3/8/07 FAC Meeting: Inland Fisheries Update

Transcription

1 3/8/07 FAC Meeting: Inland Fisheries Update Inland Fish Management & Fish Culture: Produced inventory of the total number of catchable size trout available for preseason and inseason spring stocking (708,000). In addition, 28,500 fingerling size trout (4-6 or 7-9 ) have been produced for special programs such as TMA enhancement or sea-run trout fisheries. Stocking began on March 1 st. Approximately 402,000 will be released prior to Opening Day (April 15). The following have been produced for stocking during ,000 brook trout (10-12 ) 152,000 rainbow trout (10-12 ) 384,000 brown trout (10-12 ) 2,000 tiger trout ( ) 15,000 brown trout (~12 ) 2,500 sea-run tiger trout (7-9 ) 35,000 rainbow trout (>12 ) 2,800 Surplus Broodstock (3-10 lbs) 2,500 sea-run brown trout (4-6 ) 1,000 large Survivor brown trout (12-16 ) 8,500 brown trout yearlings (7-9 ) 15,000 Survivor brown trout yearlings (7-9 ) Stocked 396 surplus brood Seeforellen brown trout into 12 lakes during January.The average size was approximately 5 pounds per fish, and the trout ranged in weight from 2-8 pounds. Below are lakes stocked and # s of trout: Beach Pond (Voluntown) 36 Mohawk Pond (Cornwall-Goshen) 25 Black P (Meriden) 36 Mt Tom Pond (Morris-Litchfield-Washington) 40 Cedar Lake (Chester) 36 Still Water Pond (Torrington) 20 Crystal Lake (Ellington) 36 Tyler Pond (Goshen) 35 Mashapaug Lake (Union) 36 West Hill Pond (New Hartford) 45 Quonnipaug Lake (Guilford) 36 West Side Pond (Goshen) 15 Typical broodstock Seeforellen strain brown trout released in the winter (held by Jim Bender). This beauty was released at Black Pond, Meriden/Middlefield. Completed ice fishing creel surveys on Mansfield Hollow Reservoir, Gardner Lake, Squantz Pond and Crystal Lake (Ellington). The Mansfield Hollow Reservoir creel survey indicated that 80% of the total angling effort was targeted toward pike. Angler reports also indicate that Winchester Lake (Winchester) has been steadily producing good numbers of pike up to 34. FAC 3/8/2007 IFD update 1

2 The Gardner Lake and Squantz Pond surveys provided additional data for the ongoing walleye assessment. Of particular note was a trophy fish (29, 10 lbs) caught at Gardner Lake. Good catches of walleye have also been reported from several of the new Walleye Lakes including Coventry Lake (18-22 ) and Mashapaug Lake (18-21 ), Lake Pocotopaug (22-24 ) and from below the Derby Dam on the Housatonic River (23-24 ). Contacts were made with personnel who manage or have a direct interest in Beardsley Park Pond (Bridgeport), Lake Wintergreen (New Haven area), Kenney Park (Hartford) and Mohegan Park Pond (Norwich). These ponds are to be managed as Urban Park Ponds, and plans have been made to stock them with trout this spring, and later, perhaps channel catfish in the early summer. Completed and arranged delivery of the 2007 Angler s Guide to Town Clerks offices and Tackle Shops. Compiled all stocking information for the 2006 Fish Distribution Report. A total of 800,100 catchable-size trout were stocked in Completed reports will be distributed to all FAC members. Kevin Vensel, a Fisheries Technician who worked for five years out of the Litchfield Office, left the Inland Fisheries Division to work at the State Dept. of Justice. It was a great career opportunity for Kevin, but he will be sorely missed by the Inland Fisheries Division. Habitat Conservation and Enhancement: Completed the Draft Eligibility Report for the Housatonic River Natural Resource Damages Restoration project. Ninety-two responses to the Request For Proposals (issued November 2006) were received. Of those, 75 were found to be eligible for further consideration in the development of the Restoration Plan. Of the projects deemed ineligible, the reasons for rejection were either that the respondent did not provide all of the required information, the project did not restore, rehabilitate, replace or acquire the equivalent of the resources damaged, or was otherwise required be federal, state or local law. A Request for Supplemental Information will be issued for all eligible projects on March 28, It is expected that the Restoration Plan will be completed in the first quarter of 2008, with funds distributed thereafter. In coordination with Marine Fisheries Division staff, completed review of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission s November 2006 Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the FAC 3/8/2007 IFD update 2

