strategic plan for lake champlain fisheries

p. 1

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR LAKE CHAMPLAIN FISHERIES

Prepared by the Fisheries Technical Committee

of the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Bureau of Fisheries

Route 86, P. O. Box 296

Ray Brook, NY 12977-0296

Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife

103 S. Main St., 10 South

Waterbury, VT 05676

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Resources Office

11 Lincoln St.

Essex Junction, VT 05452

Citation: Fisheries Technical Committee, 2009. Strategic Plan for Lake Champlain

Fisheries. Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative, USFWS, Essex

Junction, VT

July 2009

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Fisheries Technical Committee:

Bradley A. Young1

(Chairman), Wayne R. Bouffard1

, Brian D. Chipman2

, Lance E. Durfey3

,

Shawn P. Good4

, Madeleine M. Lyttle1

, Chet MacKenzie4

, J. Ellen Marsden (principal editor)5

,

Donna L. Parrish6

, Bernie Pientka2

, William F. Schoch3

, Stephen J. Smith1

, Nicholas R. Staats1

,

Emily C. Zollweg7

Additional contributors:

Doug Facey, Saint Michael’s College, VT; Kevin Kelsey, Ed Weed Fish Culture Station,

VTDFW, VT; Mark Malchoff, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, SUNY Plattsburgh, NY, David A.

Tilton1

1

USFWS, Essex Junction, VT

2

VTDFW, Essex Junction, VT

3

NYSDEC, Ray Brook, NY

4

VTDFW, Rutland, VT

5

University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

6

USGS, VermontCooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Vermont,

Burlington, VT

7

NYSDEC, Warrensburg, NY

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 4

Goal Statement .................................................................................................................... 6

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 6

Guiding Principles for Lake Champlain ............................................................................. 8

Description of Lake Champlain ........................................................................................ 12

Historical and Current Fishery and Fish Community ....................................................... 14

Fish Community Sub-goals ................................................................................................ 16

a. Tributary Fish Community ....................................................................... 17

Brown trout, rainbow trout ........................................................... 17

Atlantic salmon ............................................................................. 17

Lake sturgeon ................................................................................ 18

American eel ................................................................................. 18

Walleye ......................................................................................... 18

b. Nearshore Fish Community ...................................................................... 20

Walleye ......................................................................................... 20

Yellow perch ................................................................................. 20

Centrarchids .................................................................................. 20

Esocids .......................................................................................... 21

c. Offshore Fish Community ........................................................................ 22

Atlantic salmon ............................................................................. 22

Lake trout ...................................................................................... 22

Brown trout, steelhead .................................................................. 23

Lake whitefish ............................................................................... 23

Forage fish species ........................................................................ 23

Sea lamprey ................................................................................... 24

Burbot ........................................................................................... 25

d. Non-native Species ................................................................................... 26

White perch ................................................................................... 26

Alewife .......................................................................................... 27

Management Actions to Support Healthy Fish Communities .......................................... 28

Threatened and Endangered Species .................................................................... 28

Information Priorities ........................................................................................................ 30

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 31

Literature Cited ................................................................................................................... 31

Table 1: Fish species known to inhabit Lake Champlain and its tributaries, and their legal

protection status.