1. take down dam, 2. increase musky and pike allocations to balance the influx of migratory bait fish!
and you all know 3. do something about the restrictive fish ladder passage (any info on the bypass plans they were talking about?).
why did the gizzard shad make it to the head dam at DIP in large numbers this spring with american shad staying at the weir dam? Is there a listing by those who count of how many of what fish has made it thru the ladder?
Letter to NOAA
Re: Raritan River Project
By John Toth, President JCAA
the Island Farms Weir remains as the sole impediment to fish migration in the lower 30 miles of the Raritan River. Yes, there is currently a marginally effective fish ladder that a ton of money was spent on, yes, you could leave it there but please add better access as it desperately needs to be improved so that more fish can make it more efficiently beyond this obstacle. Improving fish passage at the Island Farm Weir on the Raritan River is imperative and it does not need to be an expensive fix. By merely lowering a section in the center of the current weir and replacing it with a "rock ramp" thousands more stripers, shad, riverherring and eels could make it up an over and continue upstream to spawning areas that they prefer. We fully support this proposed effort and hope that you are able to complete all the restoration work/dam removal project/Dam studies as specified.
Thank you for your consideration,
John Toth
President JCAA
we should all be writing letters asking for greater access to migratory species beyond the inadequacies of the existing fish ladder!
google search on 'fish ladder effectiveness'-
https://www.google.com/search?q=fish...k1.m6-2TK0TbgU