3 Broadwater LNG Project. Staff identified a number of issues that require additional consideration by FERC, including the possibility of long-term impacts to the seabed, recreational fishing and commercial fishing. Staff recommended additional evaluation of alternate locations outside of Long Island Sound to avoid these impacts. In consideration of the various issues identified, staff concluded the project should not be authorized as proposed. Provided review comments to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) project staff regarding the Thrasher Brook and Gulf Brook EWP projects in Somers, CT. These areas are being restored by the NRCS to repair damage caused by the October 2005 flood events. Comments were provided to ensure proper restoration of instream fish habitats and riparian corridors and also to protect spawning and rearing periods of native brook trout populations. Streambank erosion along Gulf Brook, Somers, CT. Completed final review comments on the Mansfield Hollow Hydroelectric Project, Kirby Mill Dam, Instream Flow Study, which was completed by the license applicant s consulting team. The instream flow study was designed to assess and protect fisheries resources within the 400 ft. long bypass reach of the proposed Mansfield Hollow Hydro-Kirby Mill Power Project, located on the Natchaug River immediately downstream of the Mansfield Hollow Dam, Mansfield. The applicant has agreed to provide a minimum flow release of 20 cfs in the bypass reach and a minimum back channel discharge of 2 cfs in response to HCE comments. Assisted field staff of the Aquarion Water Company with the installation of bank placed logs at several locations along a 200-yard reach of Womenshenock Brook, Kent. A total of 24 logs were installed at locations with excessive bank erosion. The work was mitigation for environmental damage associated with the earlier breaching of Segar Pond Dam, an impoundment on Womenshenock Brook. Completed the final report for the Mount Hope River Habitat Restoration Project, summarizing this habitat restoration project. The report was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency s 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Program, which provided major funding for the project. Electronic copies in PDF format are available upon request. Produced a 6-page Large Woody Debris (LWD) fact sheet that describes the ecological importance of LWD to river ecosystems and provides guidance for its beneficial management. FAC 3/8/2007 IFD update 3

4 This public outreach document will be distributed to the public, watershed associations, municipalities and will also be posted on the DEP Inland Fisheries Division website. Electronic copies in PDF format are available upon request. Participated in a Connecticut Environmental Review Team (ERT) resource review of the Oswegatchie Hills as requested by the town of East Lyme. The town currently has preserved 345 acres of the total 700 acres comprising the Hills, and aspires to acquire and protect an additional 230 acres that are the subject of applications for a zoning change to allow affordable housing development. The town will use the ERT report to (1) develop a comprehensive management plan for preserved land, (2) develop educational materials for public access trails, (3) develop land use guidelines for potential development on unprotected land, and (4) apply for state and federal grants to preserve remaining unprotected land. IFD staff described fisheries resources within the Hills and in the adjacent Niantic River and Latimer Brook. Recreational fishing opportunities and IFD diadromous fisheries restoration programs in Latimer Brook and the potential impacts of development on aquatic resources were also described. It was recommended that the best way to protect these important fisheries resources would be to protect the Hills, though staff also made recommendations on how to protect fisheries resources if development were to occur on the unprotected portion of the Hills. IFD staff continue to support Departmental efforts to revise the Instream Flow regulations in accordance with Public Act Efforts have focused on developing instream flow regulations for three distinct classes of rivers (Class 1 corresponding to naturally flowing streams, Class 2 corresponding to near naturally flowing streams, and Class 3 corresponding to streams already significantly altered by anthropogenic effects including but not limited public water supply). The strategy being employed is to describe class specific diversion rates based on allowable deviations from the natural hydrograph with the most restrictive standards applied to Class 1 streams and the least restrictive to Class 3 streams. Recent efforts have focused on means of addressing diversions that have active storage (including water supply reservoirs) versus those without active storage capabilities (including groundwater withdrawals). Diadromous Fisheries Restoration: Continued to work with the Department s engineering staff, the Department of Public Works, and consulting engineers on an engineering study of the Rainbow Dam Fishway. Macchi Engineering was hired develop options for replacing the aging and poorly-functioning fishway. Three options are being investigated: (1) converting the existing vertical slot fishway into a Denil fishway, (2) re-using the existing entrance and exit of the fishway but transporting fish between those two points using a monorail system, and (3) re-using the existing entrance and exit of the fishway but transporting fish between those two points using a fish lift (elevator). By the end of February, the study was 90% complete but awaiting additional information and analysis from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. A final report is expected by springtime. Upon review of the final report, the Department and its partners will select one of the studied options and hire an engineering firm to develop final engineering plans for construction. A steeppass fishway was completed at the Jordan Millpond Dam in Waterford in early February. This fishway was expected to be completed before winter but construction took longer than expected. This project, implemented by the Town with technical oversight by the Inland Fisheries Division, has been planned for many years but was delayed time after time FAC 3/8/2007 IFD update 4

