RUMFORD — The Maine Warden Service is calling for the public’s assistance after the discovery of an illegal gill net in the Magalloway River, prompting a $1,000 reward offer from Maine Operation Game Thief for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
The concerning discovery was made on Aug. 26 when a concerned angler reported the net to Maine Game Wardens.
The net was found along the riverbanks near the bridge on Route 16.
Upon arrival, wardens found two large dead brook trout among other species entangled in the approximately 36-foot-long and 9-foot-deep net.
The use of gillnets is illegal in the state because they indiscriminately kill fish, posing a significant threat to fish populations, especially in one of Maine’s premier native brook trout fisheries like the Magalloway River.
The net’s size could have potentially stretched across a substantial portion of the river, although the duration of the net’s presence and the total number of fish affected remain unknown.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and the Maine Warden Service are deeply concerned by this illegal activity and the potential damage to the local trout population.
They urge anyone with information about this wildlife crime to contact Operation Game Thief at 1-800-ALERT-US.
Tips can also be submitted through the Maine OGT app “Tip 411” or online at www.maineogt.org.
