[thmyorke1]

Originally Posted by UglyStick

It angers me to no end how so many people view landlocked salmon in NJ as a put and take resource the way they do trout.

What most don't understand is that NJ does not crank out production of these fish the way they do trout at the Pequest Hatchery. In 2018 so far, NJ F&W has stocked over 600,000 trout.

All of the landlocked salmon NJ stocks we receive as fingerlings from the state of Massachusettes as part of a trade agreement for supplying them with pike fingerlings. In a given year, we only get what Mass. can afford to give us. If their hatchery has a bad year, we may only get a few hundred fish total (as in 2017 where the total was less than 700). On a good year, it can be a few thousand up to maybe 3,000 or 4,000 fish with closer to 2,000 seeming to be the average. These fish are then raised indoors at the Hackettstown Hatchery until the time they are stocked. As mentioned in a previous post, it is believed that there is no reproduction in NJ waters. .

Although it is a persons right to keep a legal size fish, more people need to be conservation minded about this species in our state. It doesn't take all that much pressure to wipe out 2,000 fish in only 3 waterbodies as opposed to 600,000 trout that are much more spread out. Unfortunately, with the pressure these fish are starting to receive, trophy sized fish will be very few and far between. This is currently a very limited resource and why talk of expanding this species to additional waterbodies isn't currently viable until we are able to secure and raise many more fish which to my knowledge isn't currently on the radar.

Good point. Maybe legal size should be bumped up?

Perhaps if the state notices the growing interest for landlocks, they would look into expanding the fishery?