After a regimen of lampricide treatments around Lake Champlain, sea lamprey populations shrank and freswater salmon are now more numerous and healthier. Photo courtesy of Summit to Stream
Ferrisburgh — Landlocked Atlantic Salmon have a long history in Lake Champlain.
“You go back to the 1700s salmon were very abundant in the lake,” said Vermont fisheries biologist Bernie Pientka.
That changed.
“Through all the logging, through development, through all of that the rivers were impacted; the salmon were impacted,” said Pientka. “By the 1800s they were pretty much gone from the lake."
So scientists in New York and Vermont partnered up to try to bring them back started around the 1970s.
Salmon were stocked in the lake, but there was a problem—sea lamprey. The eel-like creatures attach to fish, rasp a hole in their skin with a toothy tongue, and suck the blood and fluids out them.
The parasitic lamprey made it hard for scientists to bring back the salmon population, so biologists targeted the lamprey.
After a regimen of lampricide treatments in rivers around Lake Champlain, sea lamprey populations shrank and fish become more numerous and healthier.
“Decreasing number of wounds, also seeing larger older salmon than we have in the past,” said Pientka. “So we're starting to see some two lake-year, three lake-year fish.”
And Pientka said the fishing is good. He said anglers willing to brave chilly weather can do well this time of year. The fish run shallow now, and can also be caught from shore.
A license is needed, and all lake trout and salmon must be at least 15 inches long. There is a limit of two fish, all others must be released.
Anyone thinking of fishing or going out on the lake for anything should check the weather forecast and keep a close eye on conditions, since the lake can be treacherous, especially in the winter.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID