I stopped into the January 8th meeting of the Sebago Lake Anglers Association in Naples to see what Francis Brautingham had to say about the health of the Salmon stock in Sebago Lake.

The smelt population seems to be in good shape due to efforts by the SLAA to hatch smelt eggs an stock them into the lake. This was a concerted effort that partnered with Southern Maine Community College to help with the rearing of the eggs.

Francis expressed his disappointment that technology used to monitor smelt stocks in various lakes is no longer being supported by its vendor and will require a major upgrade to bring back on line. It is a disappointment because the technology was originally acquired through fundraising associated with DerbyFest. I think the department could use some donations to bring this technology back on line. Any interested parties should contact Francis, our Southern Maine fisheries biologist, through the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Discussion also included research being planned concerning the Crooked River habitat and improvements that may be made to insure the quality of natural Salmon reproduction their.

Things look good for the Togue population in the Lake. There is some talk of creating an upper size limit on toque harvested form the lake, but again, more research has to be done to insure that this will not have a negative effect on the Salmon fishery.

The meeting was very informative and I want to thank Francis for taking the time to with the SLAA and the community. The presentation was very professional and informative.

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