Since 2007, Vermont fisheries biologist Lenny Gerardi has been keeping records of fish that make their way up the Clyde River in Newport during the spring and fall spawning runs. Great Bay Hydro built a fish ladder at the power station below the Clyde Pond Dam as part of its re-licensing agreement. The ladder leads to a fish trap that is accessible to biologists, and it is a critical component of the Clyde River Salmon Restoration Program.

Ask any trout or salmon angler on Lake Champlain about the status of the fishery and they’ll all tell you it’s getting better. For decades the parasitic sea lamprey have had a tremendously negative impact on the lakes trout and salmon population. To turn the tide on these voracious creatures fisheries biologists from Vermont, New York and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have been working together on a sea lamprey control program since the early 90’s. While the application of lampracides is all that makes the press, fisheries biologists from Vermont, New York, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service work on controlling these pests year round.