Whomever dropped an invasive fish into a northern Maine lake is going to be on the hook, big time, if he or she gets snagged.
Operation Game Thief officials are offering a $6,000 prize to find out who dumped a largemouth bass in West Musquash Lake.
The bass threatens a rare wild fish population of native brook trout, landlocked salmon, and round whitefish in the Washington County lake.
The monetary reward is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for potentially ruining the lake’s native fishery.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said the invasive species poses a major risk to the lake’s fragile cold-water ecosystem.
“West Musquash is a deep, clear, cold-water lake that is truly special to the region and area,” state regional fisheries biologist Jacob Scoville said in a new release.
Besides containing wild brook trout, wild lake trout, and wild landlocked salmon fishery, the lake is one of the last in Maine with round whitefish, the department said.
The introduction of largemouth bass “will no doubt change the lake forever,” Scoville said.
The department is working with the Grand Lake Stream Guides Association to track down the culprit.
Illegal fish introductions are considered serious wildlife crimes in Maine, as they can permanently alter native fish populations and destabilize entire ecosystems, officials explained.
The introduction of predatory or warm-water species like bass can out-compete or feed on native fish, disrupting delicate ecological balances in cold-water lakes.
