The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the release of a five-year (2025–2029) Fisheries Management Plan for Lake George, Warren County.
With this plan in place, DEC will focus on collecting data primarily on lake trout, Atlantic salmon, and black bass to inform a subsequent long-term fisheries management plan.
DEC will also implement a net pen release strategy to improve recruitment of Atlantic salmon to the fishery and help determine the fate of the existing Atlantic salmon stocking program.
Using the management plan, DEC will expand data collection to include tracking the population of the long-stocked Atlantic salmon, assessing status and overall health of adult lake trout, and monitoring the black bass population.
The updated plan will address gaps in the data to inform a subsequent, long-term fisheries management plan to better manage and improve the populations of these species.
In 2023, DEC conducted an angler creel survey that reported both recreational and professional anglers seeking Atlantic salmon or lake trout had concerns with the rate and size of their catches. In addition, the survey found overall poorer health in the lake trout population despite strict harvest regulations.
Over the upcoming years, DEC plans to collect more information on the trout population to determine future management actions to increase the quality of the lake trout in the fishery
DEC determined that existing Atlantic salmon stocking is failing to create a viable, sustainable fishery for this sought-after species based on data from the 2023 angler creel survey and the overall poor survival rate of stocked Atlantic salmon.
DEC will employ a net pen release strategy, which protects hatchery-raised yearling salmon within the safety of a net as they acclimate to their new waters.
DEC will also implement a standardized sampling protocol to assess the ongoing health of black bass in Lake George.
Lake George remains one of the Adirondack’s cleanest lakes and has long been a popular tourist destination, attracting anglers from around the world to the region.
DEC recently announced a Final Adirondack Brook Trout Pond Management Plan to guide future species management and, in 2025, DEC announced a $100 million investment from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act and other capital funds for State hatchery improvements, including enhancements at the Adirondack Fish Hatchery that will help construct a new brook trout broodstock building.
To learn more about fisheries management across New York State, visit the DEC webpage.
source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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