CT DEP INLAND FISHERIES DIVISION
FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September - November) 1
QUARTERLY ACTIVITY UPDATE DECEMBER 2010
Special note –ZEBRA MUSSELS in Connecticut
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Zebra mussels were recently (October) found in Lake Zoar and Lake Lillinonah. This is the first report of a new infestation of this highly invasive bivalve in Connecticut since 1998 when zebra mussels were first discovered in East and West Twin Lakes in Salisbury. During 2009 zebra mussels were discovered in Massachusetts in Laurel Lake and in the mainstem Housatonic River. At this point it is uncertain if the mussels found in Lakes Lillinonah and Zoar are the result of downstream migration from these upstream sources or the result of a separate introduction, however, downstream migration is suspected.
Inland Fisheries is working with other stakeholders on zebra mussel issues. Peter Aarrestad joined Nancy Balcom (CT Sea Grant) and Ethan Nedeau (Biodrawversity LLC, who made the recent discovery) as presenters at a recent informational forum sponsored by Candlewood Lake Authority (CLA) and Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) Science at Night program in Danbury. Staff will also be participating on CLA’s newly formed “Invasive Species subcommittee.”
Inland Fish Management & Fish Culture
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Completed fall trout stocking. Prior to Labor Day, the West Branch Farmington River (Goodwin Dam to the West Branch TMA) was stocked with 2,000 large brown trout (>12 inches). From after Labor Day through early November, another 73,000 trout were stocked. These fish included 14,500 trophy size brown trout (all greater than 12 inches in length including 4,000 fish from the Kensington Fish Hatchery that averaged 3.5 pounds each), 15,000 standard size (10 inch) rainbow trout and 43,000 yearling (6-9 inch) brook, brown and rainbow trout. Stocking occurred in most TMAs, Trout Parks, and important lakes and ponds. The new stocking regime for the Housatonic River TMA was continued this fall (3,000 yearling Survivor brown trout, 1,000 large brown trout, and 5,000 adult rainbow trout). The stocking of 40,000 yearlings (browns and rainbows averaging 8.2 inches and brookies averaging 6.5 inches) was in addition to our typical fall stockings, and was done to accommodate ongoing efficiencies at Quinebaug Hatchery.
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Stocked 30,000 yearling brown trout into seven streams as scheduled under the Wild Trout Project. Earlier surveys from that project have shown that many of these fall-stocked juveniles hold over through mild winters and contribute to the spring trout fishery.
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Stocked over 700 Atlantic salmon broodstock into the Campville and Beacon Falls sections of the Naugatuck River (250 fish), the Scotland Dam to Occum Dam section of the Shetucket River (255 fish), Mt Tom Pond (104 fish), and Crystal Lake-Ellington (104 fish). The DEP has also scheduled nearly 300 additional salmon for stocking both rivers in mid December.
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Stocked walleye fingerlings into Gardner Lake (7,900), Coventry Lake (3,000), Beach Pond (7,400), Mashapaug Lake (5,700) and Squantz Pond (6,000). Staff also stocked walleye fingerlings into Lake Pocotopaug (3,250, purchased by East Hampton), Saugatuck Reservoir (7,000, purchased by Aquarion Water) and Lake Saltonstall (3,450, purchased by South Central Regional Water Authority). Walleye fingerlings averaged 5 inches in length.
John Cummings of Danbury proudly displays his recent (10/30) walleye catch at Saugatuck Reservoir. This fish was nearly 32 inches long and weighed in at 12.2 lbs.
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Retrieved 38 temperature recorders that had been deployed in streams through the summer. Data clearly documented the effects of this summer’s unusually hot, dry weather. Portions of some perennial trout streams dried up completely, and many trout streams, including the Housatonic River, had water temperatures that were acutely stressful to trout. Fish sampling in the Cornwall and Bull’s Bridge sections of the Housatonic River showed that trout survival was limited to a few of the larger thermal refuges. However, smallmouth bass in these same areas thrived in the warm clear water, and produced a strong fast-growing year class. The hot dry summer of 2010 was in sharp contrast with the cool wet summer of 2009.
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Conducted Rapid assessment surveys to gauge angler utilization at fall stocked areas in western CT during late September to mid November. A total of 171 survey counts were made when conditions would be considered good for fishing. On average, the Housatonic River TMA had the highest angler use (15.0 anglers/count). Trout Park ponds had an average of 2.3 anglers/count, followed by trout ponds with standard regulations (1.2 anglers/count) and seasonal TMAs (1.1 angler/count). Angler use on streams with standard regulations was negligible (0.1 angler/count).
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Completed fall electrofishing sampling of selected TMA’s. During the West Branch Farmington River sampling, 110 large broodstock were taken back to the Burlington hatchery for production of Survivor strain brown trout.
One of the Farmington River brown trout sampled in September.
