New York has many state symbols like the rose, the bluebird and the sugar maple. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation wants to protect New York’s fish, the brook trout, specifically, focusing on brook trout living in ponds.

They even stock some of the state’s waterways with brook trout raised in hatcheries. South Otselic’s hatchery is one place where these fish are raised.

What You Need To Know

The brook trout is New York’s freshwater fish

The last time the state came up with a plan for conserving brook trout was 1979

There’s a new plan for how to care for their 425 pond habitats throughout the Adirondacks 

The last time New York came up with an official plan for managing brook trout was 1979. It took several years to develop the new plan, including surveying anglers, public meetings and a team of people all invested in the same goal, sustaining the population of brook trout in the more than 400 ponds of the Adirondacks.

“We need to ensure that they remain part of New York’s natural heritage for future generations,” said David Erway, aquatic biologist with the DEC.

Since 1975, brook trout have been a symbol for the Empire State. The fish live in 425 Adirondack ponds.

“And our plan is to hopefully have wild sustaining populations of brook trout in these ponds where we don’t have to stock. That’s where a lot of this plan is going to help guide us in that direction,” said Erway.

The new plan will cover the next 15 years of conservation for the fish. Erway helped write the new management plan for Adirondack pond-dwelling brook trout.

“I mean, they’re the state fish. They’re an icon for the Adirondack Park. They need to be protected,” said Erway.

The goal is to restore brook trout and eventually decrease the number that need to be stocked. The new plan says open season for the fish will begin April 1, as ice fishing for brook trout isn’t allowed.

Erway also said global warming has been an issue, leading to fewer places for the fish to live, and it’s rare to see brook trout living in ponds other than those in the Adirondacks or Maine.