Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and WildlifeFrom the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife:

AUGUSTA – An agreement was reached today that ends a lawsuit against the State of Maine by the Animal Protection Institute.

In 2006, API sued the state, alleging that the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife was in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act because it licenses and regulates trappers in Maine who have occasionally caught lynx accidentally while lawfully trapping other species in Northern Maine . Canada lynx are listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The consent decree, signed by the parties in the suit and approved by U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock, allows for trapping to continue in Northern Maine while also creating an interim strategy for lynx conservation.

“The settlement we have reached strikes an appropriate balance by allowing trappers to continue to engage in a traditional Maine activity while ensuring that a threatened species is adequately protected,” Attorney General Steve Rowe said. “I am extremely pleased that the various groups were able to come together and resolve this matter to the satisfaction of everyone involved.”

Canada LynxThe settlement largely reaffirms the conservation strategies already used by the IF&W while also imposing a size restriction on traps used on land in the northern part of the state. The size restrictions may help to reduce the unintentional capture of lynx.

“ Maine ’s trappers are very cooperative and helpful in the conservation of lynx and understand the need for this kind of settlement,” said IF&W Commissioner Roland D. Martin. “This settlement brings some agreement from all parties on reasonable interim approaches to ensure the protection of lynx while the state continues to work with the federal government to comprehensively plan for lynx conservation.”

The consent decree will be valid while the state continues to work to obtain an Incidental Take Permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. An Incidental Take Permit would essentially constitute federal approval of the state’s trapping program, and would protect both the state and trappers from any future legal actions.

Since lynx were listed as threatened in 2000, trappers have accidentally caught 33 lynx. Only two of those 33 lynx died and the rest were released back into the wild. In the same period, more than five times that many lynx were killed by cars (11).

In addition to IF&W and API, other signatories include: National Trappers Association, Maine Trappers Association, Fur Takers of America, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine.

Posted by Tom Remington

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