katahdin, june 7th, bring your goldfish

[blackyjones]

its been decided, in maine june 1, starting our five million steps on sunday the 7th. doing some whitewater rafting before hand. check out ll bean. acadia. moosehead lake. the whole 9. top of katahdin sunday at noon. i guess the goldfish is optional

[TJ aka Teej]

How much do goldfish weigh?

[jrwiesz]

How much do goldfish weigh?

1 troy ounce, 99% pure. :D

[vamelungeon]

How much do goldfish weigh?
Male or female? :-?

[weary]

How much do goldfish weigh?
I know the "goldfish" was intended as a joke. But FWIW bringing goldfish to these waters is a serious matter. Baxter Park and surrounding areas contain waters that are the least contaminated by foreign species to be found in the United States. A lot of once pure waters have been irrevocably damaged by people bringing in foreign species.

Weary

[YoungMoose]

i loved moosehead lake when i went with outward bound. we swam there for a day and the waves were so choppy it was awsome.

[fehchet]

Let me be the first to say "Have a great adventure!"

[Johnny Thunder]

Every party has a pooper, right?

Get your journal up. I think I just found the one I'll follow this year.

[weary]

its been decided, in maine june 1, starting our five million steps on sunday the 7th. doing some whitewater rafting before hand. check out ll bean. acadia. moosehead lake. the whole 9. top of katahdin sunday at noon. i guess the goldfish is optional
If you bring goldfish, guard them carefully.

The illegal introduction of any fish into any Maine water is a Class E crime, punishable by fines up to $10,000! The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is offering a minimum reward of $2,000 for information leading to the apprehension of persons responsible for the illegal introduction of fish. Call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-253-7887.

Weary

[blackyjones]

good lord man... give it up

[rcli4]

If you bring goldfish, guard them carefully.

The illegal introduction of any fish into any Maine water is a Class E crime, punishable by fines up to $10,000! The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is offering a minimum reward of $2,000 for information leading to the apprehension of persons responsible for the illegal introduction of fish. Call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-253-7887.

Weary

gOLDFISH IS A TYPE OF CRACKER, WEARY

[kayak karl]

gOLDFISH IS A TYPE OF CRACKER, WEARY
TY. i just read the thread and was hoping for a logical conclusion. :)
how ya been Clyde?
KK

[blackyjones]

im just glad someone else has heard of goldfish
i love the fish's cuz theyre so delicious

[woodsy]

im just glad someone else has heard of goldfish
i love the fish's cuz theyre so delicious
goldfish are wormy, i like trout better.

[Samatva]

I prefer animal crackers.... but I only bring one sex to avoid the foreign species introduction thing.

[rickb]

gOLDFISH IS A TYPE OF CRACKER, WEARY

I am sure Weary is aware that Goldfish are a type of cracker. He was probably thinking of the animal with fins and gills described in this article:


Officials defend seizure of koi fish from restaurant

By DAVID HENCH, Portland Press Herald Writer

Maine's wildlife biologists have periodically killed every fish in a pond, just to keep a population of goldfish from spreading to a nearby river.

Such extreme action shows that the state is serious about protecting native freshwater fisheries from invasive species. Cuong Ly found out just how serious last week when game wardens seized 10 koi, goldfish-like ornamental carp, from a fish tank at his restaurant in Freeport.

Maine Warden Service officials say they warned Ly that the fish are illegal in Maine, but he kept them, prompting the seizure.

Ly says the fish are more than decoration, they are pets. And in the Asian belief system of feng shui, they bring good luck and prosperity to his business and his family.

"We're expanding. We're fortunate, healthy and happy," said Ly, owner of China Rose on Freeport's Main Street. "But right now, all my fish are gone."

Ly, who is of Chinese descent, was born in Vietnam but fled to the U.S. in 1979 when Vietnam and China became embroiled in a war.

John Boland, director of fisheries for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, says it is difficult to craft a law that protects Maine rivers and ponds from invasive species but exempts responsible restaurateurs.

"It's on a long list of fish species we just don't want showing up in our wild waters," Boland said of the koi. "I don't doubt he has no intention of releasing them but that doesn't mean somebody else less scrupulous might not just get rid of theirs.

"Fish like koi, carp or catfish are a threat to these natural resources in Maine because if they're accidentally or intentionally released into the wild, they can establish populations and out-compete our native fish species."

Boland said invasive species have hurt Maine's native species as far back as the 1800s when bass were introduced to improve fishing opportunities. Those fish, as well as black crappie and northern pike, continue to be problematic, hurting populations of brook trout and other native species by competing for food or eating them directly.

"Whether it's small-mouth bass in the Rapid River in Rangeley, or muskee in the St. John and bass now threatening the Allagash River, it's a real problem," Boland said. "Over the last few years we've caught five or six pike in Sebago, which is bad news for Sebago and its drainage."

The most serious threat is from those who intentionally introduce attractive sportfish like bass. But even nonsport fish like goldfish have been released and established populations, Boland said.

Typically, the only way to dislodge a foreign fish species is to kill all the fish in the water body and then restock it with native species, he said.

State laws against importation of non-native fish species have been on the books for decades, so Ly was prohibited from having the fish even 15 years ago when bought them, Boland said.

Maine has some of the strictest laws in the country when it comes to importing exotic species. It has given permits to just a few entities - primarily commercial aquariums and research facilities, Boland said.

Tropical fish, which cannot survive in Maine's cold waters, are exempt from the state's fish-importation laws, as are goldfish.

"Maine has stepped up to the plate in recent years," Boland said. "Now it's a $10,000 fine to stock a pond without a permit or to transport live fish without a permit . . . We're taking a hard line on it, whether it's illegal introduction of bass, or non-native or exotic fish species."

An owner may have no intention of releasing pet fish into the wild, but many have, says Judith Pederson, manager of the Center for Coastal Resources, part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Carp species have invaded rivers in the U.S. and other areas of the world. The fish stir up sediment so water is murky and undrinkable, can disrupt vegetation altering water chemistry and they can have parasites that spread to native species, according to the center.

Ly says he faces a hefty fine and would face more trouble if he tries to retrieve his fish from the New Hampshire pet store where the state transferred them. The store owner has offered to sell them back to Ly for $700, but Ly has not yet made arrangements for where they can be kept.

Ly insists that he's had bad luck since the state seized his fish last week. But he has also received a flood of support from sympathetic customers and others who think the state has been heavy-handed. He's now worried about the future for his lucky fish, having seen images of them on television.

"My fish are very unhappy and beat up. They are sad, they sink down," he said. "Right now I just want an injunction to keep them well so they do not die."

Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

dhench@pressherald.com

[weary]

good lord man... give it up
Ignorance is not bliss!!!!

[blackyjones]

Sweet Jesus. Its A Cracker. A Freaking Cracker. I Like Goldfish Crackers. Theyre Tasty. For The Love Of God.

[Sidewinder]

I always hike with goldfish no matter what state i'm in

[warraghiyagey]

What do you carry them in?