10-27-2004, 09:50 AM
[font "Times New Roman"]DEP Announces Expansion of Experimental Atlantic Salmon Stocking[/font] [center][font "Times New Roman"]Farmington River to be fifth river stocked with spawning salmon
Anglers urged to take notice[/font][/center]
[font "Times New Roman"]This week, the DEP announced that stocking of pre-spawn Atlantic salmon would be expanded to include the Farmington River in the towns of Farmington, Avon, and Burlington. This step is being taken to encourage natural spawning in the river to further the objectives of the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program, a cooperative effort between four states and two federal agencies.[/font] [center]![[Image: mf101904a.jpg]](http://dep.state.ct.us/whatshap/press/2004/mf101904a.jpg)
[/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"]Steve Gephard, a biologist with the DEP’s Inland Fisheries Division, prepares to release an adult Atlantic salmon into the Eightmile River in Lyme on October 15. This male will breed with one of the female salmon released at the same time and help produce a new generation of young salmon in the stream.[/font][/center]
[font "Times New Roman"]Last week, the DEP announced that a total of 60 adult salmon from the Kensington State Fish Hatchery would be released into the Salmon, Blackledge, Jeremy and Eightmile rivers to allow natural reproduction in those tributaries. This new stocking of 50 adult salmon into the Farmington River will serve the same purpose. William Hyatt, Director of the DEP Inland Fisheries Division, explained that the federal hatchery in Vermont that typically incubates many of the eggs produced at the Kensington hatchery will not be able to do so this fall due to program consolidations recently announced by the Region 5 office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This action will result in fewer hatchery reared salmon fry being available for spring stocking into Connecticut waters in 2005.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]“Our salmon hatchery in Kensington is scheduled to produce approximately 3.4 million salmon eggs over the next few weeks and our facilities are only capable of holding 2.1 million,” Hyatt explained. “We decided to release some of the fish into Connecticut River tributaries so that the eggs would incubate naturally in the streams.” [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]These salmon were reared for three years at the Kensington hatchery and are due to spawn for the first time this fall. The ten-pound fish are being removed from the hatchery before spawning so that their eggs will be naturally deposited in the streambed of the rivers. “When the water temperature drops to the right level during the next two weeks, these salmon will pair up and dig a circular depression in the stream gravel in which to deposit their eggs,” explained Stephen Gephard, a Supervising Fisheries Biologist with DEP’s Inland Fisheries Division. “Atlantic salmon do not die after spawning like Pacific salmon and the adults will drift downstream and eventually head to sea. The eggs will remain buried under the gravel until late April when the fry wiggle upward and begin feeding on insects. These salmon will be fulfilling this part of their lifecycle, as they did hundreds of years ago.”[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Gephard added that these stockings will provide DEP biologists with an opportunity to both learn more about salmon in Connecticut streams and evaluate this technique as a tool for restoration. Referring to the possibility that trout anglers might catch these salmon, Gephard noted, “Fishing for Atlantic salmon in the Connecticut River and any of its tributaries is strictly prohibited.” The DEP does, however, provide fishing opportunities for post-spawned Atlantic salmon in the Naugatuck and Shetucket rivers. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Angling for broodstock Atlantic salmon in the Shetucket and Naugatuck rivers is restricted to catch-and-release only through November 30. The daily creel limit is zero and all Atlantic salmon must be immediately returned, without avoidable injury, to the waters from which they are taken. From December 1, 2004, through March 31, 2005, the daily creel limit for Atlantic salmon in the Shetucket and Naugatuck rivers is one. The legal method for taking Atlantic salmon is limited to angling using a single fly, or an artificial lure with a single free-swinging hook. None of these rules pertain to the salmon released into the Salmon, Eightmile, and Farmington rivers. Angling for salmon in these streams is not allowed.[/font] [center][font "Times New Roman"][url "http://dep.state.ct.us/whatshap/press/pressrel.htm"]Press Releases[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/news.htm"]News[/url][/font][/center][font "Times New Roman"] [font "Arial"][size 2][url "http://dep.state.ct.us/index.htm"]Home[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/aboutdep/contact/contact.htm"]Contact Us[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/search2.htm"]Search[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/survey/survey.htm"]Feedback[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/legal.htm"]Website Legal Info[/url][/size][/font][/font]
