I’m a fisheries biologist by trade, and being a fisherman, it’s one of the most interesting jobs I can imagine having. With only a few dozen of us in Maine, outside of the angling community you don’t hear much about the trade.
You don’t see many books about fisheries biology either, and even less common, in fact almost nonexistent, would be a fictional book about a young fisheries biologist. That’s why I was so pleasantly surprised to discover Edward Janes’ “Trouble at Clear Lake”.
You might remember the name Janes. He wrote a similar 1950’s fictional book titled “Wilderness Warden”. The book followed the life of a young Maine game warden during his early days on the job. Having enjoyed that book, I looked around for other titles by Janes. They were few and far between, but the search led me to “Trouble at Clear Lake”.
In this 1956 fictional story, a young Ben Colton, fresh out of State University, is hired on by the State Division of Fisheries and Game as a fisheries biologist. He’s assigned to the northern resort town of Greenfield to study the fishery at Clear Lake.
The economic well-being of Greenfield relies on summer visitors to the lake, primarily fishermen, and the fishing has been terrible. Locals and visitors alike have their opinions of the problems and how to fix them, but actual scientific study of the fishery has never been done.
With the direct purpose of solving the mystery of Clear Lake’s fish populations, Ben moves to Greenfield and makes it his mission to collect as much data as possible on the lake and its fish. He maps out the lake, takes water quality measurements, quantifies the lake’s physical fish habitat, and uses various methods to sample fish.
In the course of his studies, Ben begins to identify specific threats and factors limiting the success of fish populations in Clear Lake. For starters, the inlet stream where most fish spawn is blocked by a paper mill dam, discharge from the mill is killing fish, and farming practices along the river’s banks appear to be impacting fish habitat. In a conclusion that hits home to any young biologist, Ben quickly realizes that the lake’s problems will be tough to overcome, and there’s little he can do to remedy the most pressing issues.
Ben’s presence in town and his plan to remedy the fishing in Clear Lake breeds contempt among folks who don’t want to see changes brought about that affect their livelihood. He makes some enemies, but also makes friends with some great folks who want to work to improve the fishery. Upon Ben’s recommendation and guidance, several active and concerned citizens form a watershed committee to work on the issues troubling the lake.
Throughout his first year or so in Greenfield, Ben discovers a great deal about the Clear Lake fishery, makes some great friends and implements projects to improve the lake’s fish populations. He’s also plagued by opposition from industry, a mysterious poison that’s killing fish, and strange happenings that come together to create a captivating ending to the story.
“Trouble at Clear Lake” is a rare gem as far as outdoor books go. While I’m not sure what his background was, it’s clear that Ed Janes knew fisheries biology. He wrote the book around the time the field was just getting started, and states like Maine were hiring their first biologists to collect data and make recommendations for fisheries management. The way he infused knowledge of the fisheries field into a captivating fictional story is pretty amazing.
The book also provides the average angler with some insight into how fisheries biology really works, both as a science and in practice. Though the times and many of the tools have changed, we’re still dealing with the same concepts, and many of the same challenges more than a half century later. Reading about Ben Colton’s early career adventures is a great reminder of how much fun that challenge can be.
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