DEM ANNOUNCES PLANS TO STOCK ATLANTIC SALMON BROODSTOCK IN ANTICIPATION OF ICE FISHING

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management announces that staff from its Division of Fish and Wildlife will stock about 450 surplus domestic Atlantic salmon broodstock in five ponds statewide during the week of January 7 in anticipation of the winter ice-fishing season. Winter trout stocking will take place later in the month.

Salmon stocking locations will include Olney Pond in Lincoln, Stafford Pond in Tiverton, Barber Pond in South Kingstown, Meadowbrook Pond in Richmond, and Carbuncle Pond in Coventry. The salmon, mostly between five and 12 pounds each, are from the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Nashua and White River Junction National Fish Hatcheries in Vermont.

"This is the greatest number of salmon that we have received for stocking in several years, a great New Year's gift for our anglers," says Michael Lapisky, Fish and Wildlife Division Chief.

A current fishing license and a Trout Conservation Stamp are required to keep or possess a salmon. The daily creel and possession limit for domestic Atlantic salmon is two fish as part of the daily trout limit, which currently stands at two per day.

Tests by the US Fish and Wildlife Service indicate that domestic Atlantic salmon produced by national fish hatcheries in the Northeast do have low levels of PCB contamination, but the PCB levels do not exceed existing federal consumption safety levels. To protect public health, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency, recommends that those eating these salmon restrict themselves to one meal per month.

At present, there is no safe ice. As the winter season progresses, anglers should check with individual communities about safe ice conditions on local ponds before ice fishing, as DEM does not monitor ice conditions in local communities. For ice conditions at Olney Pond at Lincoln Woods State Park, they can call DEM's 24-hour ice safety hotline at 222-2632.

Ice must have a uniform thickness of at least six inches before it is considered safe by DEM. It generally takes at least five to seven consecutive days of temperatures in the low 20s before ice may become safe. Even then, the strength of the ice is determined by a number of factors such as the size and depth of a pond, presence of springs or currents, and local temperature fluctuations. DEM has an ice safety guide that can be found online at its website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on "Parks and Recreation" under "Offices and Divisions."