Lake Champlain United - Forums

VERMONT FISH & WILDLIFE
Press Release
For Immediate Release: July 10, 2018
Media Contact: Brian Chipman; 802-879-5697

Public Meeting July 24 on Fishing Regulations for
Hatchery Cove in Grand Isle
Spawning Feral Salmon Protections Could Enhance Hatchery Stock Rearing

GRAND ISLE, Vt -- The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is hosting a public discussion on landlocked salmon runs and possible fishing regulations at Hatchery Cove on Tuesday, July 24, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Lake Champlain Basin Program conference room, 54 West Shore Road in Grand Isle, next to the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station.

Brian Chipman, fisheries biologist with Vermont Fish & Wildlife, will present information on Lake Champlain salmon management and fishing at Hatchery Cove. The cove is located off the outlet of Hatchery Brook, the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station’s discharge stream. Chipman and other department staff will discuss potential future fishing regulations to protect spawning salmon at Hatchery Cove, answer questions and collect public comments on potential regulation options.

By using feral salmon (hatchery stocked fish that that have grown to maturity in Lake Champlain) for broodstock, the department has found a much greater return in spawning runs than by using hatchery reared-only adult broodstock.

“We may be able to boost river runs of salmon--and associated fishing opportunities--by maximizing spawning feral salmon as the primary egg source for hatchery production and Lake Champlain stocking,” said Chipman.

The Ed Weed Fish Culture Station rears and stocks all of Vermont’s landlocked Atlantic salmon in Lake Champlain, approximately 145,000 yearling smolts each year.

“About 400,000 eggs are needed to reach our stocking goal, which would require collecting 200 to 250 feral spawning pairs annually,” said Kevin Kelsey, the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station supervisor.

While Hatchery Brook has been closed to fishing for many years, heavy fishing pressure and associated salmon take from fall spawning concentrations at adjacent Hatchery Cove may be limiting the abundance of salmon available for egg collection. Game wardens and hatchery staff have also noted illegal activity and conflicts among anglers there. More restrictive regulations will be considered to address these issues. This meeting will allow for public discussion of the those concerns and potential solutions.

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are available on request. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need and your contact information by sending an e-mail to penny.percival@vermont.gov or by calling 802-828-1294 (direct voice) or 1-800-253-0191 (TTY).

Yea, bout time!

Michael

Yes! Hoping there is good turn out for this.

This is great, thanks for the info popster....

It's time this is given a look. Thanks Bill for posting.

There has been a thought rattling around in my my too small brain, somewhat related to this topic. I'm wondering if there isn't some kind of accelerated Darwinism going on at the Hatchery. Could it be that surving salmon returning every year are either smarter than cormorants, genetically superior to the ones that get eaten, or like deep water where they can't be eaten? If this is the case, then all efforts must be made to let these fish become our progeny. Maybe I'm wrong, but there may be something to my scotch infused thought process.

just ask New York how they do it on Lake Ontario

Doesn't hurt my feelings if they close the cove to fishing, would be good to be assured that they have enough eggs to keep the cycle going with hatchlings...

I wouldn't be opposed to F&W closing that area to fishing. It is getting ridiculous there with the amount of anglers crowding that stream and placing logs in front of it to block the salmons access to it!

This is great news!

Fly fishing only, single hook, no weights, and make within 20' of the brook off limits. That would be my hope. Shame to lose the angling opportunity b/c a bunch of people find it appropriate to break the law there. I've seen some beautiful fish fairly caught there in the fall, including browns/lakers/steelhead.

Honest John wrote:Fly fishing only, single hook, no weights, and make within 20' of the brook off limits. That would be my hope. Shame to lose the angling opportunity b/c a bunch of people find it appropriate to break the law there. I've seen some beautiful fish fairly caught there in the fall, including browns/lakers/steelhead.

I have also seen otherwise legal flyfishermen snagging with un-weighted flies. Granted these fish are usually released. Point being, all groups can have bad behavior when 8 lb salmon are swimming around your feet.

Meeting tonight for those interested

These fish are trying to reproduce leave them alone there are plenty of other places to fish.