After almost three years of study, Monday night fish and game officials from New Hampshire and Vermont said they will not go ahead with a controversial proposal to stock the Moore Reservoir in the North Country with walleye.
The idea was scrapped over a concern that the walleye – which typically eat other fish – might hurt the trout population, not just in the reservoir, but in the Connecticut River downstream.
Stocking the walleye was suggested by fish and game officials from both states.
The attraction was simple, said Gabe Gries, a New Hampshire fisheries biologist.
“For one they are a lot of fun to catch and they are also one of the best freshwater fish for eating.”
But there were concerns, said Jud Kratzer, a Vermont fisheries biologist.
“Most of the opponents were serious trout fishermen and they were concerned about the effects that the introduction of walleyes might have on the trout fishing.”
A public hearing was held in 2013 that generated more comments in favor of stocking the walleye than against. Gries said those comments prompted the joint study, which concluded there was a risk to the trout that wasn’t worth taking.
Moore Reservoir, which borders Littleton and Vermont covers about 3,500 acres and is the state’s fourth largest lake. It was created by a dam built in 1957 on the Connecticut River.
Earlier this month New Hampshire Fish and Game decided against another controversial proposal: allowing the trapping of bobcats.