5 for a variety of reasons. It was funded mostly by a DEP grant to the Town of Waterford. The money originally came to the DEP from an oil spill mitigation settlement. Save the Sound also provided funding. The dam is privately owned but most of the fishway rests on land that is part of a park managed by the Town. The entrance is in tidewater where Jordan Brook flows into Jordan Cove. This fishway opens up miles of habitat on Jordan and Nevin brooks. Alewife and sea-run trout are the targeted species. Jordan Millpond Dam fishway - Aluminum steeppass sections connect the concrete entrance with the concrete resting pool that was poured to simulate cut stone. An upper ramp of steeppass sections connects the resting pool with the old stone dam, which was notched to accept the top of the fishway. Some bedrock needed to be chipped away to accommodate the resting pool. Additional site restoration work was done after this photo was taken. The fishway will begin operation by late March. Delivered salmon eggs to Connecticut River Salmon Association (CRSA) volunteers for distribution to 96 tanks in 74 schools participating in the Fish Friends program. These schools are from 52 different towns in Connecticut. The Inland Fisheries Division, Connecticut River Salmon Association (CRSA), and the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission are partners in this program in which 200 fertilized Atlantic salmon eggs are delivered to specially chilled tanks in school classrooms. The students monitor the incubation of the eggs, the hatching, and eventually stock the resulting fry into designated streams. Students learn about Atlantic salmon biology, restoration programs, aquatic ecology, and conservation Delivered 70,000 eyed Atlantic salmon eggs to the Tripp Streamside Incubation Facility in Old Lyme, CT for use in the restoration program. This is a private facility in the lower level of a private residence that is located inside of an old mill. The dam and much of the waterworks survive and allowed owner Jim Tripp to plumb a system to incubate salmon eggs using natural stream water from Mill Brook. This will be the third year that the system has been used. Fry from the incubator are expected to be ready for stocking by April 15, 2007, and numbers should be sufficient to fully stock the Eightmile River watershed and some FAC 3/8/2007 IFD update 5

6 tributaries within the Salmon River watershed. Volunteers from Trout Unlimited and others will help stock the fry into the streams. Tripp Streamside Incubation Facility: These 16 trays of a Heath Incubator are suspended above the old tailrace of a mill. Water from the dam is gravity-fed to the blue headtank for filtering and then is gravity-fed to the top of the stacks of trays, where it trickles down through all of the eggs before spilling through the floor and back into the stream. Attended the first-of-its-kind New England Sea-run Trout Meeting in Hadley, MA to discuss efforts by various state agencies to establish or enhance runs of sea-run brown trout or searun brook trout (mostly in northern New England). The meeting was attended by fisheries staff from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York as well as academics. Lots of experience and technical information was exchanged that might benefit our Division s efforts. The meeting may be repeated in future years. CARE and Constituent Services: Trained 19 new CARE Instructors at the Hanson Exploration Center in Bridgeport. This collaboration with Connecticut s Beardsley Park Zoo was the first event in a new partnership between the Inland Fisheries Division and the Zoo in preparation for a Family Fishing Day event and urban fisheries management that will occur at the pond later this spring. The 19 new instructors were also trained in Hooked on Fishing Not On Drugs (HOFNOD) curriculum at Bridgeport. These instructors will be incorporating new HOFNOD material into CARE classes held in their communities throughout Completed Inservice training for CARE volunteers at Marine Headquarters in Old Lyme. Plans for 2007 were announced with requests for recommended activities solicited from the volunteers. Plans for recognizing 20-year volunteers and for a Family Fishing Day in May were announced. Over 30 volunteer instructors and staff participated. Coordinated the IFD s participation in the CMTA Fishing and Boat Show in January at the Hartford Convention Center. Inland and Marine Fisheries displays were part of a larger DEP presence involving Boating, Long Island Sound programs and the ENCON Police. More than 5,000 people viewed our display over 4 days. Coordinated the IFD s participation in the Northeast Hunting and Fishing Show in February. This show used the DEP TIP trailer and (computerized) audiovisual presentations to inform attendees about family fishing and the proposed All Waters & Marine fishing licenses. Over 8,000 people visited us over 3 days. FAC 3/8/2007 IFD update 6

7 George Babey and Chief Instructor Dianne Grenier appeared on WILI radio in Willimantic with host Wayne Norman for a two-hour block to promote ice fishing and CARE classes. Despite the warm winter, CARE Instructors held 10 successful ice fishing classes in Stamford, East Hampton, Derby, Bristol, Pomfret, Terryville, New Haven, Wallingford (2) and Vernon. Nearly 400 people participated in these CARE events. Warm weather forced cancellation of 7 other events in Manchester, Coventry, East Hartford, Norfolk, Ridgefield, Torrington and Trumbull and the 2007 Family Ice Fishing Derby in Coventry The class of Volunteers from across the State were certified recently at Connecticut s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport. Chief Instructors Dick Emmons and Dianne Grenier assisted greatly with the training. FAC 3/8/2007 IFD update 7