumulating force and mass like a snowball rolling downhill. Of the hundreds of occupants of boats on this day when the majestic inland sea rolled over there was not one casualty. Old Dame ature wasn't in an ugly mood at all. She just wanted to play! • CCORD!NG

Visit a Wilderness Trout Pond

But Don't Return Empty-Handed Photo-story by the Maine Fish and Game staff OU"VE SAVED your nickels and dimes. You've dreamed. You've planned. You've checked, packed, re-checked, and re-packed your gear a dozen times.

Maine Fish and Game - Summer 197 4

And now the big day has arrived. You are in a plane and headed in to one of Maine's wilderness trout ponds for a few days in pursuit of squaretail trout, solitude, and

escape from the cares and worries of civilization. At the controls, an experienced bush pilot you've hired for this trip of trips. The mental image you've conjured up about your chosen pond includes shorelines of dark spruces and firs mingled with ancient, leaning cedars casting their reflections in clear, sparkling waters. The trout birds will sing by day ... and the loons by night. And you'll smell only the smells of nature ... and trout over an open fire. What could be better? As the plane clears the last ridge, and your pond stretches out ahead. you see that the trees and clear waters are just as you had imagined. You catch a glimpse of a moose splashing his way ashore as the water and trees rush past your window. This is it - the place of your ultimate fishing dream! The plane has no sooner stopped at the campsite landing before you 're out onto the float and looking things over. The clarity of the water is the first thing you notice, but then an alien form shimmering up through that clear water assaults your sensibilities. A beer can. Then you look a little closer and see another can ... and then a bottle ... and then two more cans ...and then, scattered here and there. a dozen or so of the now-ubiquitous pop-top openers. With your hope of enjoying a few days away from man-created ugli-

the dump. In a moment you'll discover the campsite's dump, about ten paces from where your tent will go, and about eight paces from the water ... handy to everything!

HE DETAILS CHANGE. but the essential fact of this little scenario is the same at too many of Maine's back country trout ponds: they are a mess - littered pond bottoms, littered shorelines. littered campsites, and gross dumps. The situation is bad, it's getting worse, and it demands immediate attention by everyone who cares, and even those who don't. We are pleased to report that this needed attention is forthcoming. Marshall Wiebe, co-ordinator of the Keep Maine Scenic program, is directing a concerted effort to find a lasting solution to litter and waste disposal problems at difficult-access fishing waters.

ness diminished a little, you step ashore, only to have your dreams clash even more harshly with reality. At the water's edge, a pile of cans, bottles , orange peels, bread wrappers, and an empty insect repellent spray can - all right where someone had turned them out of his canoe. Marking the short trail to the campsite are a soda bottle jammed on the stub of a spruce branch, the burned hulk of a sardine can with the handy-dandy key opener still attached, an egg carton, a leader package, a snarl of discarded monofilament line, and an enormous, wind-torn sheet of clear plastic the remains of someone's improvised shelter. Wonderful. you think. Might as well have stayed at home and camped on the town dump. Ah yes,

Although litter and dumps are universal problems, this effort to deal with them is concerned only with places used by fishermen and reached mainly by air, water, foot trail, or '4-wheel-drive vehicle. Solid waste management at such remote locations presents some unique problems, but it also offers some unique possibilities for their solution. There are some good examples of individual areas that have been cleaned up and kept that way. And this provides a spark of hope that the problem can be attacked successfully on a broad and - hopefully - permanent basis. The course that Wiebe's effort will take is not yet entirely clear, but it is certain to include much more promotion of the "carry-in carry-out" ethic. New ways must be found to encourage people to adopt this concept. And new ways must be found to deal with those people who will continue to leave their rubbish behind when their trip is over. And, finally, existing messes must be cleaned up. To help in these efforts, Wiebe is enlisting the support of concerned individuals and various other interests: private conservation organizations; Fish and Game, Forestry, and other state agencies; paper companies and other landowners; pilots and flying services; and sportsmen. Fishermen must assume much of the blame for these back country rubbish accumulations, and they will be called upon for help in getting the problem solved. It would be easy to say that it is an impossible situation ... or that it will take care of itself ... or that there really isn't a problem. Such a cop-out will not only threaten future access to some of these waters, their shorelines, and their campsites, it will also guarantee that many of Maine's finest wilderness trout ponds will become wilderness slums beyond any hope of salvation. This cannot be allowed to happen. â&#x20AC;˘ Maine Fish and Game-Summer 1974

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