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Meeting Minutes
June 26, 2025 @ 9:30am
Augusta, ME
(and virtually via Microsoft Teams)
Attending:
Judy Camuso, Commissioner
Timothy Peabody, Deputy Commissioner
Christl Theriault, Assistant to the Commissioner
Mark Latti, Communications Director
Nate Webb, Wildlife Division Director
Liz Latti, Director of Fisheries and Hatcheries
Jen Vashon, Game Research and Management Section Supervisor
Lauren McPherson, Resource Biologist
Nathan Bieber, Deer Biologist
Steve Allarie, Game Warden Corporal
Becky Orff, Secretary/Recorder
COUNCIL MEMBERS
Catherine Gordon
Eric Ward
Wing Goodale
Scott Ireland
Tony Liguori
Mike Gawtry - online
Dave Craven online
Joe Powers online
GUESTS
Larry Bastian Native Fish Coalition
Clarie Perry - online
I. Call to Order
Commissioner Camuso called the meeting to order.
I-A. Pledge of Allegiance
II. Moment of Silence
III. Introductions
Introductions were made.
IV. Acceptance of Minutes of Previous Meeting
A motion was made by Eric Ward to accept the minutes as presented and that was seconded by Tony Liguori.
Vote: unanimous in favor minutes accepted.
V. Rulemaking
A. Step 3
- Ch. 27 Animal Damage Control Agent Certificate rules
Lauren McPherson stated the process for revamping the rules for the program was to improve the integrity of the program and making sure those being certified by IFW were the best we could have for animal conflict resolution. We added requirements, updated the operating standards, etc. Under section 27.13, Transition and Grandfathering provisions we overlooked the date change from 2019 to 2025. We were recommending updating that date change; the rest of the proposal would move forward as originally presented. Anyone who had gone through the program up to this point would not have to back through and redo the course and examination. If they were to let their recertification lapse for 3 years, they still would have an expectation of going back through the full process.
Tony Liguori asked how many agents were currently certified.
Lauren stated she believed there to be 220 or more.
There were no further questions or comments.
A motion was made by Tony Liguori to accept the proposal as amended and that was seconded by Eric Ward.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
B. Step 2
- Furbearer seasons, rule clarification
Jen Vashon stated the first change in the proposal was to adjust the time limit for trappers to tag their pelts from 10 days after the close of the season, to 30 days after the season closes. There were a few exceptions (bobcat, otter, coyote and fox). The second change was to remove one area previously closed to beaver trapping in WMD 17. There were several clarifications on exclusion devices used for trapping martin and fisher. The exclusion devices were designed to avoid the capture of lynx. We had three points of clarification, one was the attachment point on the exclusion device to ensure that when set, it did not open or separate. Another was to clarify where the trap was anchored. Some were anchoring the trap inside the exclusion device to the exclusion device, and we were clarifying that it needed to be anchored outside the exclusion device. After the proposal was advertised, we identified another point of clarification. The amended version would add not just wire mesh used in the exclusion device, but any wire used in an exclusion device needed to be 16 gauge or smaller.
Jen stated a public hearing was held with no members of the public attending. We received two written comments. One was in support of the proposal from the Maine Trappers Association, and one comment was in opposition to the proposal. The opposition was really to trapping in general and asked that we no longer allow trapping in Maine, at the very least not to allow the trapping of coyotes.
There were no further questions or comments.
A motion was made by Eric Ward to move the proposal to Step 3 for final adoption and that was seconded by Dave Craven.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
A motion was made by Eric Ward to accept the proposal as amended and that was seconded by Tony Liguori.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
2. Fall turkey season WMD 3
Jen Vashon stated the proposal was to open WMD 3 in Aroostook County to a fall wild turkey season with a bag limit of one turkey of either sex. The decision was based on feedback from wardens and regional biologists in the area indicating there was an increasing population of turkeys and they were beginning to see some conflicts. As turkeys became more established, we began to open seasons. We had a spring season in WMD 3. This was a conservative approach to add opportunity. A public hearing was held with no members of the public attending. We did receive one written comment. They were in favor of the proposal but requested the addition of WMD 5 to the season.
Wing Goodale asked if there were surveys done to determine density and how did we determine a bag limit of one vs. two?
Jen stated there was a strong correlation between spring turkey harvest and spring turkey abundance and that had been shown through a variety of population models across the northeast. We had been tracking the abundance of turkeys through the spring harvest. We had seen an increase in spring turkey harvest in WMD 3 that supported the observations.
There were no further questions or comments.
