Maine Gov. Janet Mills has signed legislation designed to protect the rights of Maine Indigenous Tribes to safely fish on certain rivers and streams.
“It is high time we healed the divisions of our past, and that we bring the state of Maine’s tribal nations, all four of them, together to build a new future, new partnerships,” says Mills.
The legislation will establish new, higher quality standards for waters in which Maine tribal members have traditionally fished to feed their families. Mills says the legislation, which takes effect in September, is just one of many initiatives from her administration aimed at rebuilding the state’s relationship with Maine tribes.
“Today I sign legislation to establish a new designated use of sustenance fishing in Maine’s water classification law, and the most protected fish consumption base in the country for select waters in Maine,” Mills says.