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Anglers urged to take notice[/font][/center]
[font "Times New Roman"]This week, the DEP announced that stocking of pre-spawn Atlantic salmon would be expanded to include the Farmington River in the towns of Farmington, Avon, and Burlington. This step is being taken to encourage natural spawning in the river to further the objectives of the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program, a cooperative effort between four states and two federal agencies.[/font] [center]
[/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"]Steve Gephard, a biologist with the DEP’s Inland Fisheries Division, prepares to release an adult Atlantic salmon into the Eightmile River in Lyme on October 15. This male will breed with one of the female salmon released at the same time and help produce a new generation of young salmon in the stream.[/font][/center] [font "Times New Roman"]Last week, the DEP announced that a total of 60 adult salmon from the Kensington State Fish Hatchery would be released into the Salmon, Blackledge, Jeremy and Eightmile rivers to allow natural reproduction in those tributaries. This new stocking of 50 adult salmon into the Farmington River will serve the same purpose. William Hyatt, Director of the DEP Inland Fisheries Division, explained that the federal hatchery in Vermont that typically incubates many of the eggs produced at the Kensington hatchery will not be able to do so this fall due to program consolidations recently announced by the Region 5 office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This action will result in fewer hatchery reared salmon fry being available for spring stocking into Connecticut waters in 2005.[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]“Our salmon hatchery in Kensington is scheduled to produce approximately 3.4 million salmon eggs over the next few weeks and our facilities are only capable of holding 2.1 million,” Hyatt explained. “We decided to release some of the fish into Connecticut River tributaries so that the eggs would incubate naturally in the streams.” [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]These salmon were reared for three years at the Kensington hatchery and are due to spawn for the first time this fall. The ten-pound fish are being removed from the hatchery before spawning so that their eggs will be naturally deposited in the streambed of the rivers. “When the water temperature drops to the right level during the next two weeks, these salmon will pair up and dig a circular depression in the stream gravel in which to deposit their eggs,” explained Stephen Gephard, a Supervising Fisheries Biologist with DEP’s Inland Fisheries Division. “Atlantic salmon do not die after spawning like Pacific salmon and the adults will drift downstream and eventually head to sea. The eggs will remain buried under the gravel until late April when the fry wiggle upward and begin feeding on insects. These salmon will be fulfilling this part of their lifecycle, as they did hundreds of years ago.”[/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Gephard added that these stockings will provide DEP biologists with an opportunity to both learn more about salmon in Connecticut streams and evaluate this technique as a tool for restoration. Referring to the possibility that trout anglers might catch these salmon, Gephard noted, “Fishing for Atlantic salmon in the Connecticut River and any of its tributaries is strictly prohibited.” The DEP does, however, provide fishing opportunities for post-spawned Atlantic salmon in the Naugatuck and Shetucket rivers. [/font]
[font "Times New Roman"]Angling for broodstock Atlantic salmon in the Shetucket and Naugatuck rivers is restricted to catch-and-release only through November 30. The daily creel limit is zero and all Atlantic salmon must be immediately returned, without avoidable injury, to the waters from which they are taken. From December 1, 2004, through March 31, 2005, the daily creel limit for Atlantic salmon in the Shetucket and Naugatuck rivers is one. The legal method for taking Atlantic salmon is limited to angling using a single fly, or an artificial lure with a single free-swinging hook. None of these rules pertain to the salmon released into the Salmon, Eightmile, and Farmington rivers. Angling for salmon in these streams is not allowed.[/font] [center][font "Times New Roman"][url "http://dep.state.ct.us/whatshap/press/pressrel.htm"]Press Releases[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/news.htm"]News[/url][/font][/center][font "Times New Roman"] [font "Arial"][size 2][url "http://dep.state.ct.us/index.htm"]Home[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/aboutdep/contact/contact.htm"]Contact Us[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/search2.htm"]Search[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/survey/survey.htm"]Feedback[/url] | [url "http://dep.state.ct.us/legal.htm"]Website Legal Info[/url][/size][/font][/font]
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