Tag Archives: Missisquoi

ANR Seeks Comments on Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages Tactical Water Quality Management Plan Draft

Public Comment Sought on Plan for Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages

Shumlin- ANR Seeks Comments on Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages Tactical Water Quality Management Plan DraftVermont’s Agency of Natural Resources will holding three public comment meetings in July to get feedback on the Draft Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages Tactical Water Quality Management Plan. The public is encouraged to attend the meetings, hear the presentation and offer their comments and suggestions. This plan will be used to establish priorities for clean water projects being pursued in fulfillment of the Vermont Clean Water Act (H.35), signed into law by Governor Shumlin on June 16, and related Lake Champlain restoration efforts.

 

ANR Seeks Comments on Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages Tactical Water Quality Management Plan Draft

 

Public Meetings Schedule and Locations

Meetings will take place in the following locations:

  • Monday, June 29, 5 – 6:30 pm, Swanton Municipal Building, Swanton, VT (hosted by Friends of North Lake Champlain)
  • Thursday, July 2, 4 – 5:30 pm, Act 250 conference room, ANR District Office, 111 West Street, Essex Junction, VT
  • Wednesday, July 8 6:30 to 8 pm, Meeting room 1, Shelburne Town Office, Shelburne, VT (hosted by the Shelburne Natural Resources Committee)

 

What are the Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages?

map ANR Seeks Comments on Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages Tactical Water Quality Management Plan DraftThe Northern Lake Champlain Direct Drainages (Basin 5) include all surface waters draining into the northern section of Lake Champlain, north from the Ferrisburgh and Charlotte town line and ending at the Canadian border, excepting the three major river watersheds: the Missisquoi, the Winooski and the Lamoille. This Tactical Plan was developed with the purpose of improving both water quality and aquatic habitats, and presents ANR’s recommendations in collaboration with other State and Federal resource agencies, watershed partner organizations, regional planning commissions, municipalities, and individual citizens.

The Plan, which was prepared in accordance with the Vermont Surface Water Management Strategy, provides an overview of the health of the basin and a description of the priority future and ongoing steps recommended to restore and protect its surface waters. The central component of this Tactical Basin Plan is an implementation table, which breaks actions intended to protect, maintain, enhance, and restore surface waters in the basin into geographical segments.

 

 

For a full list of top priority actions recommended in the management plan, click here.

Copies of the plan may be obtained on-line at http://www.vtwaterquality.org or by requesting a copy from the number below. The public comment period runs until July 24, 2015. Comments received by this date will be addressed in a responsiveness summary.

For further information or to submit comments please contact:

Karen Bates, Watershed Coordinator, Watershed Management Division
VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation
111 West St.
Essex Junction, VT 05452
Phone: (802) 490-6144
Email: karen.bates@state.vt.us

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Reminder: Lake sturgeon are protected under state laws

Anglers reminded that lake sturgeon are protected under state laws

Lake sturgeon are protected by legislation in both New York State and Vermont and anglers’ help is needed to protect the endangered species by practicing responsible angling and by reporting catch information.

 

lake sturgeon are protected

 

“Lake sturgeon, which are listed as an endangered species by the State of Vermont, are fully protected and all sturgeon caught by anglers need to be released immediately. Harvesting a lake sturgeon would result in the loss of an angler’s fish and wildlife licenses in Vermont and most other states for up to three years. It would also come with a $2,000 fee, paid as restitution to the state’s fish and wildlife fund, as well as a $722 fine for the offense itself.”  ~ Chet MacKenzie, fisheries biologist, Vermont Fish & Wildlife. 

Lake Sturgeon Facts

Also known as rock sturgeon, reddy sturgeon, or common sturgeon, the lake sturgeon is the region’s largest completely freshwater fish. A mature adult can measure between three and five feet in length and weigh up to 80 pounds, but can occasionally grow as large as 7+ feet and weigh 300 or more pounds. The largest on record in North America weighed over 300 pounds, and the oldest was 154 years old.

lake sturgeon are protected speciesThe body coloration changes with age. An adult lake sturgeon is a uniform dull grey color while younger sturgeon are brownish grey with clear green on the lower parts of the head and body. They have sharp, cone-shaped mouths with four smooth barbels on the underside. The mouth is wide and there are two smooth lobes on the lower lip.

