Kennebec fisheries meetings set

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has announced that it will stage three informational meetings that may be of interest to anglers who fish the Kennebec River.

According to a DIF&W press release, the meetings will focus on the current status, ongoing research and future of the Kennebec’s freshwater fisheries.

The meetings will be held in three communities near the river, and each meeting will focus specifically on the fishery in the immediate area. The events will begin with a brief DIF&W presentation on two sections of the river that are likely to be of particular concern in the town the meeting is held. A question-and-answer period will follow.

More specifically, each presentation will discuss the history of Kennebec fisheries, current status of the river, management strategies and options available.

Biologists will be available to talk about their research, including radio telemetry studies, stocking rates, and the evaluation of various strains of stocked fish.

“This is an opportunity for the public to discuss the future of these fisheries and learn about the research and management for this important river,” DIF&W commissioner Chandler E. Woodcock said in the press release.

Meetings will be held:

— 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, Quimby Middles School, Bingham. This meeting will focus on the sections from Harris Station to Wyman Lake including the Kennebec Gorge, The Forks, and the Bingham reach below Wyman lake.

— 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, Madison Area High School, Madison. This meeting will focus on the Solon and Madison river sections from the Williams Dam in Solon down past the Madison Dam.

— 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, Lawrence Junior High School, Fairfield. The meeting will focus on the Shawmut section and the Skowhegan reach below Weston Dam.

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.