Maine officials have approved an emergency rule aimed at removing predatory fish from a Washington County lake currently at risk of losing native habitat forever.
The rule, which goes into effect Sept. 21, removes bag and size limits on bass throughout the county.
Maine fisheries officials proposed the rule in a focused attempt to eliminate bass from West Musquash Lake.
Largemouth bass is believed to have been illegally introduced to the 1,600-acre lake by person or persons still being sought.
The state has offered a $6,000 reward for information leading to information about whoever dumped the invasive fish into the lake.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is working with the Grand Lake Stream Guides Association to track down the culprit. Illegal stocking is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and a potential 10-year license suspension.
Offenders can also be ordered to pay the cost of fishery mitigation or reclamation.
Fish and game wardens first found indications of the invasive bass in the lake in July.
They hope the relaxed bass limits will encourage fishermen to drop a line for whatever they can bag in the county, reducing the likelihood someone will try to take bass from one lake where it’s native and put it in another body of water where it’s considered invasive.
“People move bass to create a new or trophy fishery,” department spokesman Mark Latti explained. “By not protecting bass and encouraging anglers to remove them, that new or trophy bass fishery that the perpetrators envisioned is thwarted, taking away the incentive to move fish illegally.”
The proposed rule went through the typical rulemaking process, including a comment period and hearing, Latti told The Maine Wire.
“There were not any comments and our advisory council approved the rule Sept. 10,” Latti added. “It was filed with the secretary of state and accepted, making it effective on the 21st.”
Bass threatens a rare population of native brook trout, landlocked salmon, and round whitefish in West Musquash.
The invasive, predatory species poses a major risk to the lake’s fragile cold-water ecosystem.
Illegal fish introductions are considered serious crimes, as they can permanently alter native fish populations and destabilize entire ecosystems.
The introduction of predatory or warm-water species like bass can out-compete or feed on native fish, disrupting delicate ecological balances.