 

Lake Sturgeon Habitat

Lake sturgeon, which in Vermont are only found in Lake Champlain and the lower sections of the Winooski, Lamoille and Missisquoi rivers and Otter Creek, are a unique, ancient form of fish that were first given complete protection by Vermont law in 1967. Lake Champlain has the only lake sturgeon population in New England. New York lake sturgeon have been collected in the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Cayuga Lake, the Seneca and Cayuga canals, and in the Grasse, Oswego, and Oswegatchie rivers, as well as Lake Champlain.

Historically the fish were more common in Lake Champlain, but declined because of over-fishing and loss of spawning habitat caused by dam construction.

 

Lake Sturgeon Restoration

Anglers are also encouraged to help with the Lake Champlain sturgeon restoration effort by minimizing injuries to any accidentally caught sturgeon.

“If by chance an angler catches a sturgeon, we ask that they leave the sturgeon in the water as much as possible and remove the hook if the fish is hooked in the mouth, but cut the line and leave the hook in place if the hook is swallowed. If possible, sturgeon should not be removed from the water. Anglers can also help by choosing to change fishing locations or using a different bait in the event that they catch multiple sturgeon in a particular area,”  said MacKenzie. 

 

lake sturgeon are protected under state laws

lake sturgeon are protected under state laws

Vermont Fish & Wildlife urges anglers to help population recovery efforts by reporting any sturgeon they catch to the Department at 802-878-1564, or by contacting their local fish and game warden or district office. Information obtained about sturgeon catches can be valuable to the Department’s sampling efforts and to monitoring the trend in sturgeon abundance over time.

Anglers and members of the public are also asked to report illegal sturgeon harvest to law enforcement immediately by calling their local warden, a state police dispatch center or Operation Game Thief at 1-800-752-5378.

To learn more about Vermont’s fisheries programs, fishing regulations or to purchase a fishing license, visit www.vtfishandwildlife.com

 

More About Lake Sturgeon:

A Dinosaur Among Us- The Lake Sturgeon

Lake Sturgeon Thunder

EPA Focusing on Farm Phosphorus Runoff For Lake Champlain Cleanup

Farm Phosphorus Runoff Targeted in EPA Findings

Last year Vermont proposed a Lake Champlain water quality improvement plan, as required by the Clean Water Act, to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But the EPA’s pollution models showed that the plan would not restore the water quality to the state standards in either the South Lake and Missisquoi Bay watersheds.

 

“Those segments of the lake will require significant reductions,” ~ Dave Deegan, from EPA’s New England Regional Office.

farm phosphorus runoff</center>

Blue green algae blooms are caused by nutrients dumped into waterways by farm phosphorus runoff

 

Fertilizer runoff from farms will be targeted in these areas, state officials say. In some areas where agriculture accounts for most of the phosphorus flowing into lake, farmers will have to exceed current legal obligations to reduce runoff and erosion from their farms.

 

“Our presence is going to be increased. The actions on the part of farmers will be amplified,” ~ Chuck Ross, Vermont Agriculture Secretary

 

Vermont’s New Water Quality Bill

Vermont’s new Water Quality Bill calls for funding 8 new positions at the Agency of Agriculture, this year. According to Vermont Agriculture Secretary, Chuck Ross the agency will travel to these watersheds this summer to educate farmers about the legally required practices to prevent pollution.

Runoff from Farm fields

Unprotected farm fields yield topsoil as well as farm phosphorus runoff and other potential pollutants when heavy rains occur.

When those new efforts are not enough, he said the state will ask farmers to implement other measures that could include cover cropping, planting wider buffers between waterways, rotating different crops or taking land out of production. Ross said he expects some might choose to sell their farms instead of making the required changes.

But he added that the practices would be unique to each farm and targeted to those areas where they can improve water quality.

 

Farmers will have financial support this year for water quality protection projects. Last year the state received more than $60 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants over five years for conservation projects to prevent soil erosion and fertilizer runoff. Ross said there is also state and federal money available to help farmer put land into conservation and transition from one type of farming to another.