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Completed fall redd survey in the 3.8-mile section of the West Branch Farmington River below Goodwin Dam. The survey was conducted by three teams of IFD personnel and volunteer anglers. Only nine trout redds (nests) were indentified in this stretch. Previous surveys have identified four major spawning areas for trout both inside and outside of the TMA and these areas contained many redds this fall. All major spawning areas are located in lateral braids. Most of the main river channel has substrate material that is too large, has too much sediment, or is too heavily embedded to support much spawning.
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Assessed the Shepaug River Flow Agreement that has recently been implemented. Data from eight sample sites documented two strong year classes of wild brown trout that were produced in 2009 (age 1) and 2010 (age 0). These strong year classes may reflect higher flows during the last two years. In 2009 natural flows were high due to the rainy summer, and due to the initiation of the Flow Agreement in 2010 (a summer drought year). Wild brown trout up to 20 inches were sampled, demonstrating the potential for rapid trout growth and the stream’s ability to produce trophy-size trout naturally. No trout were sampled in the warmer lower-most site. Data were provided to the Shepaug River Watershed Steering Committee.
Length distribution of wild brown trout sampled from the upper Shepaug River in 2010.
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Completed analysis of the 2008-09 Connecticut River angler survey data. Data on angler effort, catch, opinions, and demographics were collected, as well as information concerning boating activity on the river. Survey results indicate that anglers spend over 260,000 hours fishing annually in the Connecticut River during the open-water season. Anglers caught 35 different species of fish. Striped bass, black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass combined) and white perch were the most significant fisheries in terms
FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 2
of total catch; anglers caught an estimated 39,700 striped bass, 39,400 black bass, and 27,000 white perch annually. Comparisons to data from a similar survey conducted in 1997-98 indicate that catch of some important species appears to have declined between 1997-98 and 2008-09 (catfish species by 79%, white perch by 54%, yellow perch by 72%), while catch of other important species (striped bass, northern pike, sunfish species) were comparable between the two time periods.
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Completed Kokanee sampling at West Hill Pond and East Twin Lake. At West Hill Pond, a total of 853 adult kokanee (12-14 inch fish) were collected by trap nets over a seven day period in mid October. Of these fish, 652 salmon were taken as broodstock, providing 191,400 eggs. This egg-take will provide the target number (50,000) of fry for West Hill, as well as fry for East Twin Lake in the spring/early summer of 2011. Adult kokanee at West Hill averaged about an inch smaller than fish captured in the fall of 2009. At East Twin Lake, a total of 208 adult kokanee salmon (average length of 18.5 inches) were captured during netting operations for brown trout. This was the third consecutive year in which adult kokanee have been sampled at East Twin Lake, and the fish sampled in 2010 averaged 3 inches longer than in 2009, and 6 inches longer than in 2008. The largest fish captured in 2010 was a male measuring 20.5 inches. The return of kokanee may be related to the concurrent collapse of alewife in the lake. The return of salmon has generated interest among anglers, and thus, we plan to continue stocking fry in the spring of 2011.
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Assessed holdover brown trout populations in Trout Management Lakes (formerly identified as “Trophy Trout Lakes”, the current regulations proposals packet will officially rename these areas as “Trout Management Lakes”) by nighttime boat electrofishing in October. Numbers of brown trout sampled in Crystal Lake were down substantially from the previous two years. However, numbers of brown trout sampled at Highland Lake were the highest seen in over 10 years. The majority of brown trout in both lakes were recently stocked fish. No large holdovers were sampled at Crystal Lake. Holdover brown trout were also assessed at East Twin Lake by mark-recapture sampling using trap nets. Preliminary estimates indicate that the lake had a total of ~1,700 >12 inch fish, of which ~1,600 were >14 inch fish. Although these are record high estimates for recently stocked fish, larger holdover fish were near all time lows (only 3 fish >16 inches were captured). Most of the larger brown trout also appeared emaciated. Vertical gillnet sampling at East Twin Lake failed to capture a single landlocked alewife for the second year in a row, indicating a collapse of the brown trout’s main forage base.
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Completed annual fall monitoring of fish populations by electrofishing 10 lakes during October and November. Sampling was done to collect information on growth rates and relative abundance of fish populations.
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Completed angler surveys at nine lakes, Moodus Reservoir, Pickerel Lake, Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Gardner Lake, Lower Bolton Lake, Batterson Park Pond, Silver Lake, Black Pond and Quonnipaug Lake. These surveys assessed angler catch, effort and attitudes and provided data relevant to the Bass, Walleye, Pike and Channel Catfish Management programs. Surveys at the Channel Catfish Management lakes provided the first assessment of the new catfish stocking program that was initiated in 2007. Ice-fishing surveys will be conducted at seven of these lakes during winter 2010-11.
Diadromous Fisheries Restoration
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Electrofished four coastal streams to assess survival of sea-run brown trout fry stocked earlier in the year (spring, 2010). It appears that survival was lower in all four streams sampled when compared to the five-year average.
