HOME*
*
Maine Outpost Camps
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*8
8
8
8
8
Big Reed Pond,
Restoration of an Arctic Charr Ecosystem
Maine DIFW Fisheries Biologist. May, 2010
In 2007 we selected a path of restoration for Big Reed Pond that would
involve catching as many blueback and brook trout, holding them in a hatchery,
and culturing them. The hatchery
effort would hopefully provide lots of juveniles to stock out once a chemical
reclamation was successful in removing all invasive fish that were creating the
problem. If left unmanaged, the
situation at Big Reed would undoubtedly result in extinction of blueback trout
(Arctic charr), and a significant loss for the species in
In June 2010, Mountain Springs Trout Farm will have been under contract for the culture part of this project for 28 months. Because of the recent success, we have outgrown the current contract and over the next 24+ months will need significantly more hatchery space to complete the project. To date, funds to pay for our hatchery efforts have come entirely from The Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund from whom we received two grants in 2007 and 2008. We have a significant need of $75,000 beginning in July 2010 (end of the current contract with MSTF) that will allow us to complete the culture over the ensuing 24 months. We have under contract only two tanks at this time; a renewed contract per the attached preliminary agreement will provide us 11 tanks and two hatching troughs. Supporting this project will help ensure that we succeed in restoring such a rare fish in a special place where so many anglers from around the world have experienced some of the best fishing of their lives.