Catfish to be Stocked in Connecticut - DEP Aims to Create Year-Round Fisheries in Urban Ponds

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that channel catfish will be stocked into ten lakes and ponds located throughout the State. The stocking is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 5^th, and marks the first time that the DEP has released catfish into state waters. "Catfish are very popular with anglers throughout the United States and we’re looking for them to provide some good summertime fishing here in Connecticut, particularly in our urban fishing waters," said DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy. The effort to create and enhance fisheries in urban waters is part of the DEP’s "No Child Left Inside" initiative. The Urban Fishing program began last year with the stocking of rainbow trout into Bunnells Pond in Bridgeport and was expanded this year with the addition of Keney Pond (Hartford), Lake Wintergreen (Hamden) and Mohegan Park Pond (Norwich). "We stock rainbow trout to provide good springtime fishing and now we’re adding catfish to provide a year-round fishery. These areas will now provide an even better opportunity for children and families to get outside and enjoy fishing," said Commissioner McCarthy.

The Urban Ponds will be stocked with large catfish weighing over two pounds each and measuring 14 – 18 inches in length. Six other lakes will be stocked with smaller 9-12 inch catfish that are expected to survive for many years and grow to much larger size. "Channel catfish are excellent food fish that have the potential to grow to true trophy-size proportions," said Edward Parker, Chief of the Bureau of Natural Resources. The current Connecticut state record channel catfish weighed 29 lbs 6 oz and was caught in 2004 from Mashapaug Lake in Union while the world record is a 58 lb catfish taken in South Carolina.

"The State’s only significant population of channel catfish is found in the Connecticut River where they support a very popular fishery," said Parker. DEP data shows that anglers fishing the river south of Hartford harvest approximately 40,000 catfish each year. "This new DEP program will establish channel catfish in lakes where we know there is sufficient forage to support a population of large gamefish," explained Parker. The DEP believes that the combination of a popular gamefish stocked into waters that are selected based on scientific data is a winning combination. "We’ve had great success in using this approach to develop exciting fisheries for northern pike and walleye and now we’re looking forward to similar results with catfish," said Parker.

Nationally, catfish are the fourth most sought after type of fish according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. Catfish are also a favorite food fish and account for approximately 50% of the total value of aquaculture production in the United States.

Lakes and Ponds scheduled to be stocked with channel catfish

Urban Fishing Waters (14-18" catfish)          Other Lakes & Ponds (9-12" catfish)
Bunnells Pond (Bridgeport)                         Black Pond (Meriden, Middlefield)
Keney Park Pond (Hartford)                        Lower Bolton Lake (Bolton)
Mohegan Park Pond (Norwich)                    Maltby Lakes #2 and #3 
                                                            (Orange, West Haven)
Lake Wintergreen (Hamden)                       Pattaconk Lake (Chester)
                                                            Quonnipaug Lake (Guilford)
                                                            Silver Lake (Berlin, Meriden)