The Maine Department of Marine Resources will hold a series of public meetings to provide data from recent smelt surveys and to solicit public input into future management of the fishery.

The meetings will be held Tuesday, July 15 at 4 p.m. in room 106 of the Department of Marine Resources office building at 6 Beech Street in Hallowell, Thursday, July 17 at noon in the Clipper Lounge of Sennett Hall on the campus of University of Maine Machias, and Thursday, July 24 at 10 a.m. in the Ellsworth City Hall Auditorium.

The department will present data and current trends in the fishery revealed by DMR surveys. The department will also discuss plans for future monitoring efforts.

In addition, the department will provide background on its decision to close the fishery for 90-days from Stonington to the New Hampshire border, beginning on March 14. The basis for the closure will be presented including factors influencing the population decline that prompted the closure.

The meetings will also provide an opportunity for people to ask questions of DMR science staff and to provide input which will be evaluated for the development of future management decisions.

For more information on the meetings, contact Claire Enterline in the Maine Department of Marine Resources Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat Division at 207-624-6341.