AndyS
05-15-2025, 04:06 PM
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE NJ FISH AND GAME COUNCIL Central Region Office Robbinsville, New Jersey April 8, 2025:
Barb Stoff handed out a packet to council of the license sales comparison. Fishing licenses sales are up 6.8%, trout stamps are up 3.6%, Fishing and all-around sales are up 5.18%. The Apprentice and Buddy license numbers have risen significantly.
Freshwater Fisheries: Chief Crouse reported the Opening Day of Trout Season was April 5th . 182,080 Production fish + 3,600 Broodstock = 185,680 Total Pre-Season All waters were stocked as anticipated, with the exception of Lake Shenandoah (Ocean), due to low water levels due to an ongoing rebuild of the dam, replacement of the bridge, and improvements to the fish ladder. The water level might be back up by fall, therefore winter stocking might be possible. Cool and cloudy weather was prevalent throughout the state, with moderate winds reported by survey clerks in some areas. Rain was reported intermittently, primarily in the northern counties and more prevalent closer to noon. Temperatures across the state on Saturday morning ranged from the upper 40⁰s and low 50°s, and generally cooled off throughout the day as clouds and rain moved in. While New Jersey remains in a Drought Warning status following last year’s abnormally dry fall and winter, much of the state experienced rain during the week prior to Opening Day. • Draft – Still waiting for 11 volunteers to submit their data. Given this is the last year prior to reg changes, this data is valuable, and the report would benefit from their inclusion prior to it being “finalized”. • 36 waterbodies are covered at present, 31 lakes/ponds and 5 rivers. The average volunteer turnout currently, if missing data is submitted, will be the largest Opening Day survey we’ve done. • As a reminder, this opening day angler survey is not used to assess the program’s overall success, it is used to determine popularity and angling success on specific waterbodies. • 950 anglers caught 604 trout, averaging 0.63 fish/angler and 26.4 anglers/waterbody. • Angler success was high (0.7 trout/angler on ponds), 4th highest trout/angler average since 2011 on lakes/ponds. • Blair Lake (6.3 trout/angler) but only 7 anglers, Mountain Farm Pond(3.7), Gloucester City Pond (2.0) but only 10 anglers, and the Raritan River South Branch (1.2) had highest angler success rates. • Shaw’s Mill Pond (95 anglers), Raritan River North Branch (56) and Dahnert’s Lake (55) had the highest reported angler turnout. • Overall reported cormorant activity was high. 22/31 lakes/ponds reported cormorant presence, 7/31 reported ten or more actively feeding.
On Friday near 4pm, we received an email with HAB results, indicating that Mountain Lake (Warren) tested at an “Advisory” level, indicating not to consume fish. We scrambled to get information on the web, email list serves, and social media. I even asked Al to drive over and staple up a sign himself.
On March 11 we had our annual Virtual Trout Meeting from 7pm until 8pm. Presentations on Rainbow Trout Production at the Pequest Trout Hatchery (Nick Healy), Trout Allocations and 2026 potential changes (Kyle Civalier), and an overview of Brook Trout Conservation and Restoration (Ross Shramko). 229 public participants attended, making it tied with our most well attended meeting yet. The meeting (just like the other two meetings) was recorded and is available on our website. In fact, as of the morning of Friday, April 4th, we have had 1,279 views.
https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/councils-and-committees/fish-and-game-council/minutes/
Barb Stoff handed out a packet to council of the license sales comparison. Fishing licenses sales are up 6.8%, trout stamps are up 3.6%, Fishing and all-around sales are up 5.18%. The Apprentice and Buddy license numbers have risen significantly.
Freshwater Fisheries: Chief Crouse reported the Opening Day of Trout Season was April 5th . 182,080 Production fish + 3,600 Broodstock = 185,680 Total Pre-Season All waters were stocked as anticipated, with the exception of Lake Shenandoah (Ocean), due to low water levels due to an ongoing rebuild of the dam, replacement of the bridge, and improvements to the fish ladder. The water level might be back up by fall, therefore winter stocking might be possible. Cool and cloudy weather was prevalent throughout the state, with moderate winds reported by survey clerks in some areas. Rain was reported intermittently, primarily in the northern counties and more prevalent closer to noon. Temperatures across the state on Saturday morning ranged from the upper 40⁰s and low 50°s, and generally cooled off throughout the day as clouds and rain moved in. While New Jersey remains in a Drought Warning status following last year’s abnormally dry fall and winter, much of the state experienced rain during the week prior to Opening Day. • Draft – Still waiting for 11 volunteers to submit their data. Given this is the last year prior to reg changes, this data is valuable, and the report would benefit from their inclusion prior to it being “finalized”. • 36 waterbodies are covered at present, 31 lakes/ponds and 5 rivers. The average volunteer turnout currently, if missing data is submitted, will be the largest Opening Day survey we’ve done. • As a reminder, this opening day angler survey is not used to assess the program’s overall success, it is used to determine popularity and angling success on specific waterbodies. • 950 anglers caught 604 trout, averaging 0.63 fish/angler and 26.4 anglers/waterbody. • Angler success was high (0.7 trout/angler on ponds), 4th highest trout/angler average since 2011 on lakes/ponds. • Blair Lake (6.3 trout/angler) but only 7 anglers, Mountain Farm Pond(3.7), Gloucester City Pond (2.0) but only 10 anglers, and the Raritan River South Branch (1.2) had highest angler success rates. • Shaw’s Mill Pond (95 anglers), Raritan River North Branch (56) and Dahnert’s Lake (55) had the highest reported angler turnout. • Overall reported cormorant activity was high. 22/31 lakes/ponds reported cormorant presence, 7/31 reported ten or more actively feeding.
On Friday near 4pm, we received an email with HAB results, indicating that Mountain Lake (Warren) tested at an “Advisory” level, indicating not to consume fish. We scrambled to get information on the web, email list serves, and social media. I even asked Al to drive over and staple up a sign himself.
On March 11 we had our annual Virtual Trout Meeting from 7pm until 8pm. Presentations on Rainbow Trout Production at the Pequest Trout Hatchery (Nick Healy), Trout Allocations and 2026 potential changes (Kyle Civalier), and an overview of Brook Trout Conservation and Restoration (Ross Shramko). 229 public participants attended, making it tied with our most well attended meeting yet. The meeting (just like the other two meetings) was recorded and is available on our website. In fact, as of the morning of Friday, April 4th, we have had 1,279 views.
https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/councils-and-committees/fish-and-game-council/minutes/