Bass in Atlantic Salmon Habitat

DMR staff have noted that adult bass spawn in portions of the Sheepscot River and that juvenile bass are very abundant in adjacent salmon habitat. Further, juvenile bass are also abundant in the main-stem of Kenduskeag Stream and many other Maine salmon rivers.

The DMR is concerned that bass may be competing with juvenile salmon and reducing the ability of the habitat to support Atlantic salmon. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is similarly concerned that bass, recently introduced to the Rapid River, will affect the trout population and that river's fishery (http://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/reports/fishery_division/rapidriver/rapidriver.htm).

The DMR is taking a staged approach to evaluating the ecological interactions between bass and Atlantic salmon. On all salmon rivers we are routinely censusing bass and salmon during juvenile population assessments. On the Sheepscot River, the staff are gathering data to answer the question: are bass nest counts related to riverine bass populations?

On Kenduskeag Stream we are evaluating the effectiveness of removing young bass from short riffle sections in reducing riverine populations of yearling and older bass.

Our overall goal is to determine if removing small mouth bass from individual riffles can increase the carrying capacity of the habitat for salmon fry, yoy, and parr.

DEPT. OF MARINE RESOURCES

Bass in Atlantic Salmon Habitat