Fishing law book contains 3 regulation errors

Due to a printing error, the 2007 Open Water Fishing Law book published by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has three regulation errors. The department is working to correct those errors and ensure that they don’t occur again.

“It is unfortunate that these errors were made, but we are working on a system with the printer to make sure that these errors or similar ones are not made again,” said Marc Michaud, the DIF&W’s director of public information and information.

The DIF&W is placing an adhesive label containing the omitted regulations on the front cover of the law books, and is forwarding adhesive labels to license agents so that the agents can place those labels on books in their possession.

In the county regulations section, there was an omission: In Aroostook County on Long Lake, Mud Brook, a tributary of Long Lake, is open to smelt dipping this year. Last year all tributaries of Long Lake in T17 R3 were closed, but a legislative bill passed in April, reopening Mud Brook. Under the law, a person may not exceed the daily bag limit of two quarts per person. Also, a person may not harvest smelts in Mud Brook for commercial purposes. The existing law allows for recreational smelt dipping in Mud Brook in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

In addition, under the general law provision under “lakes and ponds,” the minimum length limit on brook trout was omitted, affecting length limits statewide.

Under general law, brook trout in lakes and ponds must have a minimum length of 6 inches. Also under the general law provisions, in the “daily bag and possession limit,” the possession limit of two togue (lake trout) was omitted.

Among the procedures that will be instituted for future law books are longer review time between drafts and publishing and more people reviewing the books.

The department will also utilize the same design software being used by the printing company in order to minimize errors due to conversion.

Training for the new design software will begin next month. The hunting and trapping law book will be published this summer under the revised system.