Musky Slaughter in Maine

[trexellunge]

While anglers in most areas consider the muskellunge as a strict catch and release prize (or at the bare minimum, a trophy fish), fishermen in Maine are using them for "fish and chips." Check out the Fort Kent International Musky Derby website http://www.fortkent-muskie.com/ and the damning photo link below. What a waste. I dug up this disturbing info on muskyhunter.com thanks to a person who also might frequent our board, although I'm not sure because of the different spellings (Canudude as opposed to Canoedude). In any event, this musky derby seems like something out of the Dark Ages, and some anglers on this board might want to respond to it. I did, with a very "informative" e-mail to the Fort Kent Musky Derby contact link. It's too bad that the state of Maine only recognizes trout and salmon as species worthy of respect, because it's a great state with plenty of "knock out gorgeous" waters. Hopefully, anglers in Maine just have to be educated about the traditional practices of musky fishing....that they belong in a photograph, not in a recipe. Musky anglers, please see below at your own risk..........
http://www.fortkent-muskie.com/2005/index.htm

[wolfe]

Not liking all those pictures of kept muskies, for sure. And this quote taken from the link...well, yuck.

"I encourage all of you to stay for the award ceremonies after the Derby. We will have a door prize for all the contestants, and a raffle with numerous prizes. There will be samples of Muskie using a few local recipes. Bring along your favorite recipe and share it with all of us."

I had heard that in some places in New England, muskies are frowned upon and there are those that encourage their demise. Dark age eejits.

W.

[Cancatchbass]

From the Recent Muskie Symposium:

Ecology of an introduced predator: muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) in the Saint John River of Maine and New Brunswick
R. Allen Curry, Chad A. Doherty, Tim Jardine, and Steven L. Currie

The muskellunge was introduced in the Saint John River system from stockings in a headwater lake in the 1970s. In the past two decades, muskies have migrated down the system establishing several populations including one at the rivers first dam (Mactaquac at Fredericton). The muskies are of concern because of their potential threat to the severely depleted Atlantic salmon stocks in the river. We radio tracked muskies over a two year period. They had home ranges up to 150 km within the reservoir and including moving upstream into riverine habitat during summer. They were less active in winter and used habitats >5m deep. Two individuals passed through the turbines or spillway at the dam. Downstream of the dam, home ranges were smaller (<20 km), including a tributary stream. Most spent 1+ months at the base of the dam with forays downstream in winter and summer. In May, all muskies downstream of the dam moved to an area of multiple, flooded islands for < 14 days and then dispersed to sites used in the previous summer. Stable isotope analyses of the fish community downstream of the dam indicated that muskies consumed prey similar to striped and smallmouth bass. Their diets appeared to be dominated by white perch and young alosids. Atlantic salmon smolts may have been consumed, but they were an insignificant component of the muskie diet. The muskie behaviour and diets are discussed in terms of their range expansion, establishment patterns, and the consequences for the native fishes of the Saint John River.

I'm sure if someone dumped some muskies in some of Quebec's famed trout/salmon waters there would be a push on to target them for the table, too.

[joco]

thanks for the info trexellunge.......


but dont like to see picture like this........... ..but this is only my own opinion....if they do it legaly,,,,,,,,,,,its there choice,,,,they just should just be educate about the muskys fisheries over there......

musky is not like,, trout in a lake where they put some in it all the time........

i dont no what population off musky they got down there......so i am not in a position to tell them anything,,,then,,,you guys should take care off your musky population.......



but hey i receive a picture off a cooworker,,is brother inlaw friend caught a big musky(big chance shes a femmale)........the musky was 53 inch long......around 40 pound........and they caught it on ice last weekend,,,,and they kept it....... ........there choice....


its little up noth in quebec,,,,,,,,,i wont say the name......but its not a big lake,,,,,that female was a good producer for a so small lake to bad....put it back could have been good for there fisheries,,,,,but people somtime dont think that way.........they say if i dont keep it the next one will,so they keep it........

so only educate people is the way to go.....no bashing....or helse.....



so thanks again for the info.......

joco..

