Hatchery Improvements

Recognizing the economic importance of recreational fishing in Maine, Governor Mills has allocated $20 million for the redesign of two department hatcheries and water quality improvements at all state hatcheries through the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan.

Fishing in Maine continues to grow in popularity and supports a recreational industry in Maine with an economic impact of over $320 million annually, supporting over 3,300 jobs. Many of these jobs are in rural areas, providing an economic boost where often there is little industry and few jobs. Over 380,000 anglers are licensed to fish in Maine annually, and these anglers pursue a variety of fish that include our coldwater species such as brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, and landlocked Atlantic salmon.

At the core of Maine’s fisheries is Maine’s state hatchery system, which stocks over one million fish annually into Maine’s waters. Maine’s hatcheries enhance fisheries where there is not enough natural fish reproduction to support a fishery; as well as sustains wild strains of brook trout, landlocked Atlantic salmon, and Arctic charr. During the Covid-19 pandemic, outdoor activities such as fishing spiked as people flocked to the outdoors. To sustain this recreational growth and continue to grow Maine’s outdoor economy, Maine’s hatcheries need to grow as well.

These Maine Jobs and Recovery funds will replace antiquated infrastructure at the 88-year-old New Gloucester Fish Hatchery, create needed capacity at Grand Lake Stream Hatchery to manage fish disease threats and conserve an endemic population of landlocked Atlantic salmon, and lastly improve the water quality leaving all eight fish culture facilities.

On this page:

• Grand Lake Stream Hatchery Upgrade Expansion
• Rebuild New Gloucester Fish Hatchery
• Improve Effluent at 8 Fish Culture Facilities

---

Grand Lake Stream Hatchery Upgrade Expansion

The Grand Lake Stream Hatchery produces 70% of the salmon stocked statewide.

Project Overview

Investments will safeguard one of the last remaining distinct landlocked Atlantic salmon populations while supplying our hatchery system with disease-free salmon. The installation of eight (20' diameter) circular tanks will isolate feral brood progeny fromproduction stocks of brook trout and a line of genetically represented back-up broodstock. Feral brood salmon eggs are collected each year from West Grand Lake wherethis endemic population is maintained by stocking due to loss of natural spawning habitat. This isolated system will allow for more additional fish health testing opportunities in response to a recent pathogen detection in feral fish without compromising the rest of the facility. A new bulk oxygen system will be installed to improve water quality along with an additional storage building. Increased fish production will result in an opportunity to raise more brook trout at this facility.Planned effluent treatment will address out wastewater discharge requirements.

---

Rebuild New Gloucester Fish Hatchery

All brown and rainbow trout produced by MDIFW’s hatchery system originate at this facility, which also produces 40% of the brown trout stocked in Maine.

Project Overview

The New Gloucester Fish Hatchery is the last state facility to use earthen raceways to raise fish. The raceways are original to the 1930s facility. The raceway banks are collapsing,and control damsare at risk of catastrophic failure. 25% of fish production is lost annually due to wildlife predation and are more susceptible to fish disease and pathogen threatsin this system. Proposed investments will ensure continued fish production, significantly improve the ability to remove phosphorus from effluent, manage fishpathogens, and reduce production losses. Planned investments include construction of 16 (20’ diameter) covered round tanks, a new bulk oxygenation systemto improve water quality, and dredging sediment from the inlet to eliminate sediment discharge into the hatchery.

---

Improve Fish Hatcheries & Effluents

Project Overview

Four of the eightexisting fish culture facilities have installed infrastructure to mechanically remove suspended solids (and associated phosphorus). Similarinvestments are needed at the remaining four facilities along with potential tertiary at all locations. Additional reductions in phosphorus will require use of muchmore refined and expensive technologies, including the likely use of chemicals to precipitate phosphorus. Additionally, more rigorous phosphorus standards arebeing proposed by Maine DEP that will require additional investments. The goal of these investments will be to maintain existing fish production of highquality, disease-free fish, as well as to improve and potentially introduce efficiencies and modernization of antiquated infrastructure to potentially increase fishproduction, and remain/obtain compliance with our wastewater discharge licenses