New Hampshire's
COLDWATER FISHERIES COALITION, INC.
PO Box 0085 Windham NH 03087-0085
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New Hampshire's COLDWATER FISHERIES COALITION, INC. PO Box 0085 Windham NH 03087-0085 |
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UPPER CONNECTICUT RIVER STRATEGIC FISHERIES MANAGEMENT PLAN
This is a completed version for Goals, Objectives and Strategies. A section on the history of the river is being worked on.
The Upper Conn. Planning Team consisted of many groups. The most frequent contributors were: NHCFC, NH Council T.U., NH F&G, Ken Hastings, VT F&G, N.E. Power, NH DES, Conn. River Watershed Council
The following draft plan has been aired in public hearings in Colebrook, Lancaster, Pittsburg and Concord during the month of November.
NEW HAMPSHIRE FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT
INLAND FISHERIES DIVISION
Vision Statement
The following narrative is a vision of the upper Connecticut River fishery in the year 2010. It does not attempt to describe the current state of the fishery today; it looks at where we would like it to be 12 years from now.
The upper Connecticut River includes the mainstem and tributaries in New Hampshire and Vermont north of the confluence with the Upper Ammonoosuc River in the town of Groveton, NH. It is one of the most significant and valuable natural resources in northern New Hampshire and Vermont. It accounts for thousands of recreational hours by a variety of users each year. Due to the continued cooperation by private landowners, public access to the river is appropriate and it affords abundant opportunities for fishing in the region. It is considered as one of the finest Coldwater fisheries in the Eastern United States.
The river supports abundant and diverse, self-sustaining Coldwater fish populations. Brook, brown, and rainbow trout are the featured species of management sought after by anglers Brown trout in particular present an opportunity to catch a "fish of a lifetime" as there are many large individuals in the mainstem of the river. Fisheries for landlocked salmon are present in the river reaches between the Connecticut Lakes. Fisheries for anadromous Atlantic salmon may be present down stream of the Murphy Dam.
In coordination with the State of Vermont and other state and federal agencies, fisheries management is accomplished through sound scientific research, habitat and species protection, enhancement, restoration, fair and judicious enforcement of fishing regulations, public outreach for all ages, and participation and support by the public.
Statement of Purpose
This plan is to be used as a guide for managing the fishery resources in the upper Connecticut Watershed in a legitimate and consistent manner; to conserve, manage, and protect these resources and their habitats; to inform and educate the public about these resources; and to provide the public with opportunities to use and appreciate these resources.
Goal 1: The Upper Connecticut River watershed has abundant aquatic habitat that supports healthy, self-sustaining populations of Coldwater fish species.
Obj. 1.1: Identify and protect existing high quality Coldwater fish habitat.
Strat. 1. 1. 1: Conduct stream surveys and map areas with high quality habitat using Geographic Information System (GIS) and other appropriate technologies.
Strat. 1. 1.2: Strictly enforce water quality regulations in these critical areas in New Hampshire (NH) and Vermont (VT).
Strat. 1. 1.3: Work with NH and VT state agencies to develop a strategy to increase funding and staffing to insure landowner compliance with water quality regulations.
Strat. 1. 1.4 Work in partnership with all parties in NH and VT in the protection of the aquatic and riparian habitat, and adjacent lands critical to maintenance and improvement of water quality in the watershed.
Obj. 1.2: Restore and/or enhance Coldwater fish habitat in the watershed.
Strat. 1. 2. 1: Monitor instream flows during identified critical periods and adjust where possible to enhance Coldwater fish habitat.
Strat. 1. 2.2: Identify areas where Coldwater fish habitat can effectively be restored or enhanced.
Strat. 1.2.3: Identify and use effective state-of-the-art habitat restoration/enhancement techniques.
Strat. 1.2.4: Monitor the effectiveness of restoration/enhancement projects.
Strat. 1.2.5: Seek a viable funding source for habitat restoration/enhancement.
Strat. 1. 2.6: Support and encourage ecologically sound riverbank restoration/stabilization projects and programs in the watershed.
Strat. 1.2.7: Continue to oppose construction of new dams as well as mining operations that have the potential to adversely impact Coldwater fish habitat in the watershed.
Goal 2: The upper Connecticut River watershed has abundant Coldwater fish populations that support a diverse recreational fishery.
Obj. 2. 1: Protect, conserve, and enhance wild populations of Coldwater fish.
Strat. 2. 1. 1: Identify areas that currently support populations of wild fish.
Strat. 2.1.2: Determine which factors may be limiting self-sustaining wild fish populations.
Strat. 2.1.3: Develop appropriate angling regulations that maintain or enhance wild fish population levels and/or fish size.