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Completed the annual electrofishing survey of stocked juvenile Atlantic salmon populations within the Farmington, Salmon, and Eightmile River watersheds, conducted at 73 sites in September and October. The growth and survival of salmon stocked as fry in 2009 and 2010 was lower than the long-term averages, probably the result drought conditions experienced during the summer of 2010.
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Assisted the Town of Stonington with improvements to the Vargas Pond Fishway (Stony Brook). The fishway was operational in 2010 but the town crew improved its attachment to the dam. Division staff then created stone guidance berms to assist alewives in locating the fishway. FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 3
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Assisted the Old Lyme Conservation Trust to improve fish passage efficiency at the Mary Steube Fishway (Mill Brook) by adding a section of steeppass fishway to the entrance.
The concrete structure was the entrance of the Mary Steube Fishway, but in low water there was a drop that discouraged some alewives from entering. The steep pass extension will allow all fish to enter while improving hydraulics within the fishway.
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Performed major repairs to the State-owned Trading Cove Brook Fishway (Montville/Norwich). This steeppass fishway is located inside a Rt. 32 culvert and the March 31 floods washed away the lower ramp of the steeppass, damaging concrete and aluminum structures in the process. FEMA awarded the DEP a grant to repair the damage and Division staff worked closely with the Wetlands Restoration unit of the Agency Support Services Division and the USFWS’s Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge to repair the fishway in a narrow time window between FEMA authorization and the return of fall rains (and the fall trout migration season).
1. DEP Wetlands Restoration Program staff use chain hoist to lift displaced steep pass unit back into place.
2. IFD staff work inside a sandbag cofferdam to fasten new entrance pool to steep pass and culvert.
3. IFD’s Tim Wildman secures a new intermediate supportpoletopreventare-occurrence.
4. The IFD crew poses with the fully repaired fishway.
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Above. Repairs to the Trading Cove fishway, start to finish
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FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 4
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The fall opening of the Rainbow Dam Fishway was delayed due to work being done on the dam by the owner. The fishway operated from October 16th – November 15th. Juvenile river herring, juvenile shad, and silver eels were documented using the fishway.
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Stocked 24,000 sea-run brown trout parr in six coastal streams. It is hoped that most of these parr will emigrate to salt water in the spring, 2011.
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Stocked 6,255 salmon parr from the Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery in Pittsford, VT into the Farmington River in Farmington. It is expected that these fish will not emigrate to sea until the spring of 2012.
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Assisted the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the State of Vermont, the U.S. Forest Service, and others in fin clipping and vaccinating approximately 100,000 Atlantic salmon pre-smolts being raised in the Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery in Pittsford, VT. Most of these fish will be released into the Farmington River in March of 2011.
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Fin-clipped 1,500 tiger trout at Quinebaug Valley Trout Hatchery prior to their transfer to Burlington State Trout Hatchery. These trout will be stocked into five sea-run trout streams during spring 2011.
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Assisted the USFWS and other member agencies of the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission (CRASC) during egg-taking operations at the White River National Fish Hatchery (Bethel, VT). The broodstock were offspring from salmon that returned to the river in previous years and their eggs produce the majority of the fry that are stocked in Connecticut and the other three states.
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Assisted the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and other member agencies of CRASC during egg-taking operations at the Richard Cronin National Salmon Station in Sunderland, MA. The broodstock were salmon that had returned to the CT River from the ocean this spring.
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Led development and implemention of a study that evaluated the production of milt by mature male salmon parr, which are critically important in the spawning operations. The evaluation was done over a seven week period and the data collected will be incorporated into spawning strategies at Cronin.
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Spawned Atlantic salmon broodstock at the Kensington State Fish Hatchery (Berlin). Approximately 2,300,000 eggs were taken, of which 2,000,000 are being incubated at Kensington and 300,000 were shipped to Cronin for incubation. Fry produced from these eggs are scheduled to be stocked in CT
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Closed fishways and eel passes throughout the state for the winter.
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Engaged in numerous public outreach and educational activities including Connecticut Hunting & Fishing Appreciation Day at Sessions Woods, DEP Managers’ Day at Rocky Neck, The Nature Conservancy’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, the Farmington River Watershed Association’s Annual Meeting, the Land Trust Alliance’s Annual National Meeting in Hartford, the Connecticut River Salmon Association’s annual teacher orientation session for the Salmon-in-the-Classroom program, and the Awards Ceremony for the Ecosystem Management, Habitat Restoration, and Long Island Sound Fund Grants.
Habitat Conservation and Enhancement
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Collaborated with The Nature Conservancy in completing and submitting a grant application to the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture Project to remove a barrier to native brook trout passage on Mott Hill Brook in East Hampton. The proposed restoration project will remove a perched culvert with a clear span timber bridge, reconnecting access to over 1.68 miles of upstream brook trout habitat.
This Mott Hill Brook culvert is perched above the streambed, blocking upstream fish passage. FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 5
FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 6
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Assisted a DOT contractor installing fish habitat enhancements within Whitford Brook, Groton as related to the reconstruction of the Route 184 Bridge that was washed out during the March 2010 flood. Fish habitat enhancements involved the construction of several rootwads to provide overhead cover and the installation of a series of random boulders that increase channel roughness and provide instream velocity and cover refugia for the resident fish community.
