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Northeast Kingdom Oligotrophic Lake Fisheries

Oligotrophic Lakes Workshop

July 26, 2025

Jud Kratzer, Fisheries Biologist

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Outline

  • Fish community
  • Water quality
  • Overview of some NEK lakes
  • Fisheries management

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Most NEK lakes: historically

Maybe?

White suckers

Minnows

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Many NEK lakes: currently

Also:

White suckers

Minnows

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Willoughby Lake: currently

Also:

White suckers

Minnows

Round whitefish

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Lake trout habitat

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Lake trout habitat

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Lake trout habitat

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Fish data from some NEK Lakes

  • Fall electrofishing
  • Gill nets
  • Angler creel surveys

Buffalo State University

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Lake Trout Growth

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Relative weight

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Fall electrofishing relative weight (2006-2015)

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Ice fishing creel surveys – angler effort

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Ice fishing creel surveys – lake trout catch rate

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Ice fishing creel surveys – average length of harvested lake trout

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Fisheries Management

Fish

People

Habitat

Fish Management

  • Monitoring
  • Stocking
  • Removal of nuisance species

​

Habitat Management

  • Restoration
  • Acquisition
  • Protection

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People Management

  • Regulations
    • Length Limit
    • Creel Limit
    • Seasons
    • Gear
  • Outreach

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Lake trout regulations through time

Year

Most NEK Lakes

Little Averill and Seymour

1929 (and before?)

Min. L. = 15”, limit = 10 lbs

Min. L. = 15”, limit = 10 lbs

1962 to 1991

Min. L. = 15”, limit = 2 trout or salmon

Min. L. = 15”, limit = 2 trout or salmon

1992 to 2003

Min. L. = 18”, limit = 2 trout or salmon

Min. L. = 24”(LA) 20” (S), limit = 1 lake trout, half lines

2004 to 2021

Min. L. = 18”, limit = 2 trout or salmon

Min. L. = 20”, limit = 1 lake trout, half lines

2022 to present

Min. L. = 18”, limit = 2 trout or salmon

Min. L. = 18”, limit = 2 trout or salmon

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Ice fishing lake trout catch rate through time

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Stocking in NEK lakes

  • Lake trout
  • Brook trout
  • Landlocked salmon
  • Brown trout
  • Rainbow trout

New York Almanack

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Lake Trout

  • Generally good natural reproduction
  • High catch rates
  • NEK lakes stocked:
    • Center
    • Elligo
    • Long (Westmore)
    • Nichols
    • Shadow (Glover)

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Brook Trout

  • Poor performance in large, deep lakes
  • NEK oligotrophic lakes stocked:
    • None

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Landlocked Salmon

  • Poor performance in most NEK lakes
  • Deplete smelt population
  • NEK lakes stocked:
    • Memphremagog
    • Seymour
    • Willoughby

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Brown Trout

  • Stocked for ice fishing
  • Tolerate lower water quality than lake trout
  • NEK lakes with self-sustaining populations:
    • Caspian
    • Seymour

NEK lakes and ponds stocked:

    • Harveys
    • Island
    • Joes
    • Wallace
    • + 2 smaller pond

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Rainbow Trout

  • Poor performance in most NEK lakes
    • Evaluation ongoing
  • NEK lakes with self-sustaining populations:
    • Caspian
    • Willoughby

​

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  • NEK lakes and ponds stocked:
    • Big Averill
    • Crystal
    • Echo
    • Harveys
    • Elligo
    • Maidstone
    • Shadow (Glover)
    • + 12 more

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Questions?

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