Vermont will offer a new plan designed to help curb phosphorus runoff from farms in these most polluted sections of Lake Champlain. The state hopes to provide the EPA with an updated plan in the next two weeks, according to David Mears, Vermont commissioner for the Department of Environmental Conservation.

 

Will The New Measures Meet the EPA Standards?

The EPA will review that updated plan before it issues a total maximum daily load value (TMDL) for public review and comment. A TMDL is the maximum amount of a pollutant a body of water can accept and still meet quality standards. The EPA also intends to work with Vermont and review the newly passed Water Quality Bill before issuing the TMDL value.

The Water Quality Bill sets a timeline for the agency to propose new rules to protect water quality. If signed into law, the agency would:

  • by July 2016 set standards including mandatory cover cropping, exclusion of livestock from waterways and requirement that manure spreaders be certified.
  • by July 2017 require that small farms be certified for compliance with water quality laws.

According to the EPA, the new legislation, in addition to other initiatives that state agencies are working on, create additional measures to reduce phosphorus and build a ‘sturdy foundation’ for restoring water quality in Lake Champlain.

 

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Vermont Walleye Fishing Starts May 2

Vermont Walleye Fishing

Vermont Fish & Wildlife reminds anglers that some of New England’s best walleye fishing begins with the start of the Vermont’s walleye fishing season on Saturday, May 2.

A range of rivers and lakes across the state of Vermont offer quality walleye fishing opportunities, but anglers should be aware that regulations can vary depending upon which waterway they are fishing.

In all Vermont waters except Lake Carmi, Chittenden Reservoir and the Connecticut River, walleye and sauger have an 18″ minimum length requirement and a three-fish daily limit. Open season runs from Saturday, May 2 to March 15, 2016.

Walleye painting

 

 

Special Vermont Walleye Fishing Regulations:

  1. Lake Carmi: Lake Carmi has a slot limit for walleye because of the lake’s high rate of natural walleye reproduction and high fishing pressure. The minimum length is 15 inches, and all walleye between 17 and 19 inches must be released. The daily limit is five walleye, but only one may be over 19 inches long. The season is open May 2 through March 15.
  2. Chittenden Reservoir: Chittenden Reservoir has special walleye regulations in order to produce large walleye that can help control its over-abundant yellow perch population, and provide anglers with an opportunity to harvest a trophy walleye. The minimum length is 22 inches, the daily limit is two, and the season is open June 1 through March 15.
  3. Connecticut River: Connecticut River walleye fishing rules are set by New Hampshire. No walleye between 16 and 18 inches may be kept and the daily limit is four fish, of which only one may be longer than 18 inches.
Walleye

Walleye

The Northeast Kingdom also offers walleye fishing opportunities in Salem Lake, Island Pond, Clyde Pond, and the Clyde River.

 

Lake Champlain Vermont Walleye Fishing Opportunities

Excellent walleye fishing can also be found each spring in Lake Champlain and its tributaries: the Missisquoi River, Lamoille River, Winooski River, and Otter Creek.

Vermont Record Walleye

Richard Levesque with Vermont’s state record walleye

Vermont’s state record walleye weighed 14.55 lbs. and was caught in Lake Champlain by Richard Levesque of Swanton in 2010.

 

Planning a Vermont fishing trip is easy. Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s 2015 Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Laws and Guide publication includes maps showing lakes and streams as well as fishing access areas and public lands. The guide also lists the fish species found in each body of water and includes the state’s fishing regulations. Copies are available where fishing licenses are sold, or by calling Vermont Fish & Wildlife at 802-828-1000. Sections of the publication can also be downloaded from www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

 

To learn more about fishing in Vermont or to purchase a Vermont fishing license, visit www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

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Lake Champlain Salmon Restoration Successful in 2014

2014 Lake Champlain Salmon Restoration

Officials from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced that the assessment results for 2014 show continued gains for Lake Champlain’s landlocked Atlantic salmon fishery restoration.