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With assistance from staff of the Connecticut Department of Transportation Office of Environmental Planning, installed series of vortex rock weirs at the outlet of the Route 272 culvert crossing of Hall Meadow Brook, Norfolk. The weirs were installed to create a series of pools to better enable fish to access a fishway within the culvert. The fishway was installed in the culvert during its construction in the late 1990s and was rendered impassible after a number of flood events. All work was performed manually using native rock from the stream and was completed within several hours. The weirs have withstood a number of high flows since the September installation.
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Revised a document that provides guidance and recommendations for the design of fishing facilities (generally applicable to coastal locations). The original document, titled “Fishing Piers: Design Guidelines to Enhance Recreational Fishing,” was posted to the DEP website in 2005 for the purpose of helping municipal planners, consultants and private entities with the design of fishing facilities. The Department of Justice recently adopted new Americans with Disability Act requirements for recreational facilities, and so it was necessary to update the guidance document with this information. In addition, the new revision includes pictures of fishing facilities in Connecticut that illustrate key design features. The new revision, renamed “Design Guidelines for Recreational Fishing Facilities,” is available on the DEP website at http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/fishing/general_information/fishpierguidelines.pdf
Installation of rootwads in Whitford Brook to enhance instream fish habitat.
Above. Hall Meadow Brook culvert prior to repair work. Floods had washed away rocks downstream of the culvert lip, making it difficult for fish to enter the fishway (hidden by shadows)
FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 7
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Completed annual cross-section monitoring survey at the Mount Hope River Restoration Project, Ashford that was done in 2006. Main survey objectives are to (1) assess channel stability within 1,200 feet of restored channel and (2) assess stability of grade control structures to redirect streamflow away from streambanks and to provide holding pools for the resident fish population. The Mount Hope River has experienced a total of nine bankfull or greater events since project completion. Despite the unusually high frequency of flood events, stream banks and channel are stable and all pools have maintained designed scour pool depths.
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A one year Cooperative Agreement was signed by the Connecticut DEP and the University of Connecticut-Institute of Water Resources to re-establish the Connecticut Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Working Group. Priority actions for the Group will be drafting a rapid response plan, an early detection, monitoring and assessment plan, and preventing the spread of ANS through a variety of educational actions. The ANS Management Plan can be found at http://www.anstaskforce.gov/State%20Plans/CT_ANS_Plan.pdf
Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education and Constituent Services
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Taught over 550 students about water, fish and fishing this fall. CARE Instructors held 4 Family Fishing Courses and 11 Special Fishing events around the state. 2010 was another successful year for the CARE program, reaching more than 7,000 citizens through Family Ice Fishing classes, Family Fishing Courses, Summer Fishing classes, and Special Fishing events. For the 25th consecutive year volunteers contributed 100% of the match needed to secure federal funding, enabling the CARE program to operate without state General Fund dollars.
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Hosted over 40 CARE volunteer instructors at an in-service training program at the Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby. Attendees received training on the new Family Fishing course agenda developed by CARE staff. This training was initiated in response to declining family participation at our 4-meeting courses in recent years. The new 2-day agenda allows instructors to teach a shortened course (1 day in classroom, 1 day fishing trip). We expect to increase Family Fishing Course participation by 100% in 2011.
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Scheduled nine Family Ice Fishing classes in Farmington, Glastonbury, Hartford, Litchfield, New Haven, Coventry, Cheshire, Derby, and Ansonia. We’re also planning two large field events, our annual CARE Family Ice Fishing Derby and a “No Child Left Inside” winter festival. CARE Instructors have already begun scheduling Family Fishing Courses for spring 2011, with courses already scheduled for Stamford and Glastonbury!
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Prepared brand-new ice fishing equipment for use in our winter activities. CTfisherman.com representatives Jon Nickless and Mitch Passero have generously donated equipment to CARE for the last three years. This year’s donation was 90 jigging poles with spinning reels. They also sent us prepared baits to use at our derby and winter festival.
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Completed our “Let’s Go Ice Fishing” DVD in partnership with Judy Prill of DEP’s Office of Pollution Prevention, Corporate Media Services at Middlesex Community College, and CARE volunteers (who contributed video and still images). The product provides an introduction to ice fishing to be used by CARE instructors teaching classes statewide. It will also appear on the DEP website to get other families excited about ice fishing in Connecticut. Live footage shows the excitement experienced by families fishing with CARE volunteers last winter. “Let’s Go Ice Fishing” may be the first video of its kind, so we made it generic enough to be useful to aquatic resources educators in other states. The DVD premiered at our recent instructor in-service training program and received rave reviews. FAC
FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September - November) 1
QUARTERLY ACTIVITY UPDATE DECEMBER 2010
Special note –ZEBRA MUSSELS in Connecticut
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Zebra mussels were recently (October) found in Lake Zoar and Lake Lillinonah. This is the first report of a new infestation of this highly invasive bivalve in Connecticut since 1998 when zebra mussels were first discovered in East and West Twin Lakes in Salisbury. During 2009 zebra mussels were discovered in Massachusetts in Laurel Lake and in the mainstem Housatonic River. At this point it is uncertain if the mussels found in Lakes Lillinonah and Zoar are the result of downstream migration from these upstream sources or the result of a separate introduction, however, downstream migration is suspected.
