Massachusetts Fishing News

The August meeting of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board will be held Thursday, August 28, at 1PM at the Newburyport Elks Lodge, 25 Low Street in Newburyport. This meeting is open to the public and is handicapped accessible.

The land conservation community in northeastern Massachusetts lost a valuable resource with the recent death of Dennis McNamara, Land Protection Specialist for the Department of Fish and Game and MassWildlife. In 2006, McNamara was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Hired in the summer of 1989, McNamara worked for the Commonwealth for 19 years overseeing land protection efforts in MassWildlife’s Northeast District, a region that comprises Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk and Norfolk counties and has some of the highest land values in the state. During his tenure, nearly 5,000 acres of valuable wildlife habitat in the region were protected and are now open to recreation such as fishing, hunting, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

Massachusetts’ annual art competitions for Archery and Primitive Firearms Stamps were held at the MassWildlife Field Headquarters and this year, one artist has won both contests. Barry Julius of Brockton was selected in independent blind judging contests. When the identity of the winning artist was revealed, judges were surprised that the two winning entries had been painted by the same artist.

Michael Yacino, a long-time champion of Massachusetts sportsmen and women, recently received the Governor Francis W. Sargent Conservation Award from the Fisheries and Wildlife Board for his contributions to conserving the Commonwealth’s natural resources. Yacino, of Douglas, is the seventh recipient of the award established in 2000, by the Board to honor the former governor and noted conservationist who directed the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) in 1963 and ’64.

6,197 acres of key fish and wildlife habitat in 41 towns were protected in the past fiscal year (July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008) through the efforts of the Department of Fish and Game and MassWildlife. These protected properties ranged in size from a .5-acre public recreation access point in Orange, to a 2,300-acre conservation easement (CE) in Montgomery and Westfield. These lands will be added to the list over 164,000 acres currently under the care and control of MassWildlife, most of which are Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). Most properties were purchased outright (in fee) but, on some properties, the agency purchased conservation easements (development rights), with the land held by the original landowner. A listing of the newly acquired FY 2008 properties is on the web at: www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/land/land_acquisitions.htm. With the exception of a gifted CE, all lands are open to fishing, hunting, trapping, wildlife observation, hiking, and other passive wildlife related recreation.

Applications for the 2008 Quabbin Controlled Deer Hunt are now available through the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) web page at www.mass.gov/dcr/waterSupply/watershed/hunt2008.htm. This will be the second year that blackpowder firearms will be allowed for use during the Controlled Deer Hunt.

Deer hunters, don't wait in line; apply on time! Deer hunters are reminded that in order to take antlerless deer during any deer hunting season, they must possess an antlerless deer permit. The July 16 antlerless deer permit application deadline is fast approaching. Antlerless deer permit applications are found on paper licenses bought over the counter. Internet license buyers need to access the MassOutdoors website and apply on-line. Only online license holders may apply for a permit through MassOutdoors. Antlerless deer permit applications delivered to the Field Headquarters after 4:30 PM or postmarked after July 16 will not be accepted. MassWildlife cautions deer hunters to refrain from assuming large quantities of over-the-counter permits will be available after permits are sent out.

New hunters of all ages are reminded that it is never too early to sign up for a Basic Hunter Education Course. New hunters in Massachusetts are required to show proof that they have taken a basic hunter education course in order to purchase a hunting or sporting license. Basic courses are available across the state and many begin in August and September. "Many people fail to consider enrolling in a course until the weather turns cool in late September," says Susan Langlois, MassWildlife Hunter Education Administrator. "Unfortunately, most courses have either begun or are full by then and the opportunity to hunt during the fall may disappear." Langlois points out that courses are scheduled through much of the calendar year, including the summer, but most are offered in the spring and early fall. Basic hunter education courses average 15 hours in length and are taught by volunteer instructors. The course is usually scheduled over five or six weekday evenings. Some courses are conducted on weekends. Students must attend all scheduled sessions as part of the requirement for passing the course. All instruction and class materials are provided at no charge to the student. Funding is derived from the sale of hunting and sporting licenses, and from federal excise taxes on firearms and archery equipment.

Based on data gathered during this past year, no evidence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected in Massachusetts deer or moose. MassWildlife recently received results from a federally certified veterinary diagnostic laboratory that indicate that all the brain, lymph node, and tonsil samples taken from deer during last fall's hunting season tested negative for the disease. In late 2007 and early 2008, MassWildlife collected 487 samples from hunter-harvested and car killed deer from across the state for CWD monitoring and testing. This was the sixth year of sampling in Massachusetts as part of a nationwide CWD monitoring and surveillance program. One moose sample from a roadkill was also submitted and did not test positive for CWD.

On July 1, at Walden Pond, Massachusetts environmental officials displayed a new “Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map” packed with information for residents and visitors looking for places to enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, hunting, camping, hiking, wildlife watching, and swimming across the Bay State. The newly revised and updated Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map shows conservation lands managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. It also identifies all boat access, sport fishing piers, and shore fishing areas built by DFG’s Office of Fishing and Boating Access. There is additional information about outdoor safety and ethics, licensing requirements for fishing and hunting, and web links to further information regarding recreational opportunities on state properties. Officials praised the maps as a great resource for tourists and Massachusetts residents alike.