The Adirondack Brook Trout Pond, An Icon Worth Protecting

When you think of the Adirondacks what comes to mind? For many, they think of a world full of tranquility and adventure. It could be racing down a ski slope, hiking up a mountain, or just a drive down a winding mountain road to see autumn's full display of colors. Some may reminisce about camping as a young child or the first time they saw the Olympic ski jumps towering above them. Yes it is true, for many just mentioning the Adirondacks seems to bring out the child like wonder in them again. However what many don't know is that the Adirondacks are also the home to over 400 publically accessable brook trout ponds and the New York DEC has just released a new managment plan to hopfully ensure these treasures are not lost. The intent of this article is to share some insight into this new plan, I encourage all of you to read the plan in its entirety for yourselves.(https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/brooktroutpondmgmtplan.pdf)

In the 1950's - 1980's the Adirondack brook trout pond was in great danger. Things like acid rain, and air pollution raised the acidity of these remote waters to a level of mass die off. In 1974, and again in 1980, Cornell found that over 50% of high-altitude lakes were devoid of fish.

(https://www.nytimes.com/1980/12/19/archives/study-reassesses-acid-rain-effect-on-adirondacks-212-lakes-and.html) The pond dwelling brook trout which is very rare to find in the United States was virtually gone from the Adirondack park. In 1979, the NYDEC implemented a brook trout management plan to address the challenges the brook trout were facing. Thanks to the passage of several clean air acts and the brook trout management plan of 1979, huge progress has been made to protect this very unique fishery. But over the last 45 years the world has changed. Research and science has been improved and the state needed to develop a new management plan. So over the past two years the NYDEC has been working hard to create a new management plan to meet the needs of today.

Over the two year span a group of DEC biologists and managers met a multitude of times to build this new plan from what was learned from the old plan and what they currently had for data. They created a survey for anglers to complete. The DEC created a focus group of 14 members ranging from conservation groups, anglers, and academic experts to hear the new plan's content and provide feedback. Public meetings were held both in person and virtually to showcase this new plan. From there the the draft plan was released for public comment. After a long review of all the responses and feedback that was given, the DEC released the new 2025-2040 Adirondack Brook Trout Pond Management Plan.

The first major part of this plan is the baitfish regulation. The use of bait fish in brook trout ponds within the blue line of the Adirondack park is prohibited. However the DEC did take into consideration that there have been several long standing bait shops throughout the park. The DEC did reach out to these shops and through these communications a small list of ponds surrounding these shops will not have this regulation. Using fish for bait, such as golden shiners, is detrimental to the brook trout population. Fisheries biologists have proven over and over again that brook trout populations see a significant negative impact when these bait fish are introduced into these waters. But note, worms are still a legal options.

The next thing the plan looks at is the fishing season and limit regulations. I personally know that this was a hot topic during meetings and public comment period. In the end the DEC kept with their guiding principle of keeping the regulations easy to understand and went with an open fishing season of April 1 - October 15 and a possession limit of 5 brook trout of any size.

Next the plan covers the stocking of brook trout. The DEC will stock brook trout over non-native trout(browns, rainbows) wherever they can support a brook trout fishery. They will stock Temiscamie-hybrid brook trout and heritage strains in these ponds depending on the purpose of the stocking. Heritage strains will be used to support restoration and diversity accross the Adirondack park providing that the pond meets certian criteria(see page 14 of the plan). The Temiscamie-hybrid will be used primarily for the Put-Grow-Take fisheries. The DEC will use what is called the Morpho-Edaphic Index to determine the inital stocking rates. Stocking will be terminated once a self-sustaining population is established(see pages 13-17 of plan for full details).

The DEC had set very high expectations of themselves with their goals and objectives of this plan. Some of these goals and objectives are

• Manage ponds to support a diverse brook trout population and fishing opportunities in the park

• Establish 20 new self-sustaining brook trout ponds in the next 15 years

• Detect changes in ADK brook trout ponds over time to inform managment

• Utilize citizen science to improve the DEC's knowledge on brook trout fisheries and increase the capacity to monitor ponds and prioritize management actions

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  These new signs will be found at ADK brook trout ponds. Scan the QR code and take a quick survey. The information collected will help the DEC manage the fishery.

  
  

• Establish and maintain an information management system for all ADK brook trout ponds

• Stop the loss and degradation of ponded brook trout populations due to the spread of incompatible and detrimental fish species.

• Halt the introduction of baitfish

• Increase overall public awareness of the cultural and ecological importance of brook trout ponds in the Adirondack landscape.

You can read all of their goals and objectives on pages 18-22 of the plan.

One of my personal favorite parts of this plan is Appendix 6. Brook trout surveillance team. This team wil be made up of 20 volunteer anglers skilled in brook trout angling that will survery a large area within the Adirondack park. I am fortunate enough to be on this team. The goal is simple, go out to selected ponds, fish, and collect the requested data. The not so simple part of it is the fact that many of these ponds are way out in very remote parts of the park. Many will require overnighting in the backcountry. It is an honor to be part of this team and I look forward to doing my part to help conserve this precious resource.

Adirondack brook trout ponds are one of the few remaining places that you can truely feel alone. Most of the time the only way you know humans even exist is because a plane flies overhead. For me, I feel this is a solid plan that will work for the years to come. The New York DEC has a tough job to do managing this resource because, no matter what, they won't make everyone happy. Personally, I would have liked to have see a few more stricter regulations but I know I'm the minority. As I said at the beginning, this article is an overview of the management plan. I'm hoping that I've given you just enough information to entice you to read the whole thing. I HIGHLY recommend everyone reads the entire 51 page plan. It is well worth your time to understand what the State wants to do. I want to thank every single person who has been involved with making this plan a reality. From the fisheries bureau chief, Steve Hurst to all of the biologists, the focus group members, every single person that commented on the plan, and the surveillance team members, you are all doing your part to protect and preserve this fishery. Now it's the public's turn to ensure they follow all the fishing regulations so in 2040 we can look back and see the amazing progress we have all made.