The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s fisheries staff were treated to mostly cooperative weather during the busy fall egg take season in the Adirondacks.
Eggs were collected from lake trout, landlocked (Atlantic) salmon, three different strains of heritage brook trout, and round whitefish.
Summary
- Lake Trout (Adirondack strain)
October 14th through October 17th – 6 trap nets set on Raquette Lake, 94,000 eggs - Landlocked Salmon (Sebago strain)
November 7th through November 12th – 7 trap nets set on Clear Pond, 819,590 eggs - Round Whitefish
November 18th through November 21st – 1 trap net set on Lower Cascade Lake, 5,470 eggs
Highlight: Numerous whitefish in pre-spawn condition were returned to the water. - Brook Trout (Little Tupper strain)
15,741 eggs - Brook Trout (Windfall strain)
November 4th through November 7th – 14,585 eggs, 2 trap nets set
Highlight: staff was fortunate that two nets were set because an otter gnawed a hole in one allowing most of the brook trout to escape - Brook Trout (Horn Lake strain)
November 7th through November 9th – 2 trap nets set, 19,205 eggs
Once collected and fertilized, the eggs are distributed to various hatcheries where they’re hatched out and the fish are raised to approximately 3-7 inches before being stocked out into selected waters.
Trout and salmon are stocked to provide sport fishing opportunities for anglers and to restore heritage strain populations. Round whitefish are an endangered species in New York, so egg collection efforts are to help restore their population.
For a glimpse into how DEC staff conduct egg collections in the remote Adirondacks check out one of DEC’s recent videos,
“Brook Trout: Preserving New York’s State Fish.”
Photo of Brook Trout courtesy DEC.
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