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Muskellunge Released Into Missisquoi River in Swanton
There are thousands of new fish in the Missisquoi River. Last Tuesday night, Vermont Fish and Wildlife workers released 5,500 young Muskellunge fingerlings or “Muskies” into the Missisquoi River in Swanton. It’s part of a six-year effort to restock the species into Vermont waters.
If the new fish make it to adulthood they could grow to be 25 years old and weigh 50 pounds. They hope the late night drop-off helps.
“We do this in the evening and as it approaches dark, the boats will go out and we’ll put these fish into the water. So not only are we putting them into thick cover, where they can hide, but we are doing it under the cover of darkness, as well, which offers them another layer of darkness,” – Shawn Smith, Vermont Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist.
Muskellunge Released Into Missisquoi River
Experts say the muskies, a predator fish, are good from an ecological perspective and are also popular with sport fishermen.
The fingerlings come from a hatchery in New York State and were free as part of a partnership between the two states to reintroduce the fish to its historical territory.
The decline in the Lake Champlain muskie population began in the 1970’s. The species is thought to have been wiped out in the lake after a spill from a paper mill in the late 1970’s.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge sign
The Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is located in northwestern Vermont, near the border with Canada. It was created in 1943 to provide habitat for migratory birds travelling between northern breeding grounds and southern wintering areas along the Atlantic Flyway. The Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is 6729 acres of mostly wetland habitat and hosts over 200 different species of birds. Fall migration features 20,000-25,000 migrating ducks.
Bobolink on a Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge sign
Near the main headquarters are open fields; this is where bobolinks raise their young. Since the 1900’s the bobolink populations in the Northeast have declined – with a 75% decrease over the past 40 years. Bobolinks travel round trip from the pampas in South America – about 12,000 miles. in May they arrive in Vermont to breed, with the young hatching in June. This hatching typically occurs at the same time when farmers are harvesting their first cut of hay, exposing the newborn bobolinks to a 100% mortality rate.
Most of the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is made up of a variety of freshwater wetland habitats which support a variety of migratory birds and other wildlife. Vegetation in many of these marshes includes wild rice, smartweed, pickerel weed, arrowhead and giant burred. Nesting bald eagles, osprey, and a great blue heron rookery on Shad Island – with more than 300 nests – is the home to the largest heron rookery in Vermont, are all resent on the refuge.Shad Island is located on the refuge near the delta where the Missisquoi River flows into Lake Champlain’s Missisquoi Bay. The marshes provide some of the best examples of these wetland communities in the State of Vermont.
The warm shallow water of the Missisquoi Delta provides excellent fishing opportunities on and around the refuge. Refuge boat launch facilities at Louie’s Landing and seasonally at Macs Bend allow boaters quick access to the river and Lake Champlain. The refuge hosts a Children’s Fishing Clinic each June/July where young anglers 15 yrs. of age or younger can fish along the banks of the Missisquoi River and receive excellent instruction regarding spin casting, fly tying, river/lake ecology, aquatic invasive species and other related fishing activities.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge
The refuge hosts annual events such as International Migratory Bird Day on the third Saturday in May. This event is coupled with the refuge open house and art display featuring local artists and photographers. The Junior Waterfowl Hunter Training program is held the third Saturday in August, providing expert instruction both indoors and outdoors for young waterfowlers age 12-15.
The first Saturday in May is Refuge green Up Day during which staff and volunteers conduct a cleanup of refuge waterways.
The Friends of Missisquoi NWR provide Monthly bird walks on the third Saturday of each month and a photography/nature walk on the first Saturday of each month. Bog walks, Vernal Pool walks, Owl Prowls occur seasonally during the year.
The Refuge HQ offers a large classroom for schools, summer camps, and other groups complete with audio/visual projection. Displays and exhibits are available in the HQ building as well. A hiking trail begins at the south entrance of the HQ building and offers educational opportunities to discuss green energy, macroinvertebrates, grassland habitats and a variety of other subject matter with students. The refuge provides outdoor classroom experiences to local schools and summer camps.
The refuge is also the contact point for the State of Vermont regarding the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program. This program which is available to all schools, homeschools and organizations encourages cross curriculum learning with the arts and sciences resulting in an art entry which competes at the state level.
Maquam bog at Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge
Classified as a pitch pine woodland bog, the Maquam Bog is the only community of its kind in Vermont and one of only a few found in all of New England.The Maquam Bog is a 900 acre bog community that has been shaped and maintained by fires and flooding. The depth of the peat ranges from 2.5 ft to 8 ft deep.
The vegetative community of the bog features pitch pine, rare Virginia chain fern, blueberries, a variety of sphagnum moss species and is dominated by rhodora.
The bog is also home to moose, short eared owls, shrikes and serves as a wintering area for whitetail deer. Please note that the bog is closed to all public use except for upland game hunting. Special Use Permits may be applied for to access the bog for other purposes, please contact the refuge manager for details.
The Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge is located at 29 Tabor Road (just off Route 78) in Swanton, VT, telephone = (802) 868-4781 http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Missisquoi/
Visitor Center hours:
Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturdays (May 19 to October 27) 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
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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, 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.
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.
The 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, 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.
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.
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
A Dinosaur Among Us- The Lake Sturgeon
Vermont’s nesting loon population in 2014 was a record for success. There were 65 fledglings or chicks that survived to leave the nest on Vermont lakes and ponds.
In the 20th century, primarily because of shoreline development and human disturbance, nesting loon populations showed dramatic declines. However, in 2005 loons were removed from Vermont’s endangered species list after decades of recovery effort.
Peregrine falcons, which were also removed from the Vermont endangered list in 2005 also showed strong nesting success this year.
“Rare birds such as peregrine falcons and loons are very sensitive to human disturbance while nesting. They nest only in a few specific habitats, so they need to find these in undeveloped places that are away from people.” ~ John Buck, nongame bird project leader for Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.
The lingering winter weather of 2014 did seem to impact Vermont’s nesting bald eagles. Only 17 fledglings were reported in 2014 – a dramatic decline from the 2013 record of 26 fledglings.
“A single down year for bald eagle nesting is not a major concern at this point, as nesting success will vary from year to year due to fluctuations in weather or food. We remain optimistic about the future of eagles in Vermont due to the widespread reports we have received of adult eagles throughout the state.” ~ John Buck, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.
Although bald eagles are no longer a federally endangered species, they are still listed as endangered species in Vermont because of their slow recovery in the state.
Other bird species showed mixed nesting success this year. Common terns produced only 16 fledglings out of 220 nests primarily due to gull and great-horned owl predation at their nests.
“The return of loons and peregrines to Vermont is one of the state’s great conservation success stories, but much remains to be done,” said Buck. “The continued support from our partners and from the citizens of Vermont is critical for the future success of these important species.”
For more information, and to help support researchers in their efforts to conserve nongame birds Vermonters can donate online to the nongame Wildlife Fund at www.vtfishandwildlife.com/