Operational Plan for the Restoration of Diadromous Fishes to the ...

can prevent the successful downstream movement of juvenile clupeids in late
summer prior to early fall rains.
There have been several initiatives in the Penobscot River watershed for surveying
and cataloging small barriers and road-stream crossings. The USFWS was the lead
agency in surveying the Kenduskeag Stream and Piscataquis River subwatershed
(USFWS 2004a, 2004b). The Maine Forest Service surveyed small barriers and
road-stream crossings in the lower Penobscot River from Orson Island in the
mainstem Penobscot downstream to Fort Point in the Penobscot River estuary in
2007 (MFS 2008) and the mid-Penobscot River tributaries (Piscataquis and
Passadumkeag rivers) in 2008. Efforts to survey the remainder of the Penobscot
River watershed is to continue as part of Objective 20.
Municipalities, towns, and private landowners need to adopt policies and design
guides to implement proper road construction and repair. The Maine Department of
Transportation (MDOT) has developed the Waterway and Wildlife Crossing Policy
and Design Guide to direct transportation planning, design, and construction while
protecting aquatic and surface water resources (MDOT 2008). Other valuable
resource documents for the design, placement, construction and permitting of roads.
for the repair and maintenance of existing roads, for proper best management
practices for the logging industry and small woodlot owners, and for assessment of
fish passage needs include BMP Guidelines for Roads in Atlantic Salmon
Watersheds (Project SHARE 2004), Best Management Practices for Forestry:
Protecting Maine’s Water Quality (Maine Forest Service 2004), Maine Road-Stream
Crossing Survey Manual (Abbott 2008), Design for Fish Passage at Roadway-
Stream Crossings (Hotchkiss and Frei (2007),and Stream Simulation: An Ecological
Approach to Providing Passage for Aquatic Organisms at Road-Stream Crossings
(USDA Forest Service 2008)
There have been numerous introductions (legal and illegal) of non-native fish
species in the Penobscot River watershed with the most recent illegal introduction
being northern pike in Pushaw Lake. Objective 21 employs several strategies to
prevent further range expansion of non-native fish species. One approach to
accomplish this goal includes the removal of undesirable fish species at fishway
traps operated by MDMR. In order to achieve this strategy, a Memorandum of
Understanding between the fisheries agencies needs to be completed so both
agencies have a clear understanding of which species are to be removed from the
river. Protocols for removing undesirable fish species also need to be developed to
ensure proper procedures are followed once the MOU is executed.
Risk assessments for determining the potential for range expansion on non-native
fish species are be undertaken to inform the managers on how best to prevent the
spread of invasive fish. Currently, there is a risk assessment group evaluating the
potential impacts of the spread on northern pike into the mid and upper Penobscot
River watershed. Recommendations of risk assessments could lead to structural
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