[slop]

Disturbing, yet intriguing that the Maine site has 'only' one link http://www.muskiesnb.ca/INDEX.htmL The photo's on the NB site clearly depict Muskies being photographed on the water, not in foil with onions, lemon and seasoning. I guess this watershed is made up of two different set's of ethics. I'm sure to be corrected though!... Thanks for the interesting links Trex.

[trexellunge]

Hi Cancatchbass, good to "see" you again, and I hope all is going well. In regard to your interesting info in your reply post, I will have to add that the muskies were stocked legally in the system (Lac Premierre) by the government in the late 1960's...so it wasn't some crazy "fly by night" fisherman who wanted muskies in his backyard. Did they think the muskies would just "nicely" stay put, and not seek out other connected waterways? They treat one of the greatest sportfish in North America like a virus...just contain them or eliminate the fish completely. You listed one of the key factors in your reply post research, which states:
" analysis of the fish community downstream of the dam indicated that muskies consumed prey similar to striped and smallmouth bass. Their diets appeared to be dominated by white perch and young alosids. Atlantic salmon smolts may have been consumed, but they were an insignificant component of the muskie diet. "
I don't know, based on the study, it sounds like they are over reacting to me. Remember, smallmouth bass and walleyes were not native to many lakes in Ontario where they currently reside (from long ago stocking programs). Are they trying to eliminate these popular fish (which have a diet somewhat similar to muskies according to the study done in Maine) because they are not truly native to these waters? In my view, muskies are too valuable and rare in ANY waterway to be treated like perch.

[Jigs]

They seem to treat em like big pike. Reminds me of the big pike contest they have (had?) in Johnstown below Prescott. Still don't know what the logic to the pike kill was there, but they sure removed some big breeding mamas from the system.

Guess they don't want them around. Their country. Go for it.
I wouldn't want anyone telling me I can't keep the odd bass or walleye, so, its presumtuous of me to tell them to release all the muskie. Lets's just keep it south of the border.

The US "MNR??" seems to be on the ball when it comes to stocking fish, and policing the resourse, so maybe they have an idea of what they"re doing.

Long as they ain't getting slaughtered in Canada eh , I really don't care.

How callous Jigs, give yourself a slap

[wolfe]

Jigs,

You need to sing some happy spring time tunes accompanied by your pretty handmade strings!

W.

[muskymatt]

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Lookinforlunkers]

That reminded me of black and white photos from the 20's and 30's. Guess there is no Muskies Inc chapter around to educate these poor souls

[ganman]

I don't understand the issue. They are non native species in that part of the country. So what if they are muskies. To a New Englander they may as well be Carp. These states work very hard are preserving native trout and salmon stocks.

The other day someone from another board critisized some folks here about brookie pics. He was wrong under the circumstances. I think anyone here who does the same thing towards the people in Maine are wrong too.

If those people are within there states law then what is the problem? Isn't that what's been hashed out here about keeping and eating fish? I know what the folks in Maine would say.

[BBRich]

Kinda like the bass in Nova Scotia & BC, or say, the crappie in the kawarthas .. it's not that they don't like the fish or are uneducated. They just want to keep an invading species from wiping out their native species.

[kegman75]

I dont know what the musky stocks are like in maine, but doesnt this

seem an awful lot like the brookie discussion that was going on here all

week. If all theese people are in thier legal limits, then

who are we to say what they do with them . I've heard of people using

carp as good fertilizer but somebody somewhere would probally have a

problem with it. Didnt everyone including myself say hey they are

completely legal to keep 10 brookies and that urban angle was wrong???

Its kind of ironic that tonight the shoe is on the other foot for some just

because its musky!!

[Bruin]

What the F$*K

Idiots in my opinion

[Trophymuskie]

I guess our new muskies Canada NB sub chapter called St-John River will have this on top of their to do list. The sad thing about this kill tournament is they allow the sloughter to be done in Canada.

BTW the NBmuskies.ca site is run by the same guys running the new sub chapter.