Tag Archives: Wildlife

Ed Weed Fish Culture Station Improvement to Improve Health of Lake Champlain Salmon

Ed Weed Fish Culture Station Improvement to Benefit Lake Champlain’s Salmon

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department expects that an upgrade at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station in Grand Isle, Vermont will improve the health of the salmon population in Lake Champlain.

 

 

fish trap at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station in Grand Isle.
Fish Culture Operations Chief Adam Miller with a landlocked Atlantic salmon
from the newly-installed fish trap at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station in Grand Isle.

 

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department hatchery staff, fisheries biologists and other officials recently joined forces to construct a fish trap on the station’s discharge stream, Hatchery Brook. The trap will help to improve the collection process for adult salmon when they return to the brook to spawn.

After collection, the adult salmon will be used to reproduce and provide fertilized eggs at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station in Grand Isle, where the eggs will be hatched and the young salmon raised before their return to Lake Champlain.

“Being able to collect fish in a safe, efficient and effective way for both staff and salmon is key to our overall fisheries management plan. The improvements we’ve completed at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station allow us to meet these objectives more effectively and ultimately produce healthy salmon for our Lake Champlain restoration efforts.” ~ Adam Miller, fish culture operations chief with Vermont Fish & Wildlife.

Former collection methods required more handling, put more stress on the fish, and were less efficient for hatchery staff and biologists.

“The new fish trap decreases the risk of injuries to adult salmon from handling and increases the health and condition of parent fish used to provide fertilized eggs to our hatchery system”. It should also decrease the stress on eggs taken from parent fish, which may improve egg survival rates in the hatchery.” ~ Chet MacKenzie, fisheries biologist with Vermont Fish & Wildlife.

The fish trap will also help fisheries biologists more efficiently collect data  from large numbers of returning salmon. The data collected will feature lamprey wounding rates, fish size, abundance and age structure – aiding the department’s assessment of salmon restoration efforts.

Ed Weed Fish Culture Station Improvement to benefit Lake Champlain Salmon

Landlocked Salmon, Salmo salar

The fish trap will also serve as an education tool. The public will be able to see fish when the trap is in operation, learn about salmon restoration efforts at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station and in Lake Champlain, and learn about fish culture and the impacts of invasive species.

According to Vermont Fish & Wildlife Commissioner, Louis Porter, “We are always looking for ways to protect and improve the health and number of fish and other wildlife in the most efficient ways possible. These improvements in how we trap fish, so we can collect and fertilize salmon eggs were developed by hatchery staff and fisheries biologists, and their efforts to come together to put in place cost-effective solutions to improve our work will benefit the salmon population for years to come.”

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


Other Lake Champlain Fishing Articles:


 

 


Volunteers Needed for Turtle Beach Clean Up Day

Vermont Fish & Wildlife is looking for volunteers to help with the annual spiny softshell turtle beach clean up day on Saturday, October 25.

Spiny softshell Turtle Beach Clean Up Day

Spiny softshell turtle

Spiny Softshell Turtle Beach Clean Up

The volunteers will remove vegetation from nesting beaches to prepare turtle nesting sites for next year. They might also find a few hatchlings that have remained in nests underground this late in the year. In addition to threatened spiny softshell turtles, these nest sites are also used by map turtles, painted turtles, and snapping turtles.

“This is a great way to help conserve a threatened species right here in Vermont, It’s also a fun way to learn more about the turtles and to see some recently hatched baby turtles. Last year we had nearly 50 participants, so we’re anticipating a strong turnout again this year.” ~  Steve Parren, Vermont Fish & Wildlife biologist.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife biologist Steve Parren will have hatchling spiny softshell turtles on hand and will talk about his long-term recovery efforts with the species. Some hatchling turtles will be raised in captivity by the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center while they are small and most vulnerable to predation. They will be released back into Lake Champlain next spring.

North Hero Turtle Beach Clean Up Day

What You’ll Need For The Beach Clean Up

Participants  for the Turtle Beach Clean Up Day should arrive at North Hero State Park between 10 and 11 AM., dress in layers of warm clothes, and bring work gloves, a leaf rake, short-handled tools such as trowels, and their own lunch. Families and kids are welcome. The cleanup may run until 4 PM.

How To Get To North Hero State Park

North Hero State Park is located in the Lake Champlain Islands. To get there: follow Route 2 north past Carry Bay in North Hero, turn right on Lakeview Drive (just before Route 2 swings west toward Alburgh), and follow Lakeview until you reach the North Hero State Park entrance sign on the left. Drive to the end of the road always bearing right.

 

Other Lake Champlain Wildlife Articles:

Canada Geese Visit Lake Champlain

 

Canada Geese Visit Lake Champlain in Alburgh, Vermont

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) are one of the more common birds seen around the Lake Champlain Valley, especially during their spring and fall migrations. Lake Champlain is considered part of the Atlantic Flyway, which is one of the major flight corridors for migratory birds. Canada geese, like these stopping in Alburgh, Vermont, depend on Lake Champlain to provide rest and food on their journey.


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Freshwater Drum or Sheepshead

When I was taking my open-water diving certifcation in Lake Champlain I bumped into a freshwater drum near Oakledge Park in Burlington. It was a bit of a shock to see something so big and unexpected in lake Champlain. – Tom

This article by Eric LaMontagne originally appeared on the LCI blog.

Battle the Brute: Freshwater Drum

Freshwater Drum or Sheepshead

It is common knowledge that Lake Champlain is home to many different species of fish. From miniscule minnows to monstrous muskies, the diversity held within the waters of Lake Champlain is impressive.

Of the more substantial fish, the Freshwater drum is a brute. Commonly known as a sheepshead, the current state record stands at 20.46 lbs from Lake Champlain, the only body of water they are found in Vermont.

The Freshwater drum is scientifically unique. It is the only member of the genus Aplodinotus and the only member of the family Sciaenidae that spends its entire lifecycle in freshwater. Mature male sheepsheads have the rare ability to “vocalize”; a set of muscles within their body cavity vibrate against their swim bladder to create a grunting sound thought to be used in mating.

Freshwater drum spend their days in the deep water where they can stay cool. At night, and on very cloudy days, they will move upwards to the shorelines to search for food. Females spawn in early June, choosing warm, shallow water to lay their eggs.

These fish are a favorite of anglers on Lake Champlain because of their size. Being a bottom feeder, the most common way of catching them is to cast a live bait with a heavy sinker; minnows, nightcrawlers, and crickets work well. Small, shiny lures fished slowly can work as well. They are much more active at night.

For more information:

http://fishbase.org/summary/Aplodinotus-grunniens.html

http://seagrant.wisc.edu/greatlakesfish/drum.html