Inland Fisheries is working with other stakeholders on zebra mussel issues. Peter Aarrestad joined Nancy Balcom (CT Sea Grant) and Ethan Nedeau (Biodrawversity LLC, who made the recent discovery) as presenters at a recent informational forum sponsored by Candlewood Lake Authority (CLA) and Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) Science at Night program in Danbury. Staff will also be participating on CLA’s newly formed “Invasive Species subcommittee.”
Inland Fish Management & Fish Culture
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Completed fall trout stocking. Prior to Labor Day, the West Branch Farmington River (Goodwin Dam to the West Branch TMA) was stocked with 2,000 large brown trout (>12 inches). From after Labor Day through early November, another 73,000 trout were stocked. These fish included 14,500 trophy size brown trout (all greater than 12 inches in length including 4,000 fish from the Kensington Fish Hatchery that averaged 3.5 pounds each), 15,000 standard size (10 inch) rainbow trout and 43,000 yearling (6-9 inch) brook, brown and rainbow trout. Stocking occurred in most TMAs, Trout Parks, and important lakes and ponds. The new stocking regime for the Housatonic River TMA was continued this fall (3,000 yearling Survivor brown trout, 1,000 large brown trout, and 5,000 adult rainbow trout). The stocking of 40,000 yearlings (browns and rainbows averaging 8.2 inches and brookies averaging 6.5 inches) was in addition to our typical fall stockings, and was done to accommodate ongoing efficiencies at Quinebaug Hatchery.
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Stocked 30,000 yearling brown trout into seven streams as scheduled under the Wild Trout Project. Earlier surveys from that project have shown that many of these fall-stocked juveniles hold over through mild winters and contribute to the spring trout fishery.
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Stocked over 700 Atlantic salmon broodstock into the Campville and Beacon Falls sections of the Naugatuck River (250 fish), the Scotland Dam to Occum Dam section of the Shetucket River (255 fish), Mt Tom Pond (104 fish), and Crystal Lake-Ellington (104 fish). The DEP has also scheduled nearly 300 additional salmon for stocking both rivers in mid December.
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Stocked walleye fingerlings into Gardner Lake (7,900), Coventry Lake (3,000), Beach Pond (7,400), Mashapaug Lake (5,700) and Squantz Pond (6,000). Staff also stocked walleye fingerlings into Lake Pocotopaug (3,250, purchased by East Hampton), Saugatuck Reservoir (7,000, purchased by Aquarion Water) and Lake Saltonstall (3,450, purchased by South Central Regional Water Authority). Walleye fingerlings averaged 5 inches in length.
John Cummings of Danbury proudly displays his recent (10/30) walleye catch at Saugatuck Reservoir. This fish was nearly 32 inches long and weighed in at 12.2 lbs.
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Retrieved 38 temperature recorders that had been deployed in streams through the summer. Data clearly documented the effects of this summer’s unusually hot, dry weather. Portions of some perennial trout streams dried up completely, and many trout streams, including the Housatonic River, had water temperatures that were acutely stressful to trout. Fish sampling in the Cornwall and Bull’s Bridge sections of the Housatonic River showed that trout survival was limited to a few of the larger thermal refuges. However, smallmouth bass in these same areas thrived in the warm clear water, and produced a strong fast-growing year class. The hot dry summer of 2010 was in sharp contrast with the cool wet summer of 2009.
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Conducted Rapid assessment surveys to gauge angler utilization at fall stocked areas in western CT during late September to mid November. A total of 171 survey counts were made when conditions would be considered good for fishing. On average, the Housatonic River TMA had the highest angler use (15.0 anglers/count). Trout Park ponds had an average of 2.3 anglers/count, followed by trout ponds with standard regulations (1.2 anglers/count) and seasonal TMAs (1.1 angler/count). Angler use on streams with standard regulations was negligible (0.1 angler/count).
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Completed fall electrofishing sampling of selected TMA’s. During the West Branch Farmington River sampling, 110 large broodstock were taken back to the Burlington hatchery for production of Survivor strain brown trout.
One of the Farmington River brown trout sampled in September.
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Completed fall redd survey in the 3.8-mile section of the West Branch Farmington River below Goodwin Dam. The survey was conducted by three teams of IFD personnel and volunteer anglers. Only nine trout redds (nests) were indentified in this stretch. Previous surveys have identified four major spawning areas for trout both inside and outside of the TMA and these areas contained many redds this fall. All major spawning areas are located in lateral braids. Most of the main river channel has substrate material that is too large, has too much sediment, or is too heavily embedded to support much spawning.
