Cod, while the yellowtail flounders are more abundant in southern New England 

 waters. Neither are very common in estuaries. The smooth flounder and 

 windowpane are common in bays and estuaries. Neither are sought commercially. 



The anadromous and catadromous fishes are an important resource in coastal 

 Maine. Anadromous fishes are those that migrate up rivers from the sea to 

 spawn in fresh or brackish waters. Catadromous fishes migrate down rivers to 

 the sea to spawn. Many support commercial and sport fisheries; others are 

 important ecologically. These fishes are of special interest because of their 

 history. Maine's historically rich populations of anadromous fishes were 

 nearly destroyed by harmful uses of dams and barriers but careful management 

 since the 1960s has partially restored them. Based on its distribution, 

 abundance, role in aquatic systems, and many commercial uses, the alewife may 

 be the most important anadromous fish in Maine. Once an important staple in 

 the diet of New England settlers (Clayton et al. 1976), the species is the 

 primary one being restored by the Maine Department of Marine Resources 

 Anadromous Fish Program. Alewives are the most numerous among the fishes that 

 migrate up coastal streams and rivers. The alewife is an important forage 

 fish, providing food for many game fishes (e.g., striped bass, bluefish, and 

 some trouts), seals, waterfowl, and for the osprey and bald eagle. 

 Commercially, alewives are used extensively for fish meal in fertilizers and 

 animal foods. They have another important use as bait for lobster traps and 

 trawl fisheries. The primary alewife fishery is carried out during the 

 upstream spawning migration of adults. The blueback herring is very similar 

 to the alewife in appearance and habit but the blueback is a summer migrant to 

 coastal Maine, is less abundant than the alewife, and begins its spawning run 

 later. Blueback herring are caught and processed commercially and used as 

 lobster bait indiscriminantly from alewives. 



The Atlantic salmon is a highly prized sport fish of special interest in Maine 

 and New England. Its population in coastal Maine is currently reduced, 

 largely as a result of dams constructed along streams used by salmon for 

 upstream migration. Of all the North Atlantic rivers where salmon have ranged 

 historically, only a few rivers (e.g., the Dennys) in Maine support natural 

 reproduction of Atlantic salmon. The plight of the salmon is well known, and 

 its recovery is a focus of State and Federal agencies. 



Like the Atlantic salmon, American shad populations have suffered greatly at 

 the expense of industrialization, dam construction, and pollution. The shad 

 once supported a significant commercial fishery but its distribution is now 

 limited to probably 4 or 5 stream systems in Maine. A shad 

 restoration/stocking program is currently underway in the Royal River 

 (personal communication from T. Squires, Maine Department of Marine Resources, 

 Augusta, ME; December, 1979). 



The rainbow smelt is very common in streams, estuaries, and landlocked lakes 

 along the coast. The smelt is important as a forage fish, constituting the 

 most important single food item of Maine's landlocked Atlantic salmon 

 (Everhart 1958). Smelt are an important recreational resource. They are 

 taken with hook and line, or caught by hand or dipnet during the upstream 

 spawning run. Smelt are often fished from ice shanties on frozen bays and 

 estuaries in winter. They are also a highly valuable bait species. 



11-5 



10-80 



