A place that has nurtured new life for almost 90 years is getting a new lease on life.
New Gloucester Fish Hatchery is one of two aquatic nurseries that are being rebuilt or redesigned with $20 million in funding from the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan.
The New Gloucester site and Grand Lake Stream sites will be modernized using federal American Rescue Plan funds dedicated through the Governor’s Jobs Plan. In addition, water outflow will be improved at Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s six other hatcheries in Casco, Dry Mills, Governor Hill, Embden, Enfield and Palmero.
New Gloucester was built in the 1930s, and the fish are still raised in 1930s-era earthen raceways that are collapsing, according to a news release from MDIFW. New rearing tanks at Grand Lake Stream will safeguard “one of the last remaining distinct landlocked salmon populations,” the release said.
Together, the two hatcheries produce more than 70% of Maine landlocked salmon and over 40% of the brown trout stocked each year in the state’s waters, according to the department, which announced the funding last week. The state hatchery system stocks over 1 million fish annually where there is not enough natural fish reproduction to support a fishery. The hatcheries help sustain wild strains of brook trout, landlocked Atlantic salmon, and Arctic char.
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has contracted with HDR Engineering Inc. of Portland to design and engineer the two facilities, and the initial phase of the project is now underway. Construction plans will be put out to bid by early spring, with construction starting in summer 2023.
“This is welcome news for anyone who fishes in Maine,” said Commissioner Judy Camuso. “These improvements through the Governor’s Maine Jobs and Recovery plan will only enhance Maine’s reputation as a world-class fishery.”
The recreational fishing industry in Maine contributes an estimated $320 million to the state’s annual economy and supports over 3,300 jobs, many in rural Maine. Over 380,000 anglers are licensed to fish in Maine each year.
For more information about the hatchery project click here.