Lake Champlain Salmon Restoration

Landlocked Atlantic Salmon

“It’s extremely encouraging to see the collaborative efforts of New York, Vermont and federal agency staff fostering the long-term sustainability of the Lake Champlain fishery. Our staffs have made great strides in controlling sea lamprey, benefiting anglers and surrounding communities. However, we must remain vigilant in combatting the invasive sea lamprey so the fishery can continue to rebound and flourish.” ~ Joe Martens, Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
2014 Lake Champlain Salmon Restoration

Fish Culture Operations Chief Adam Miller with a landlocked Atlantic salmon at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station in Grand Isle, Vermont

The three groups make up the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative and work collaboratively on restoration efforts. They reported a number of highlights from recent evaluation activities that indicate further improvement to the lake’s salmon population.

The joint efforts have included lampricide treatments to kill young lamprey before they get into Lake Champlain and start to attack salmon and other gamefish, stocking programs and fish ladders and lifts to help the salmon reach spawning grounds.

“We’ve seen several indicators from our 2014 assessments that make it very clear that sea lamprey control and our other salmon restoration initiatives, are continuing to be effective in strengthening the salmon population in Lake Champlain. This is a great sign for the salmon, for the health of Lake Champlain’s fisheries and for anglers.” ~ Brian Chipman, fisheries biologist, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept.

 Lake Champlain Salmon Restoration Success Indicators

One of the primary indicators is the strength of annual salmon spawning runs – which have produced several record or near-record numbers in 2014. Some of the key data points include:

  • 158 salmon lifted at the Winooski River Fish Lift at the Winooski One Hydroelectric Facility in Winooski, VT – this is the second highest number in the 22-year history of the fish lift operation. Most of these fish were trucked upstream and released above  the dam in Essex, VT dam for access to suitable spawning habitat.
  • Salmon spawning activity was observed for the first time at several locations in the release section of the Winooski River, and its tributary, the Huntington River.
  • Salmon lifted at the Winooski facility were in excellent health and ranged in size – one was a state record-class male salmon measuring 32 inches and weighing 14 pounds, the largest salmon ever observed from Lake Champlain in the history of the restoration program.
  • A record 724 salmon collected in Hatchery Brook at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station in Grand Isle, VT. Many of the salmon collected were used to provide eggs for hatchery production.
  • 139 salmon were collected in the Lamoille River below Peterson Dam – this is the most collected in a season since 1993.
  • 43 salmon were captured and passed upstream at the Boquet River fishway in Willsboro, NY – the most passed at this site since 2011.
  • Two other Lake Champlain tributaries not know for significant salmon runs yielded record numbers of salmon in 2014 surveys: 30 salmon in Otter Creek in Vergennes, VT, and 19 salmon in the Missisquoi River in Swanton, VT.
  • Lake Champlain Salmon Restoration Successful in 2014

    Sea Lamprey attached to fish

    Additionally, data from 2014 assessments also show the lowest sea lamprey wounding rates since the long term sea lamprey control program began in 2002.

  • Lamprey wounds on salmon declined from 19 wounds per 100 fish in 2013 to 15 wounds per 100 fish in 2014, meeting the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative’s target wounding level for salmon. Lamprey wounds on lake trout also declined to 30 wounds per 100 fish in 2014, from 54 in 2013.
  • This contrasts sharply to the 2003 results when sea lamprey were near peak abundance, at a rate of 93 wounds per 100 salmon. That year, salmon returns were extremely low – only 84 collected from Hatchery Brook, 21 from the Lamoille River, and 14 from the Winooski River.

“The reduction in lamprey wounding rates indicate an overall decrease in sea lamprey abundance in Lake Champlain, and highlights the continued success and improvements in the sea lamprey control program. Through technological advances in survey and treatment methods and the inclusion of newly identified lamprey population infestations, the control program has gained more ground and become more comprehensive in its approach.” ~ Bradley Young, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, sea lamprey control program supervisor

Lamprey have had less of an impact in Lake Champlain which is beneficial to a range of fish species including northern pike, walleye and lake sturgeon, as well as trout and salmon. This progress is expected to translate into better fishing on Lake Champlain for years to come.


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