DMR Commissioner, Patrick Keliher, will be our guest speaker and there will be lots of fantastic auction items and raffles!

L.L.Bean Kayak, Guided Fishing Trips, Fishing Gear and More!

Tickets are $65 at the door and include a 1 year membership in CCA Maine.

Bring a new member and you will be entered to win a L.L.Bean Gift Certificate!

Online Ticket Sales have ended, but tickets will still be available at the door.

Maine Striper Sessions Flyer


We’ll be showing a slide show of fishing photos during the event, and we’re looking for your favorite fishing photos to add to our collection. If you have a photo that you’d like to see on the big screen, send it to us at photos@cca-maine.org

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Tangible management of menhaden in the Atlantic moved
another step closer to reality this week when the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission (ASMFC) voted to send a series of management options for this critical
forage species out to public hearings.
Menhaden management has long been a sore point among conservationists as intense
commercial harvest of the species in the Chesapeake Bay has added to factors believed
to be negatively impacting striped bass and other gamefish all along the East Coast.
The primary industrial harvester of Atlantic menhaden, Omega Protein, has never had
its harvest effectively restricted and stands as one of the very few commercial fishing
operations in the country to successfully avoid management measures that might impact
its bottom line.
There is also a completely unregulated bait fishery that targets menhaden throughout
its East Coast range. Comprised of boats of all sizes, from large mid-water trawlers to
small skiffs, it supplies bait to both the commercial and recreational fishery. The quantity
of menhaden harvested by that industry has never been comprehensively assessed, but
it is undoubtedly significant. In addition, the fishery is believed to be expanding as
northeastern lobstermen seek a substitute for the more strictly regulated, Atlantic herring,
which is decreasing in abundance.
The most current menhaden stock assessment showed the stock was undergoing
overfishing and abundance estimates were at the lowest level ever recorded. Current
science indicates that the menhaden spawning stock biomass is at about 9 percent of a
stock that is not subjected to any fishing pressure. With the vote this week, the ASMFC
has put into play management options that could increase the spawning stock biomass
to15 percent or more.
“This is the grinding process of management,” said Richen Brame, CCA Atlantic
States Fisheries Director. “The science is finally catching up with the problems anglers
and conservationists have been talking about for a long time, and now the process can
move forward. The fact that these options are going out for public hearing is significant,
but it is a slow grind to get where we want to be with this stock. You can bet the
harvesters think this is a significant development.”
Whatever regulations are ultimately adopted will be interim measures that will likely
be in place for three to five years until ecological reference points, generated from a
Multi-Species Virtual Population Analysis can be produced, which will require stock
assessment updates on bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and menhaden stock. When that
analysis is conducted, it is very possible managers will have a much better idea of the
population of menhaden needed to fully serve as the critical forage base for those popular
sport fish.
“Almost everyone who has spent time fishing in the Chesapeake has seen how the
industrial boats, aided by spotter planes, can wipe out whole schools of menhaden,
removing them completely from the food chain,” said Frank Kearney, chairman of
CCA Virginia’s Government Affairs Committee. “For a long time, anglers have felt
powerless to impact the menhaden management process against a very well-connected
and financially powerful company. Now that these measures are going out for public

hearing, it feels like we have a chance to inject some sanity into this fishery and begin to
manage it for the greater good, not just for the good of one company.”

Here is some valuable information that helps to demystify Maine’s new saltwater registry.

As you may know, Maine finally has a saltwater angling registry in place. The new regulation mandates that all anglers 16 years of age and older fishing for any species of saltwater fish in coastal Maine waters be registered with the state and carry proof of registration. Enforcement by the Department of Marine Resources Marine Patrol will be “educational” for the remainder of 2011. Following is a brief summary of Maine’s new coastal angling requirements:

• If you have a resident 2011 Maine freshwater fishing license, you can legally fish in coastal waters. There is no need to register separately in the future as long as you renew your freshwater license and indicate whether or not you fished in saltwater during the previous calendar year. [Exception: Mainers who have lifetime freshwater fishing licenses must register annually with the Department of Marine Resources – see “How To Register” below -- to fish in coastal waters].
• Anglers over 16 years of age who do not have a freshwater license must register annually to fish in Maine’s coastal waters.
• Non-resident anglers must register annually to fish in Maine’s coastal waters unless they are saltwater licensed or registered in another coastal state or are on the federal registry, and carry proof of one or the other. [Note: Maine non-resident freshwater licenses do not have a saltwater check-off box].
• The registration requirement for any angler fishing Maine’s coastal waters with a properly licensed tidewater guide or charter boat captain is handled by the guide/captain.

