Channel Catfish have been introduced annually into Lower Bolton Lake by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) since 2007. This stocking equates to about 17,000 catfish weighing close to four tons.
CT Fox News Coverage
As of April 25, 2013, DEEP Inland Fisheries Division agreed to the Town’s request for a one-year cessation of annual channel catfish stockings in Lower Bolton Lake.
In addidtion, DEEP set trap nets in Lower Bolton Lake on Friday, May 3, 2013. Trap nets are essentially large, submerged net boxes. The nets will be set in near-shore areas
of the lake and will be clearly marked with buoys. The nets will remain in the lake for at least two weeks, possibly longer. The goal of this sampling exercise is to estimate the size of the channel catfish population in the lake.
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Channel Catfish on Lower Bolton Lake
Why FBL is Opposed to Stocking Them
Peter Van Dine, Chairman Science Committee
I have lived on Lower Bolton Lake for more than 43 years and enjoyed almost every minute of
it. Never did I think that this, my lake, would suffer the kind of terrible problems that so quickly developed over the past three years. You have seen how the lake looked last August, and it is not only how it looked, as the Health Department said - it was dangerous. No one could go swimming and no one wanted to go fishing.
The source of the problem is nutrients, phosphorous and nitrogen, and how those nutrients get into the lake and how they become available for the growth of noxious weeds and algae. Phosphorous is required for algae growth and nitrogen is required for weed growth. In the effort to control these nutrients, the Friends of Bolton Lakes support the ongoing sewer project, the control and feeding of ducks and geese, and the minimal and proper fertilization of waterfront and watershed lawns, gardens and fields.
We have a sick lake, and we must consider all of the things which may be making it sick. Therefore, it also is necessary that we consider controlling the numbers and species
of fish in the lake.
Like any other animal, fish eat, digest and excrete. Often the things that they eat are better for the health of the lake than the things they excrete. When that happens, it is better to have fewer fish. Some, especially young fish, feed on very small insects called zooplankton. These zooplankton feed on microscopic plants, such as algae, called phytoplankton. When the fish population is changed, the balance of this food chain is changed.
Fish also stir up the bottom of the lake, releasing the nutrients that have been trapped in the
sediment. Some fish do this more than others. Younger fish have different appetites than older fish and change the life of the lake in different ways.
Lower Bolton Lake traditionally has been a bass fishing lake - first smallmouth bass and later largemouth. We have a record of a 27" smallmouth caught here. The introduction of channel catfish into Lower Bolton Lake began in 2007 and has continued through 2012. These fish
are currently plentiful and easy to catch.
Now, in no small part through the efforts of the Friends of Bolton Lakes, the Connecticut DEEP has suspended the stocking of this species in Lower Bolton Lake and, as a follow up to this suspension, have begun a program to determine the size of this catfish population.
It is unfortunate but true that the sudden decline in the health and beauty of Lower Bolton Lake occurred shortly after the State began to stock channel catfish here. We cannot prove the
catfish are the problem or even part of the problem. Lake ecology is too complicated for that.
However, neither can anyone prove that these fish are not the problem or part of the problem. Most experts do not approve of introducing new species into an ecosystem.
Other specific recent actions such as the three-year deep drawdown of the Middle Lake
likely contributed to the problem, and other specific programs such as chemical treatment
for the aggressive weeds and poisonous algae are part of the solution.
The Science Committee will continue to study all aspects of the problem in order to restore and maintain the Bolton Lakes ecosystem and we are very happy to have the catfish stocking stopped.
CT Fox News Coverage
As of April 25, 2013, DEEP Inland Fisheries Division agreed to the Town’s request for a one-year cessation of annual channel catfish stockings in Lower Bolton Lake.
In addidtion, DEEP set trap nets in Lower Bolton Lake on Friday, May 3, 2013. Trap nets are essentially large, submerged net boxes. The nets will be set in near-shore areas
of the lake and will be clearly marked with buoys. The nets will remain in the lake for at least two weeks, possibly longer. The goal of this sampling exercise is to estimate the size of the channel catfish population in the lake.
_________________________________________________________________________
Channel Catfish on Lower Bolton Lake
Why FBL is Opposed to Stocking Them
Peter Van Dine, Chairman Science Committee
I have lived on Lower Bolton Lake for more than 43 years and enjoyed almost every minute of
it. Never did I think that this, my lake, would suffer the kind of terrible problems that so quickly developed over the past three years. You have seen how the lake looked last August, and it is not only how it looked, as the Health Department said - it was dangerous. No one could go swimming and no one wanted to go fishing.
The source of the problem is nutrients, phosphorous and nitrogen, and how those nutrients get into the lake and how they become available for the growth of noxious weeds and algae. Phosphorous is required for algae growth and nitrogen is required for weed growth. In the effort to control these nutrients, the Friends of Bolton Lakes support the ongoing sewer project, the control and feeding of ducks and geese, and the minimal and proper fertilization of waterfront and watershed lawns, gardens and fields.
We have a sick lake, and we must consider all of the things which may be making it sick. Therefore, it also is necessary that we consider controlling the numbers and species
of fish in the lake.
Like any other animal, fish eat, digest and excrete. Often the things that they eat are better for the health of the lake than the things they excrete. When that happens, it is better to have fewer fish. Some, especially young fish, feed on very small insects called zooplankton. These zooplankton feed on microscopic plants, such as algae, called phytoplankton. When the fish population is changed, the balance of this food chain is changed.
Fish also stir up the bottom of the lake, releasing the nutrients that have been trapped in the
sediment. Some fish do this more than others. Younger fish have different appetites than older fish and change the life of the lake in different ways.
Lower Bolton Lake traditionally has been a bass fishing lake - first smallmouth bass and later largemouth. We have a record of a 27" smallmouth caught here. The introduction of channel catfish into Lower Bolton Lake began in 2007 and has continued through 2012. These fish
are currently plentiful and easy to catch.
Now, in no small part through the efforts of the Friends of Bolton Lakes, the Connecticut DEEP has suspended the stocking of this species in Lower Bolton Lake and, as a follow up to this suspension, have begun a program to determine the size of this catfish population.
It is unfortunate but true that the sudden decline in the health and beauty of Lower Bolton Lake occurred shortly after the State began to stock channel catfish here. We cannot prove the
catfish are the problem or even part of the problem. Lake ecology is too complicated for that.
However, neither can anyone prove that these fish are not the problem or part of the problem. Most experts do not approve of introducing new species into an ecosystem.
Other specific recent actions such as the three-year deep drawdown of the Middle Lake
likely contributed to the problem, and other specific programs such as chemical treatment
for the aggressive weeds and poisonous algae are part of the solution.
The Science Committee will continue to study all aspects of the problem in order to restore and maintain the Bolton Lakes ecosystem and we are very happy to have the catfish stocking stopped.