Lincoln County is home to miles and miles of breeding grounds for several species of fish, County Planner Robert Faunce said.

The problem is, only a fraction of it is available to the spawning mass of Atlantic salmon, alewives, trout and smelt. The culprit blocking some of these streams and inlets?

Culverts, Faunce said during the Monday, Feb. 23 Newcastle Board of Selectmen meeting.

A multi-faceted culvert survey, which encompassed state, local, and nonprofit enterprises, has been conducting a culvert census in Maine, Faunce said, and while only approximately half of the state's 8,000 culverts have been cataloged, described and photographed, all the culverts in Lincoln County have been tagged.

In addition to that, the culverts were placed into three categories: fine for fish; potentially problematic; and currently deficient.

Some of the currently deficient culverts in Newcastle and Lincoln County have problems such as restricting water flow and creating barriers or deadfalls where fish can't pass.

Even a small impasse of a few inches can prevent fish from entering or exiting a body of water at low tide, Faunce said.

With water levels expected to rise and some of the culverts needing attention or replacement, Faunce asked selectmen if preserving the fish habitat could remain under consideration.

All that information, including the individual culverts, or “stream barriers,” as they are referred to on the website, is available online. The interactive map shows where in Lincoln County the culverts are located, and what each culvert's current status.

“The goal is not to go out tomorrow and replace every (stream barrier),” Faunce said. “But to do it eventually. When the town, or the state, does replace (a stream barrier) you'll have this information.

Faunce said that not all culverts affect the movement of fish, but pointed out several that severely hamper the spawning migration of several species.

“Of those, of 80 to 82 (stream barriers) affect the movement of those species,” he said. “But this (stream barrier mapping project) isn't meant to be regulatory, we're just trying to provide information.”

By using the website during the meeting, Faunce showed how one blockage in Bremen prevented acres of possible spawning ground from being used by fish that couldn’t reach the grounds because of the culvert design.

Faunce said that the hope is that when the town or the state begins work to replace or upgrade a culvert, it will take the culvert survey into consideration.

Superintendent of Roads Steve Reynolds said that he would definitely consider the maps, but that sometimes other conditions take precedence.

“It's not a priority, but having this information is awesome,” he said.

To view the culvert survey, visit www.lcrpc-planning-tools.com/LCStreams.