Fisherman Tom Cowper of Peabody, Mass., walks from his ice fishing shack at Jim Worthing’s Smelt Camp on the Kennebec, River in Pittston, Maine, on Jan. 10, 2013.
Fisherman Tom Cowper of Peabody, Mass., walks from his ice fishing shack at Jim Worthing’s Smelt Camp on the Kennebec, River in Pittston, Maine, on Jan. 10, 2013. Credit: AP File

Fishermen say this smelt fishing season has been robust after last year’s mild winter produced hardly any smelts.

Jim McPherson, owner of Jim’s Camps in Bowdoinham,

said the season has been the best for smelt fishing at his camp in at least five years.

The nationwide catch has plummeted in recent years due to habitat disruption, a lack of suitable spawning places and warming waters, according to federal officials.

To help rebuild the population, the state bans smelt fishing from March 15 to June 30 along the coast from the New Hampshire border to Owl’s Head, Maine.