How To Register
The easiest way to register and to review the new regulations in detail is online at www.maine.gov/saltwater There is no cost for the registration, but a $1 agent fee applies. You can also register for a $2 agent fee with town clerks and fishing tackle dealers who are authorized agents of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

Anglers with proof of Maine saltwater registration can fish in New Hampshire coastal waters. Maine residents who plan to fish coastal waters in any other state must pay a non-resident fee.

We hope you find this information helpful.

Sincerely,

Your CCA-Maine Board of Directors

Join Us at Yarmouth Boat Yard Open House & BBQ Feauturing Special Guests this Saturday

Yarmouth Boat Yard is holding an Open House and BBQ featuring Maine fishing guide Captain Eric Wallace. Wallace specializes in saltwater fly and light tackle fishing with a focus on Maine’s Casco Bay.

Wallace will perform a fly and spin fishing demonstration and guests will have an opportunity to try test rods. In addition to his guide duties in Maine and the Caribbean Wallace, produces several blogs including a Maine Striper blog.

Representatives from the Coastal Conservation Association Maine Chapter will also be on-hand to share information about their work to protect, restore and promote wise fishery management practices here in the Northeast.

The free event is taking place on Saturday, May 21st from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Yarmouth Boat Yard located at 72 Lafayette Street. RSVP’s are requested by calling 846-9050 or e-mailing stacey@ybyboats.com.

As you may recall, we recently sent out a survey asking members to assist us in making critical decisions on issues currently being pursued by CCA Maine and on projects and activities we should undertake. The response to the survey was excellent and will help chart our course into the future.

To help us follow that course, it is our hope that you will make a special contribution of $50, $75, $100, or more to ensure that CCA Maine continues to be a strong force in the conservation of our coastal marine resources and a loud voice in protecting the rights and interests of saltwater anglers in Maine.

Your tax-deductible contribution to the Maine Chapter of CCA will help fund our lobbying efforts and educational outreach, as well as our operational, logistical and organizational needs so we can move forward on the marine conservation front and continue to make a difference.

We have accomplished a lot in the past with your support and generosity, but there is still so much more to do, especially considering the daunting array of challenges currently impacting our coastline — from depleted striped bass and forage stocks, to pollution, impeded fish passage, Mycobacteriosis, and coastal access. We need your help now more than ever before.

Please help us turn the tide in the vital conservation battles we are currently fighting by making your tax-deductible contribution today. You can contribute below using your PayPal account or Credit Card, or you can mail a check to CCA Maine, 11 Mason Street, Brunswick, ME 04011.

Thank you in advance for your dedication to marine conservation in Maine.

Sincerely,

CCA-Maine Board of Directors

Donate:

At its meeting recently in Washington DC, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) directed its Menhaden Technical Committee to develop new options for managing menhaden more like a critical forage species than a fish to be industrially harvested. A move that many East Coast anglers would say is long past due.

“Only in Bizarro World can a stock reach the lowest point in its recorded history and the reference points used to manage that stock still indicate that all is well and it is not overfished nor is overfishing occurring,” said Richen Brame, CCA Atlantic States Fisheries director. “When the reference points you are using allow the stock to decline continuously since 1984 from an estimated 186 billion fish to 18 billion and no management action is contemplated, much less triggered, then you need a different set of reference points, and that’s what the ASMFC has directed the Technical Committee to do.”

Much of the debate over menhaden centers over its industrial harvest in Chesapeake Bay, not only the primary spawning ground on the East Coast for prized gamefish like striped bass and bluefish, but also where about half the entire coastal harvest of menhaden for reduction occurs. Historically, the ASMFC has managed menhaden for yield to satisfy its role as an industrial fish rather than abundance. CCA has long argued that menhaden’s critical role as a forage species for apex predators meant that every single menhaden has importance as a prey item for other fish that are greatly valued by anglers.

