Notice from DMR Commissioner: Persistent Striped Bass Violations on Saco

Hello striped bass anglers,

I am writing today due to some concerning activity we have seen by striped bass anglers this spring, particularly around the Saco River Dam. Over the last three weeks, Maine Marine Patrol Officers have written over 50 summonses and 20 warnings for violations including fishing within 150' of the fishway, fishing in the closed area above the Route 9 bridge, or failing to immediately liberate fish. Marine Patrol's routine enforcement efforts normally include a mix of educational outreach, warnings, and summonses all focused on resource protection and management. Unfortunately, many of those summonsed in recent weeks on the Saco River are repeat offenders who have acknowledged understanding of the regulations yet continue to demonstrate a blatant disregard for the resource by engaging in ongoing illegal activity.

This disregard for our striped bass resource in the Saco River cannot continue. Maine has always been a state that values the health of its natural resources. These actions over the last few weeks do not align with the conservation ethos I often hear when speaking to recreational anglers. We've been working hard to rebuild the striped bass stock in the midst of low recruitment, and that has resulted in a narrow slot limit and low bag limit. While it is always a challenge to balance fishery access with protection of a resource, particularly when a stock is rebuilding, willfully ignoring the regulations helps neither the fishermen nor the fishery.

Marine Patrol Officers will continue active enforcement as necessary, to include the issuance of summonses and the seizure fishing equipment used to violate the law. If you observe a marine resource violation you may report it to a Marine Patrol Officer by contacting a Department of Public Safety Regional Communication Center (1-800-452-4664 in Southern Maine to the Mid-coast) or anonymously through Maine Operation Game Thief (online or 1-800-ALERT-US).

We want to be proud of our striped bass fishery and resource. Our collective actions need to change to achieve that.

A copy of our striped bass regulations can be found here.

Carl Wilson
Commissioner
Maine DMR