State fisheries biologists think anglers who catch and release fish are hurting our fish. Deirdre Fleming’s story about this, in this newspaper on August 11, was very provocative. However, it left out some important information.

Fleming wrote: “The widespread practice of catch-and-release in waters across Maine has thrown many ecosystems off balance, creating a vicious cycle; an overabundance of fish that leads to a lack of forage, resulting in scrawny catches that no one wants to keep. And so, the fishermen throw them back — usually under the assumption that they’re helping.

That was the essence of the story — but there’s a lot more to this issue. I think it is particularly odd that the story mentioned very little about the fact that the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is still stocking those waters.

In many waters throughout the state today the department has taken the unprecedented step of increasing bag limits and encouraging anglers to kill more brook and lake trout. For example, on Sebago Lake they are proposing the most liberal daily bag limit on togue since they introduced the species in 1972.

While urging anglers to kill the fish, there was nothing in the article that indicated the department will stop stocking those waters.

Since the story was published, I received lots of messages questioning IF&W’s plans. Many asked why they seem to think that stocking is not part of the problem. Frankly, the state has made many stocking mistakes over the years.

When I worked for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, we were strong advocates for protecting our native brook trout. When we introduced legislation to do that, IF&W opposed our bill. But when they figured out that it was going to be enacted, they did step up to support it.

And I want to give them credit today because thanks to new Commissioner Judy Camuso, the department is moving forward now to protect the tributaries to our native brook trout waters, something we have been working toward for several years and that the department previously resisted.

Many questioned this statement in the story: In Aroostook County and Western Maine, two of the state’s premiere wild trout regions, state regional biologists estimate 50% of the lakes and ponds suffer from an overpopulation of fish that they say is largely due to catch and release.

Many anglers who fish those waters, including me, disagree.

According to the story, one thing Francis Brautigam, IF&W’s fisheries division director, does not foresee happening is a state-mandated requirement for fishermen to kill certain non-native fish species, a measure that is used by the federal government in Yellowstone National Park. That federal initiative pays anglers $10 for every northern pike they catch and kill.

And I was really astonished by this statement from Brautigam, explaining why his department doesn’t ask people to kill non-native fish species: “Some people might view it as unethical. It’s an area we tread lightly,” he said.

That’s an incredible statement. They are not willing to ask anglers to kill illegally introduced non-native fish species like northern pike, but they are going to ask us to kill our brook and lake trout.

So here’s where we are today. IF&W is asking anglers to kill stocked and native fish, while they have, for many years, refused to do the same thing for illegally stocked fish, including northern pike, that have been spread throughout the state. For many years, I’ve complained about DIFW’s failure to do anything about illegally stocked fish, including northern pike.

Long Pond, just 10 minutes from my house, used to be one of the state’s best landlocked salmon fisheries. And then somebody illegally put northern pike in the pond. The state failed to respond and today, the salmon are gone and the lake is full of pike and lots of other invasive species. Very sad.

I think it’s very unlikely that the department is going to be able to convince a lot of anglers to kill lots more brook and lake trout. But they should rethink their stocking practices.

I also wish, on at least some lakes and ponds, they would aggressively try to remove illegally stocked and invasive fish. And no, that is not unethical.

George Smith can be reached at 34 Blake Hill Road, Mount Vernon 04352, or georgesmithmaine@gmail.com. Read more of Smith’s writings at www.georgesmithmaine.com.

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