Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Manchester, NH's approach to public waters

Wow! The city of Manchester cares about it's waters:

http://www.manchesternh.gov/CityGov/DPW/EPD/SEPP/Pond/Home.html

http://www.manchesternh.gov/CityGov/DPW/EPD/SEPP/Pond/Quality.html#top

ewest, prepare yourself for data overload.

Lot of info there GW on water quality findings.

GW, thanks for this link! I live just a few minutes south of Manchester in Merrimack. (I've posted a few times. Trout pond, about a quarter acre.)

New England has generally been fighting water quality problems since the just-dump-it-in-the-river milltown days of the 19th century. There has been a lot of success. The Merrimack river flows right through Manchester and down to Mass. It now has a re-established atlantic salmon population, and is a great fishery. The Nashua river used to be a stinky soup, 20 years ago - but I caught a beautiful 4lb LMB out a there in what is now a clean, pretty, and nicely vegetated stretch of river.

NEMason,

I remember the Nashua well as a kid 10 miles south in Mass back in late 60's and early 70's. You could tell what color paper the mills were making by the color of the river. Glad to hear they are continuing to clean things up there. You live in a beautiful part of the country. I real miss that area.

That said, are you sure they are having that much success with the salmon? I heard from a friend out there they are not having that much success. He says not much reproduction taking place and returns from the plantings are low. Has that changed?

Cecil, you are right about the limited success with re-establishing atlantic salmon. So let me re-phrase to say there seems to be good success with water quality, but limited success with re-establishing indigenous species and fisheries. I'm no expert, but I like to visit the federal salmon hatchery right off Exit 6 Everett Turnpike in Nashua. The staff there indeed confirms what your friend reports.

Thanks for the kind words about New England. My biggest management problem right now is doing a solid population survey. I've put in about 160 put-grow-take trout, but lost some to rising temps, and an unknown quantity to predation. Saw the mink, cormorants actually diving in the water.

So I just bought a seine net. 70' long. 12' high. One inch mesh. Weighted bottom, floats along the top, and in the middle with a top-to-bottom pocket ten feet wide and ten feet deep.

I've really enjoyed your posts, your great pics here and on your web site. So I'll ask the question, assuming ice stays off the pond for another week or two, can the temp ever be too cold to seine the pond to just do a fish count? Only harvesting about 5 to 10 trout and keeping the rest in the water with as little stress as possible?

If it was me I wouldn't seine them in water under 40 F. as they could get banged up and develop some fungus. When they get bunched up they can really thrash around and scrape agains each other.

Not sure what to tell you about doing an inventory as I don't mess with my fish until it's time for them to come out. I have used a 6 foot deep by 60 foot seine in my 1/10th acre pond and due to the fact that my pond banks are so steep, and a mudline wasn't installed had a hard time seining many fish. Hope you have better luck.

Best way I know to inventory fish is to drain a pond down to almost nothing. Fish can really fool you. I had a pond once that seemed devoid of fish but when I drained it down to the last foot there were big yellow perch everywhere!

I would however if I were you, keep on the mink -- traps etc. and blow any commorants you see away.

Okay. Thanks. I'll hold off seining. My banks are also quite steep, as well. I was thinking of getting in the water with a wet suit and scuba and actually guiding and lifting the seine over any obstacles (tree branches, stones) as it was being pulled by people on top.