BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 23, 2025
Joe and Samantha Legendre, with the support of the International Order of Theodore Roosevelt, have filed a civil suit against the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. They argue that IF&W’s designation of fly-fishing-only waters does not pass constitutional muster and that Maine’s new right-to-food constitutional amendment renders those designations unconstitutional. Of Maine’s more than 5,000 lakes and ponds, IF&W has designated 225 as fly-fishing-only waters. The Legendres previously sought to overturn Maine’s Sunday hunting ban because it interfered with a citizen’s right to obtain food by foraging for wild game on Sundays. That case was dismissed when the courts ruled IF&W and the Legislature have the legal authority to protect Maine’s natural resources through regulation and management. It is doubtful Maine voters intended the right-to-food amendment to create a free-for-all in the state’s woods and waters. ~ V. Paul Reynolds