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Assessed the Shepaug River Flow Agreement that has recently been implemented. Data from eight sample sites documented two strong year classes of wild brown trout that were produced in 2009 (age 1) and 2010 (age 0). These strong year classes may reflect higher flows during the last two years. In 2009 natural flows were high due to the rainy summer, and due to the initiation of the Flow Agreement in 2010 (a summer drought year). Wild brown trout up to 20 inches were sampled, demonstrating the potential for rapid trout growth and the stream’s ability to produce trophy-size trout naturally. No trout were sampled in the warmer lower-most site. Data were provided to the Shepaug River Watershed Steering Committee.
Length distribution of wild brown trout sampled from the upper Shepaug River in 2010.
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Completed analysis of the 2008-09 Connecticut River angler survey data. Data on angler effort, catch, opinions, and demographics were collected, as well as information concerning boating activity on the river. Survey results indicate that anglers spend over 260,000 hours fishing annually in the Connecticut River during the open-water season. Anglers caught 35 different species of fish. Striped bass, black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass combined) and white perch were the most significant fisheries in terms
FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 2
of total catch; anglers caught an estimated 39,700 striped bass, 39,400 black bass, and 27,000 white perch annually. Comparisons to data from a similar survey conducted in 1997-98 indicate that catch of some important species appears to have declined between 1997-98 and 2008-09 (catfish species by 79%, white perch by 54%, yellow perch by 72%), while catch of other important species (striped bass, northern pike, sunfish species) were comparable between the two time periods.
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Completed Kokanee sampling at West Hill Pond and East Twin Lake. At West Hill Pond, a total of 853 adult kokanee (12-14 inch fish) were collected by trap nets over a seven day period in mid October. Of these fish, 652 salmon were taken as broodstock, providing 191,400 eggs. This egg-take will provide the target number (50,000) of fry for West Hill, as well as fry for East Twin Lake in the spring/early summer of 2011. Adult kokanee at West Hill averaged about an inch smaller than fish captured in the fall of 2009. At East Twin Lake, a total of 208 adult kokanee salmon (average length of 18.5 inches) were captured during netting operations for brown trout. This was the third consecutive year in which adult kokanee have been sampled at East Twin Lake, and the fish sampled in 2010 averaged 3 inches longer than in 2009, and 6 inches longer than in 2008. The largest fish captured in 2010 was a male measuring 20.5 inches. The return of kokanee may be related to the concurrent collapse of alewife in the lake. The return of salmon has generated interest among anglers, and thus, we plan to continue stocking fry in the spring of 2011.
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Assessed holdover brown trout populations in Trout Management Lakes (formerly identified as “Trophy Trout Lakes”, the current regulations proposals packet will officially rename these areas as “Trout Management Lakes”) by nighttime boat electrofishing in October. Numbers of brown trout sampled in Crystal Lake were down substantially from the previous two years. However, numbers of brown trout sampled at Highland Lake were the highest seen in over 10 years. The majority of brown trout in both lakes were recently stocked fish. No large holdovers were sampled at Crystal Lake. Holdover brown trout were also assessed at East Twin Lake by mark-recapture sampling using trap nets. Preliminary estimates indicate that the lake had a total of ~1,700 >12 inch fish, of which ~1,600 were >14 inch fish. Although these are record high estimates for recently stocked fish, larger holdover fish were near all time lows (only 3 fish >16 inches were captured). Most of the larger brown trout also appeared emaciated. Vertical gillnet sampling at East Twin Lake failed to capture a single landlocked alewife for the second year in a row, indicating a collapse of the brown trout’s main forage base.
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Completed annual fall monitoring of fish populations by electrofishing 10 lakes during October and November. Sampling was done to collect information on growth rates and relative abundance of fish populations.
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Completed angler surveys at nine lakes, Moodus Reservoir, Pickerel Lake, Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Gardner Lake, Lower Bolton Lake, Batterson Park Pond, Silver Lake, Black Pond and Quonnipaug Lake. These surveys assessed angler catch, effort and attitudes and provided data relevant to the Bass, Walleye, Pike and Channel Catfish Management programs. Surveys at the Channel Catfish Management lakes provided the first assessment of the new catfish stocking program that was initiated in 2007. Ice-fishing surveys will be conducted at seven of these lakes during winter 2010-11.
Diadromous Fisheries Restoration
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Electrofished four coastal streams to assess survival of sea-run brown trout fry stocked earlier in the year (spring, 2010). It appears that survival was lower in all four streams sampled when compared to the five-year average.
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Completed the annual electrofishing survey of stocked juvenile Atlantic salmon populations within the Farmington, Salmon, and Eightmile River watersheds, conducted at 73 sites in September and October. The growth and survival of salmon stocked as fry in 2009 and 2010 was lower than the long-term averages, probably the result drought conditions experienced during the summer of 2010.