A motion was made by Eric Ward to move the proposal to Step 3 for final adoption and that was seconded by Tony Liguori.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
A motion was made by Eric Ward to accept the proposal as presented and that was seconded by Joe Powers.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
3. Antlerless deer permits 2025
Nathan Bieber stated this year we were recommending issuing permits in 25 districts and 1 deer management sub-unit. The total number of permits we were recommending statewide was 123,.695. This was a slight decline in the number of permits from the previous year. The reason for this decline was that we were also recommending opening six WMDs to either sex hunting with just a regular hunting license. A hunter in one of those districts could buy a hunting license and take a buck or an antlerless deer. These were districts where we wanted to maintain or increase antlerless harvest, but we were finding there were a lot of permits left over by the end of the season that were not being distributed. This was something we could do to increase doe harvest. We were also recommending that both days of the youth hunt and during the regular archery season they would be able to take a deer of either sex with their regular hunting license. Nathan stated a public hearing was held on June 10th and no members of the public attended. No written comments were received.
Scott Ireland asked about the correlation, he knew the number of permits issued and sold and the number of deer harvested but was it having the impact that we wanted. In central Maine he was seeing 1/3 of the deer that he did three years ago.
Nathan stated we were seeing increased doe harvest statewide over the last three years, but not in all WMDs. In some districts we were well below what our objective was hence the either sex designations being proposed in those districts.
Mike Gawtry discussed the email that went out from the Department highlighting the proposed changes for harvesting antlerless deer. There was some confusion with the charts and diagrams on the number of deer that could be harvested.
Nate Webb stated the proposal for either sex hunting in certain districts was a big change, and we were fully anticipating the need to do a lot of outreach. We fully expected there would be confusion and that was the case whenever a big change of this nature occurred. We would continue to clarify.
Mike Gawtry stated the proposal was an effective way to meet management goals, it was just that some found the content of the email confusing.
There were no further questions or comments.
A motion was made by Eric Ward to move the proposal to Step 3 for final adoption and that was seconded by Mike Gawtry.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
A motion was made by Eric Ward to accept the proposal as presented and that was seconded by Tony Liguori.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
4. Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) Permits
Nathan Bieber stated we were working on a program to help landowners deal with deer conflicts on their property. The DMAP permits focused on commercial growers. The permits would be issued to a commercial landowner/grower who wanted to remove additional antlerless deer from their property to reduce pressure on crops or trees. These would be free antlerless permits issued to landowners to either use themselves or distribute to other hunters free of charge for use during the regular hunting seasons. We wanted to define eligibility, etc. in rule to clarify why or why not a permit was issued. A public hearing was held with no members of the public attending. No written comments were received.
Wing Goodale asked if a landowner could pay for a hunter to come take a deer from their property if they were not a hunter themselves.
Nathan stated that was not part of the proposal. He was not aware of any law that would prevent them from doing so.
Eric Ward asked how many permits we would give out, was there a formula?
Nathan stated we did not have a specific number. Traditionally, the warden service has issued 3 permits per landowner. It would be decided on a case-by-case basis.
There were no further questions or comments.
A motion was made by Joe Powers to move the proposal to Step 3 for final adoption and that was seconded by Eric Ward.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
A motion was made by Eric Ward to accept the proposal as presented and that was seconded by Tony Liguori.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
5. Taxidermy rules
Steve Allarie stated no public hearing was held. The proposal was to change the current structure where mammals and game heads would go into their own separate classification. There were no comments received, and we were not recommending any changes to the original proposal.
There were no further questions or comments.
A motion was made by Tony Liguori to move the proposal to Step 3 for final adoption and that was seconded by Eric Ward.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
A motion was made by Tony Liguori to accept the proposal as presented and that was seconded by Eric Ward.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
6. Whitewater Rafting rules
Steve Allarie stated no public hearing was held and no written comments were received. The proposal was to modify the training schedule from the required 20 runs to 15. This was to try and offer more flexibility for the commercial outfitters based on environmental factors and water impoundments to offer more quality training. They had been rushing to get the 20 runs done in a 5-day period based on limited water it was very difficult to do unless they spread it out over time. This portion of the proposal came at the request of the outfitters. There was also an administrative factor that needed clarification for written exams. If a person was unsuccessful, the current rule was 30 days to retest. All other exams in rule were 14 days. We were recommending going to 14 days to be consistent. The final change was to the knife requirement for guides and also a clarification for the medical kit to remove an obsolete form.
There were no further questions or comments.
A motion was made by Joe Powers to move the proposal to Step 3 for final adoption and that was seconded by Eric Ward.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
A motion was made by Eric Ward to accept the proposal as presented and that was seconded by Joe Powers.
Vote: unanimous in favor motion passed.