“This is a forage species and its abundance is extremely important, not only to maintain the population but also to serve as food for everything else,” said Kevin Smith, president of CCA Virginia. “For the main prey item in the Chesapeake Bay to be at its lowest level ever is a potential catastrophe for the gamefish that depend on them. All the signs indicate that something is clearly wrong and managers should have acted before now, but we are relieved to see them finally moving in this direction.”

The status of menhaden has taken on more significance with the prevalence of Mycobacteriosis infections among striped bass in Chesapeake Bay. The first reports of Mycobacterium-infected striped bass in the Chesapeake date back to 1984 and today more than 70 percent of bass display Myco lesions. There is growing evidence that a lack of suitable forage, especially menhaden, has stressed the fish and made them particularly vulnerable to the fatal disease.

“The stock has been declining for over 25 years and we still allow thousands of metric tons to be harvested every year,” said Scott McGuire, chairman of the CCA Maryland Government Relations Committee . “Managers have to realize we can’t continue to manage menhaden as we have in the past, and expect different results. It is long overdue, but we applaud the ASMFC for beginning this process.”

For more than 50 years, Anderson’s conservation work has had a major impact on the health of Maine’s marine resources, making the outdoors a better place for all of us.

FREEPORT, Maine, December 8, 2009 — As a passionate outdoorsman and conservationist, Dick Anderson enjoys digging for surf clams, casting to shad and striped bass on a running tide, calling turkeys into shotgun range, or leading Audubon cruises to study bald eagles on the Kennebec River. But for more than 50 years, most of Anderson’s waking hours have been spent addressing Maine’s most pressing marine resource problems and doing so as a volunteer.

In recognition of his longtime and enthusiastic devotion to marine conservation, Anderson was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Coastal Conservation Association-Maine (CCA-Maine) during that organization’s annual meeting on Monday December 7th at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport. Pat Keliher, Director of the Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries & Habitat, Department of Marine Resources, presented the award to Anderson.

“Conserving Maine’s natural marine resources is what really motivates Dick Anderson,” Keliher said in his presentation remarks. “And when this exuberant man gets behind a cause, it is next to impossible to slow him down. He has worked on very complicated issues like fish passage, habitat protection and netting regulations, and he has been instrumental in or directly responsible for some of the most important marine resource decisions in Maine over the years.”

“Dick Anderson’s professional credentials are certainly impressive, but he also has a special innate ability to get those around him fired up about a cause,” Keliher continued. “One of CCA-Maine’s greatest accomplishments was the removal of the Smelt Hill Dam on the Presumpscot River. Although that battle dragged on for almost five years, Dick Anderson worked tirelessly to rally the troops and promote the project goal of restoring diadromous fish to a river that was nearly destroyed by 200 years of industrial use. It was Dick Anderson at his best – not giving up until the dam was finally breached.”

About Dick Anderson

A native of Brockton, MA., Dick Anderson graduated from the University of Maine in 1957 with a BS in Wildlife Conservation. During his long career in conservation, he was a fisheries biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Executive Director of the Maine Audubon Society, and Commissioner of the Maine Department of Conservation. He is the founder of the International Appalachian Trail and currently serves as president of the Maine chapter.

Anderson was a co-founder of CCA-Maine in 1991 and became the organization’s first executive director. He played major roles in implementing Maine’s initial menhaden netting ban in the Presumpscot River and in securing passage for diadromous fish up the Presumpscot through removal of the Smelt Hill Dam. Anderson also led the charge to achieve game fish status for American Shad in Maine’s tidal rivers and successfully campaigned for bait netting regulations to help stop the indiscriminate killing of striped bass and diving birds on the Kennebec River. As a young fisheries biologist working for Maine IF&W, Anderson was the first person to expose the negative effects of DDT spraying on landlocked salmon in Sebago Lake.

During the Anderson Award ceremony, a check for $1000 was presented to the Maine Department of Marine Resources for striped bass tagging efforts on behalf of CCA-Maine and the Yarmouth Boatyard as a result of proceeds generated from this past summer’s Royal River Striped Bass Tournament.