UNDERSTANDING NH F&G's STOCKING SUSPENSION PROPOSAL (PART I: OVERVIEW)

As NFC delves deeper into the proposed stocking changes from New Hampshire Fish and Game (NH F&G), we are learning some interesting things we would like to share with you. We will continue to report on this critically important issue as we learn more.

First is that the proposed stocking suspensions are presented by District not Region as some have stated. These are what are referred to as Law Enforcement Districts. While this may seem odd to some, stocking in NH is actually done by game wardens along with hatchery staff.

The proposed stocking suspensions are based on “stocking GPS waypoints,” or physical stocking location, not stream. They are grouped by water/town and presented using the number of waypoints being proposed for suspension. If there are waypoints in the respective water/town that are not being proposed for suspension, NH F&G notes it accordingly - see below.

While this may look like a sufficient level of detail, in some cases it is not enough to fully understand the impact of the proposed suspensions. Specifically, there are cases where streams span town boundaries, and without knowing where they are stocked today, and at the same level of detail suspensions are being proposed, you cannot get the complete picture.

For example, according to the data provided, all 3 stocking sites on South Branch Israel River in Low and Burbank’s Grant are being proposed for suspension - see below.

Does this mean the South Branch Israel River will no longer be stocked ? Not necessarily. The river also flows through Jefferson before emptying into the mainstem Israel River - see below.

According to stocking data obtained from NH F&G, the South Branch Israel River was stocked in Jefferson with brook trout (EBT) three times in 2020 for a total of 900 fish. Four hundred of these fish were “Surplus,” or not part of any management plan. If the stocking data is correct, the stream will still be stocked post-suspension.

For several years NFC has tracked state-sponsored and private stocking in NH to try to understand the breadth of the problem in regard to stocking over wild native fish. In addition to data inaccuracies and inconsistent availability of private permits, and in some cases no permit issued, we have never been able to get the data at a level of detail that shows exactly what is being stocked where.

While the town is provided in the stocking data, county is not, making it hard to isolate, consolidate, and summarize critical wild native trout areas. But county could be included as the database apparently has the necessary data element but it is not being populated - see below.

Town alone is not enough to determine what is, and is not, stocked where. For example, after NH NFC and others lobbied to get stocking suspended on the Wildcat River, NH F&G agreed to stop stocking above Jackson Falls only. Unfortunately, the entire river is within the town of Jackson, so there is no way to tell if the river was stocked above the falls or not - see below.

Unearthing a Critical Missing Piece…

Waypoint has never been made available by NH F&G in regard to stocking data. Our assumption is that it is not captured in the stocking database. But it should be, and NH NFC will be looking into this, as well as county and district, as having these data elements available at the stocking event level would be very helpful in regard to understanding what is being done where.

However, waypoint must be used in planning, as if NH F&G is proposing stocking suspensions by waypoint, they must have a stocking plan by waypoint. In fact, it’s likely that this is what is used to guide the stocking trucks to their destinations. NH NFC will be asking NH F&G for this information.

If NFC had a stocking plan by waypoint, we could flag and map the proposed suspensions to determine what would be left post-suspension. Maps, Google Earth, trips to the water, and local knowledge could be used to identify natural and manmade barriers that restrict the movement of stocked fish, at least upstream. Until this is done, no one outside NH F&G really knows what’s going on with regard to stocking.