June 7, 2016 — AUGUSTA, Maine — Francis Brautigam, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife head fisheries biologist in the southern Maine/Sebago region, was named IFW’s Fisheries and Hatcheries Division Director today.
“As commissioner and an avid angler, I am very pleased to have Francis as our director. He brings a combination of experience, passion and innovation to the position that will serve him and the state well,” said IFW Commissioner Chandler Woodcock.
For the past 13 years, Brautigam was the lead biologist in the southern Maine/Sebago region where he oversaw the management of Sebago Lake and other waters in York and Cumberland counties. During that time, Brautigam has overseen a change to the Sebago salmon fishery to a primarily native salmon fishery driven by natural reproduction in the Crooked River, from a hatchery-based salmon fishery.
Innovative fisheries management programs are a hallmark of Brautigam’s career as he has been instrumental in either creating or enhancing year-round fishing opportunities in southern Maine, creating sea-run trout fisheries through the stocking and management of coastal streams and rivers, and implementation and expansion of the state’s rainbow trout program.