Rainbow Smelt Population Monitoring and Restoration on the Gulf of Maine Coast of Massachusetts

摘要

Rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax resources in Massachusetts have received little attention since the 1970s when sport fisheries attracted many anglers, resulting in large catches in numerous embay-ments. A recent survey of smelt spawning habitat found evidence that many smelt runs had declined since the 1980s (Chase 2006). Growing concern over the status of New England smelt resources prompted interest in assessing smelt populations and in developing restoration strategies. A fyke net survey of anadromous smelt on the Gulf of Maine coast of Massachusetts was initiated in 2004 to monitor annual spawning run demographics and to assist restoration experiments.