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Assisted the Town of Stonington with improvements to the Vargas Pond Fishway (Stony Brook). The fishway was operational in 2010 but the town crew improved its attachment to the dam. Division staff then created stone guidance berms to assist alewives in locating the fishway. FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 3
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Assisted the Old Lyme Conservation Trust to improve fish passage efficiency at the Mary Steube Fishway (Mill Brook) by adding a section of steeppass fishway to the entrance.
The concrete structure was the entrance of the Mary Steube Fishway, but in low water there was a drop that discouraged some alewives from entering. The steep pass extension will allow all fish to enter while improving hydraulics within the fishway.
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Performed major repairs to the State-owned Trading Cove Brook Fishway (Montville/Norwich). This steeppass fishway is located inside a Rt. 32 culvert and the March 31 floods washed away the lower ramp of the steeppass, damaging concrete and aluminum structures in the process. FEMA awarded the DEP a grant to repair the damage and Division staff worked closely with the Wetlands Restoration unit of the Agency Support Services Division and the USFWS’s Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge to repair the fishway in a narrow time window between FEMA authorization and the return of fall rains (and the fall trout migration season).
1. DEP Wetlands Restoration Program staff use chain hoist to lift displaced steep pass unit back into place.
2. IFD staff work inside a sandbag cofferdam to fasten new entrance pool to steep pass and culvert.
3. IFD’s Tim Wildman secures a new intermediate supportpoletopreventare-occurrence.
4. The IFD crew poses with the fully repaired fishway.
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Above. Repairs to the Trading Cove fishway, start to finish
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FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 4
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The fall opening of the Rainbow Dam Fishway was delayed due to work being done on the dam by the owner. The fishway operated from October 16th – November 15th. Juvenile river herring, juvenile shad, and silver eels were documented using the fishway.
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Stocked 24,000 sea-run brown trout parr in six coastal streams. It is hoped that most of these parr will emigrate to salt water in the spring, 2011.
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Stocked 6,255 salmon parr from the Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery in Pittsford, VT into the Farmington River in Farmington. It is expected that these fish will not emigrate to sea until the spring of 2012.
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Assisted the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the State of Vermont, the U.S. Forest Service, and others in fin clipping and vaccinating approximately 100,000 Atlantic salmon pre-smolts being raised in the Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery in Pittsford, VT. Most of these fish will be released into the Farmington River in March of 2011.
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Fin-clipped 1,500 tiger trout at Quinebaug Valley Trout Hatchery prior to their transfer to Burlington State Trout Hatchery. These trout will be stocked into five sea-run trout streams during spring 2011.
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Assisted the USFWS and other member agencies of the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission (CRASC) during egg-taking operations at the White River National Fish Hatchery (Bethel, VT). The broodstock were offspring from salmon that returned to the river in previous years and their eggs produce the majority of the fry that are stocked in Connecticut and the other three states.
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Assisted the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and other member agencies of CRASC during egg-taking operations at the Richard Cronin National Salmon Station in Sunderland, MA. The broodstock were salmon that had returned to the CT River from the ocean this spring.
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Led development and implemention of a study that evaluated the production of milt by mature male salmon parr, which are critically important in the spawning operations. The evaluation was done over a seven week period and the data collected will be incorporated into spawning strategies at Cronin.
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Spawned Atlantic salmon broodstock at the Kensington State Fish Hatchery (Berlin). Approximately 2,300,000 eggs were taken, of which 2,000,000 are being incubated at Kensington and 300,000 were shipped to Cronin for incubation. Fry produced from these eggs are scheduled to be stocked in CT
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Closed fishways and eel passes throughout the state for the winter.
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Engaged in numerous public outreach and educational activities including Connecticut Hunting & Fishing Appreciation Day at Sessions Woods, DEP Managers’ Day at Rocky Neck, The Nature Conservancy’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, the Farmington River Watershed Association’s Annual Meeting, the Land Trust Alliance’s Annual National Meeting in Hartford, the Connecticut River Salmon Association’s annual teacher orientation session for the Salmon-in-the-Classroom program, and the Awards Ceremony for the Ecosystem Management, Habitat Restoration, and Long Island Sound Fund Grants.
Habitat Conservation and Enhancement
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Collaborated with The Nature Conservancy in completing and submitting a grant application to the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture Project to remove a barrier to native brook trout passage on Mott Hill Brook in East Hampton. The proposed restoration project will remove a perched culvert with a clear span timber bridge, reconnecting access to over 1.68 miles of upstream brook trout habitat.
This Mott Hill Brook culvert is perched above the streambed, blocking upstream fish passage. FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 5
FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 6
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Assisted a DOT contractor installing fish habitat enhancements within Whitford Brook, Groton as related to the reconstruction of the Route 184 Bridge that was washed out during the March 2010 flood. Fish habitat enhancements involved the construction of several rootwads to provide overhead cover and the installation of a series of random boulders that increase channel roughness and provide instream velocity and cover refugia for the resident fish community.