C. Step 1
- Ch. 1 Fishing Regulations 2026
Liz Latti stated we had the state general law regulations split between the north and south zones. Most of the regulations were water body specific. There were 12 individual proposals for specific water bodies, we were not proposing any general law changes. The proposals were broken up into four different themes. The first theme was Special Need. This theme was typically around an emerging situation. Crooked Brook Flowage in Danforth recently had a fishway put in and as part of the fishway being put in there was also a town park built next to it. Under general law you could not fish within 150 ft. of a fishway. In order for people going to the park to fish there, legislation was introduced during the last session which passed so we were adjusting the rule. The second proposal in the theme was another exemption for a fishway and was on Harrington Lake in T3R11. Harrington Lake was included in a FERC settlement agreement in the early 2000's and a dam was put in to help manage the water level. The fishway was installed in 2024. Downstream of the dam and fishway was a popular fishing pool, and the proposal was an exemption to allow anglers to fish near the fishway in the pool that was historically very popular. There were no biological concerns, they would not be allowed to fish from on or within the fishway.
Liz stated the next theme was Salmonid Growth, Condition and Performance. There was only one proposal in this theme. This was how we managed healthy fisheries on an individual level. Schoodic Lake was a very popular open and ice fishing fishery. There were trophy salmon there and a high population of wild lake trout and stocked with brook trout. The lake trout population at Schoodic was growing very rapidly and we were seeing high signs of recruitment and as a result the lake trout were not as healthy and also the salmon fishery was declining. The proposal was to go from 6 lake trout, minimum length of 14", only 1 over 23 to no size or bag limit under 23 and only 1 over 23. This regulation was common in areas with a lot of lake trout. The biologists monitored the lake and would keep tabs on the harvest rate and any changes. Fall fishing was also proposed to be added to try and increase the harvest of lake trout but catch and release for salmon and brook trout until ice fishing season opened. There was a recent public meeting held in the area on Schoodic Lake which was well attended and the public was in agreement.
Liz stated the next theme was Expanded Angler Opportunity and there were two bodies of water in this theme. Cross Lake in Aroostook County was a popular ice fishing water. Recently, several waters in Aroostook County had created an early smelt ice fishing season that was very popular. As soon as ice formed they could ice fish for smelts. Cross Lake would be included in that. Lobster Lake was a remote water known for larger lake trout and salmon. Over time, youth surveys were showing over 2,000 anglers were using it in the summer and over 1,000 in winter. In winter 2025 we only documented around 160 anglers. We were seeing less use and less harvest so we were looking to expand and go from just a February season to the general Jan-April season and go from 1 open water fishing line to 2 and increase the bag limit from 1 lake trout to 2 lake trout with a slot between 23 33.
Wing Goodale asked if the quality of the ice was an issue. Was the safety of the ice during that season an issue?
Liz stated most seasons it was not the safety of the ice. The February season was more looking at how to allow an ice fishing season and reduce impacts. Now that we saw the overall use as being so low we could expand it.
Liz stated the last theme was Errors, Conflicts and Confusion and there were seven proposals in this theme. This theme was used to correct any identified issues or errors. Six of the seven proposals were all the same. In Aroostook County when the early ice fishing smelt season was created it was a new opportunity and well received, however, we identified there was some bycatch when anglers were smelt fishing. The bycatch was often yellow perch, white perch, etc. and we would want those removed. The season didnt align with smelts so by law anglers would have to throw back those species that we technically wanted removed. To help create consistency, we would be adding language to Eagle Lake, Long Lake, Big and Little Machias Lake, Portage Lake and St. Froid Lake stating "while fishing for smelts anglers may harvest any fish species for which there is no bag limit. The last proposal was for Katahdin Lake in Baxter State Park. The Baxter Park Authority notified the Department that in the lawbook we were in contradiction. The park had a rule there were no motorboats allowed on several lakes, Katahdin Lake being one of them. However, the lawbook stated it was permitted so the proposal was to align Baxter State Parks rule with what was in the lawbook. The lake was about a 3-mile hike in so it was unlikely that motorboats would be carried in for use.
There were no further questions or comments.
VI. Other Business
- Legislation Update
Commissioner Camuso discussed many of the bills that had been before the IFW Committee and others that had passed. Several of the bills would require the Department to convene working groups, etc. and prepare report backs for the next session. The summary of legislation would be made available at: https://www.maine.gov/ifw/news-events/legislative-updates.html
VII. Councilor Reports
Councilor Reports were given.
VIII. Public Comments & Questions
Larry Bastian stated they would be reviewing the proposals. Their goal was to protect native fish species in Maine and they would be providing written comments on the proposals.
IX. Agenda Items & Schedule Date for Next Meeting
The next Council meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, August 6, 2025 at 9:30am at IFW, Augusta.
X. Adjournment
A motion was made by Joe Powers and that was seconded by Eric Ward to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 a.m.