PORTLAND (AP) — Maine regulators are asking fishermen and others to log information about the health of the smelt fishery.
The state Department of Marine Resources plans to give volunteers a logbook to record information about fish harvested by themselves and any companion during each outing.
The information will include time spent fishing or surveying, number of anglers, location, lengths of fish and other species caught. The agency says the data will help the state rebuild the smelt fishery. Volunteers will be asked to mail the logbook to the department at the end of season.
Department surveys show smelt populations declining in many parts of the state, especially around the southern coast. The state closed the fishery from Stonington to the New Hampshire border this past spring.
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