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With assistance from staff of the Connecticut Department of Transportation Office of Environmental Planning, installed series of vortex rock weirs at the outlet of the Route 272 culvert crossing of Hall Meadow Brook, Norfolk. The weirs were installed to create a series of pools to better enable fish to access a fishway within the culvert. The fishway was installed in the culvert during its construction in the late 1990s and was rendered impassible after a number of flood events. All work was performed manually using native rock from the stream and was completed within several hours. The weirs have withstood a number of high flows since the September installation.
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Revised a document that provides guidance and recommendations for the design of fishing facilities (generally applicable to coastal locations). The original document, titled “Fishing Piers: Design Guidelines to Enhance Recreational Fishing,” was posted to the DEP website in 2005 for the purpose of helping municipal planners, consultants and private entities with the design of fishing facilities. The Department of Justice recently adopted new Americans with Disability Act requirements for recreational facilities, and so it was necessary to update the guidance document with this information. In addition, the new revision includes pictures of fishing facilities in Connecticut that illustrate key design features. The new revision, renamed “Design Guidelines for Recreational Fishing Facilities,” is available on the DEP website at http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/fishing/general_information/fishpierguidelines.pdf
Installation of rootwads in Whitford Brook to enhance instream fish habitat.
Above. Hall Meadow Brook culvert prior to repair work. Floods had washed away rocks downstream of the culvert lip, making it difficult for fish to enter the fishway (hidden by shadows)
FAC 12/9/2010 IFD quarterly report (September – November) 7
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Completed annual cross-section monitoring survey at the Mount Hope River Restoration Project, Ashford that was done in 2006. Main survey objectives are to (1) assess channel stability within 1,200 feet of restored channel and (2) assess stability of grade control structures to redirect streamflow away from streambanks and to provide holding pools for the resident fish population. The Mount Hope River has experienced a total of nine bankfull or greater events since project completion. Despite the unusually high frequency of flood events, stream banks and channel are stable and all pools have maintained designed scour pool depths.
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A one year Cooperative Agreement was signed by the Connecticut DEP and the University of Connecticut-Institute of Water Resources to re-establish the Connecticut Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Working Group. Priority actions for the Group will be drafting a rapid response plan, an early detection, monitoring and assessment plan, and preventing the spread of ANS through a variety of educational actions. The ANS Management Plan can be found at http://www.anstaskforce.gov/State%20Plans/CT_ANS_Plan.pdf
Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education and Constituent Services
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Taught over 550 students about water, fish and fishing this fall. CARE Instructors held 4 Family Fishing Courses and 11 Special Fishing events around the state. 2010 was another successful year for the CARE program, reaching more than 7,000 citizens through Family Ice Fishing classes, Family Fishing Courses, Summer Fishing classes, and Special Fishing events. For the 25th consecutive year volunteers contributed 100% of the match needed to secure federal funding, enabling the CARE program to operate without state General Fund dollars.
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Hosted over 40 CARE volunteer instructors at an in-service training program at the Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby. Attendees received training on the new Family Fishing course agenda developed by CARE staff. This training was initiated in response to declining family participation at our 4-meeting courses in recent years. The new 2-day agenda allows instructors to teach a shortened course (1 day in classroom, 1 day fishing trip). We expect to increase Family Fishing Course participation by 100% in 2011.
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Scheduled nine Family Ice Fishing classes in Farmington, Glastonbury, Hartford, Litchfield, New Haven, Coventry, Cheshire, Derby, and Ansonia. We’re also planning two large field events, our annual CARE Family Ice Fishing Derby and a “No Child Left Inside” winter festival. CARE Instructors have already begun scheduling Family Fishing Courses for spring 2011, with courses already scheduled for Stamford and Glastonbury!
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Prepared brand-new ice fishing equipment for use in our winter activities. CTfisherman.com representatives Jon Nickless and Mitch Passero have generously donated equipment to CARE for the last three years. This year’s donation was 90 jigging poles with spinning reels. They also sent us prepared baits to use at our derby and winter festival.
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Completed our “Let’s Go Ice Fishing” DVD in partnership with Judy Prill of DEP’s Office of Pollution Prevention, Corporate Media Services at Middlesex Community College, and CARE volunteers (who contributed video and still images). The product provides an introduction to ice fishing to be used by CARE instructors teaching classes statewide. It will also appear on the DEP website to get other families excited about ice fishing in Connecticut. Live footage shows the excitement experienced by families fishing with CARE volunteers last winter. “Let’s Go Ice Fishing” may be the first video of its kind, so we made it generic enough to be useful to aquatic resources educators in other states. The DVD premiered at our recent instructor in-service training program and received rave reviews. FAC
Staff also stocked walleye fingerlings into Lake Pocotopaug (3,250, purchased by East Hampton)
WHY???? I can't launch a boat there, so why does my tax money go to helping East Hampton stock their private lake? You want to buy fish, stock it yourselfs.
Good question lundrunner. Even if they paid for the fish, they are utilizing public resources for private gain! Doesn't seem right does it. That's 3250 'eyes that could be in a lake that the public has access to.