Strat. 2.1.4: Minimize potential impacts of cultured fish on wild populations through prudent management of cultured salmonid strains, diseases, stocking densities, and species introductions.
Strat. 2.1.5: Determine effects of angler regulations on wild fish population levels/fish size by conducting angler creel and fish population surveys.
Obj. 2.2: Utilize cultured salmonids where management of a recreational fishery is justified but cannot be sustained solely through wild fish management efforts including habitat improvements, water quality protection, and angler harvest regulations.
Strat. 2.2. 1: Scientifically evaluate the contribution of hatchery fish to the Connecticut River fishery.
Strat. 2.2.2: In areas where recruitment is limited, determine the effectiveness of fingerling stocking for put-grow-and-take management.
Strat. 2.2.3: Coordinate stocking the mainstem of the river with VT Fish and Wildlife.
Strat. 2.2.4: Urge that any new species considered for release into any waters of the upper Connecticut River watershed be prohibited and considered undesirable for any purpose unless that species has undergone extensive evaluation by private, state, and federal agencies.
Obj. 2.3: Maintain compliance with fishing laws and regulations on the interstate portion of the upper Connecticut River.
Strat. 2.2.3: Conduct meetings with NH and VT conservation officers in order to assure cooperative enforcement of fishing regulations.
Goal 3: Human activities and land uses are compatible with desired population andrecreational goals for fish species in the upper Connecticut River Watershed.
Obj. 3. 1: Monitor and work to mitigate the impact of land and water use activities on fish populations and recreational opportunities.
Strat. 3. 1. 1: Identify major impacts on fish species and habitat conditions such as instream flows and water temperature caused by the following factors and work with appropriate organizations and individuals to implement resource enhancement and mitigation strategies:
> Land development
> Forest management
> Agriculture
> Pollutants
> Recreational activities
> Water uses
> Gravel mining
> Dams
> Road construction and maintenance
> Channelization/flood control activities
Obj. 3.2: Maintain and/or improve riverbank access to the upper Connecticut River.
Strat. 3.2.1: Support cooperative legislation and other initiatives that maintain and/or expand recreational opportunities on public waters via incentives to private landowners.
Strat. 3.2.2: Publicize access opportunities along the upper Connecticut River through the use of roadway signage, brochures, and maps.
Strat. 3.2.3: Protect and improve public access to the river over private lands by developing a mechanism to fund land and easement purchases and cooperative agreements.
Strat. 3.2.4: Public education should stress respect for private landowner rights and responsible behavior while accessing the river over private land.
Goal 4: The management plan has been endorsed by a variety of constituents and has been implemented in a timely manner.
Obj. 4. 1: Inform constituents about the goals, objectives, and strategies of the plan.
Strat. 4. 1. 1: Inform the Fish and Game Commission about the plan at one of
their monthly meetings to get their input and formal adoption.
Strat. 4.1.2: Hold at least two public informational meetings to inform local and tourist constituents about the plan and to gather their input.
Strat. 4.1.3: Send copies of the plan to appropriate legislators, town conservation commissions, planning boards and selectmen, watershed protection groups, and other relevant groups.
Strat. 4.1.4: Present the plan at monthly meetings of various sporting organizations and civic groups.
Strat. 4.1.5: Post a copy of the plan on the Department's World Wide Web site.
Strat. 4.1.6: Design an outreach and education plan that periodically updates stakeholders about the progress of the management plan.
Obj. 4.2: Develop an action plan in order to implement the strategies outlined in the management plan.
DEFINITIONS
aquatic habitat the physical, chemical, and biological parameters present in a stream, lake, or sea that provides the necessities for an aquatic species to live and grow; includes the riparian zone
coldwater fish a member of the trout, salmon, or charr family; a salmonid
effective fish habitat a measured improvement of physical, chemical, and biological
restoration conditions that result in an increased abundance of fish
fish habitat the physical, chemical, and biological parameters present in a stream, lake, or sea that provides the necessities for fish to live and grow; includes the riparian zone
native fish a fish having originated in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment; indigenous
put-and-takefishery a fishery that is maintained by stocking catchable-size fish (yearlings or older)
put-grow-and-take a fishery that is maintained by stocking sub-catchable size fish (fry or
fishery fingerlings)
recruitment number of fish hatched or born in any year that survive to reproductive size; also, the number of individuals that reach a harvestable size, a particular size or age, or a size captured by a particular sampling gear
wildfish a free-living fish, hatched and reared in a stream, lake, or sea from an egg spawned and deposited there by its mother.
WHAT'S YOUR OPINION_
Have suggestions or comments about this Plan_
Photo by Pete Sironen
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