PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN OUTDATED RELEASE FROM OUR ARCHIVES
CONTACT:
Jane Vachon: (603) 271-3211
Don Miller: (603) 744-5470
October 20, 2006
See Biologists in Action at "Salmon Sunday"
CONCORD, N.H. -- Bring the kids and find out everything you wanted
to know about fish and fisheries at New Hampshire Fish and Game's annual
event, "Salmon Sunday," at Pope Dam in Melvin Village on November
12, 2006, from 1 to 3 p.m. Salmon Sunday coincides with the Tuftonboro
Holiday Festival, featuring antique cars, an arts and crafts festival
and houses in holiday décor, so there will be lots to see and do
in the area that day. Pope Dam is nine miles north of Wolfeboro on Route
109. For more information on Salmon Sunday, call (603) 744-5470.
"Salmon Sunday is a great chance for everyone to get a close-up look at landlocked salmon from Lake Winnipesaukee," said Don Miller, fisheries biologist for the Lakes Region. "Kids love to see the big salmon, averaging about four pounds each, and watch biologists collecting the eggs."
During the event, fisheries biologists will be busy
harvesting, or "stripping," eggs and milt (sperm) from adult
salmon. Standing knee-deep in the cold water of Melvin River, the scientists
expertly relieve the colorful adult female salmon of their eggs by stroking
their stomachs. Milt (sperm) from the male fish is obtained in the same
way, and mixed with the gold-colored eggs to fertilize them. This activity
is all part of the work Fish and Game does to maintain the landlocked
salmon population in New Hampshire's big lakes.
Fish for the stripping demonstration are netted from Lake Winnipesaukee
during October and early November. They are returned to the lake after
their eggs and milt have been collected. The fertilized eggs are taken
to Powder Mill Hatchery in New Durham, where they'll hatch in three to
four months. The salmon are raised in the hatchery for about 18 months,
then stocked into Lake Winnipesaukee and other New Hampshire lakes.
Fish and Game staff will be on hand to answer questions about salmon, the egg-stripping process and the stocking program that ensures these beautiful fish continue to be available in the lakes for anglers to catch. Salmon Sunday will be held rain or shine. Dress warmly.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources.
-###-
