Advocates for changes in Maine bear hunting rules and a state wildlife biologist traded verbal blows Tuesday in a debate over the Nov. 4 referendum that will ask voters whether to ban the use of bait, traps and dogs to hunt black bears.

In a half-hour televised debate sponsored by the Portland Press Herald and WCSH-TV, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, clashed with Judy Camuso, Wildlife Division director at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, over the effect of the proposed ban on the roughly 30,000 black bears in Maine.

“You don’t need to use these methods to hunt the animals,” Pacelle said. “Hunting is supposed to give the animals a chance, and this stacks the deck so badly.”

Camuso said that unless hunters can use bait, traps and dogs, the state would “absolutely not” be able to control the bear population.

“We allow all these tools because they are not only necessary, they are essential for managing our population,” she said.

On nearly every aspect of the debate, both sides deeply disagree.

Pacelle contended that the countless pounds of bait, which is impossible to measure because there is no reporting requirement, have artificially sustained a higher bear population.

Camuso said that baiting has declined by 20 percent over the last 20 years, that bait left in the woods does not affect bear populations, and that bear numbers are increasing across the board in states with the animals.

The proposed ban was placed on the ballot by Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting, and the campaign to pass the measure has largely been funded by the Humane Society of the United States. An identical ballot question failed at referendum in 2004.

There are roughly 30,000 black bears in Maine, and last year hunters killed 2,845 animals, of which 92 percent were killed using bait, traps or dogs, according to state figures.

Unlike 10 years ago, this year the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has waded directly into the controversy, allowing uniformed biologists to appear in television advertisements.

So far, Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting has spent roughly $1.7 million, according to financial disclosure documents filed Oct. 6. Among six groups opposing the ballot measure, total spending is roughly the same, at $1.7 million, according to state figures. Many of the contributions, especially for supporters of the referendum, have come from out of state.

James Cote, campaign manager for Save Maine’s Bear Hunt, said in the debate that the source of funding for the ballot question should be a signal to voters that “there is a broader agenda at play here.”

“Losing this bear hunt would jeopardize hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in economic investment,” Cote said.

Joining Pacelle was Cecil Gray, a master Maine guide, who said there’s a real difference between a Mainer who leaves a few barrels of bait behind his house, and the large outfitters who operate large hunting businesses that rely on the ability to successfully bait or hound a bear for a paying customer.

Those big outfitters obtain about 5,000 bear permits, Gray said, which translates into about $1 million in license fees for IFW, which is heavily dependent on hunting and fishing licenses to sustain its budget.

“This is about the commercial bear industry,” Gray said. “It’s not about management.”

Camuso, in her final statement, pleaded for voters not to hamstring the agency.

“We need all the tools we have,” she said.