Lake Mattamuskeet Carp Removal

Common Carp | credit: U.S. Army

A $1 million federal grant will go towards the removal of large numbers of common carp from Lake Mattamuskeet in North Carolina.

Located within Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, the lake is also home to more popular freshwater fish including largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, sunfish, and striped bass.

Invasive carp, like those in Lake Mattamuskeet, compete with native fish for the natural resources and destroy the natural aquatic habitat.

Carp can degrade water quality by muddying the waters and uprooting aquatic plants. Their destruction also negatively impacts migratory wintering waterfowl that feed on the plants.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has partnered with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) to remove the carp.

Several years ago, barriers were installed at the lake's four tide gates to keep adult carp from entering the lake. Now, the ones still in the lake must go.

The Service awarded WSB the contract to clear approximately 1 million pounds of carp from Lake Mattamuskeet.

During a similar large-scale carp removal effort in the 1940s and 1950s, large haul seines, baited traps, and pound nets were used successfully.

Another approach, known as the modified unified method, utilizes large seines and herding methods to move carp into nets successfully. Once netted, carp are extracted from the lake. WSB will utilize a combination of these removal methods. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investment will improve the natural environment of the 40,000-acre Lake Mattamuskeet and four outlet canals, according to USFWS.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Vermont Northeast Kingdom Lake Trout

Lake Trout

Vermont's Northeast Kingdom region is known for its trophy class lake trout. In 2023, a 25.6 pound lake trout was landed from Echo Lake in Charleston.

Although Lake Champlain gets most of the attention for lake trout fishing in Vermont, many of the inland lakes in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom are real sleepers for big fish, according to Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD) fisheries biologist Shawn Good, who administers the state’s Record Fish Program. 

"In fact, if you’re talking exclusively about trophy sized Lake Trout, the Northeast Kingdom is where you want to be," said VFWD fisheries biologist Jud Kratzer.  All 69 Lake Trout exceeding 20 pounds that have been entered in the Record Fish Program over the years have come from Kingdom waters.  And 530-acre Echo Lake has produced four of them, with the largest being just shy of 30 pounds. That’s remarkable for a lake of that size."

The Northeast Kingdom (NEK) includes over 2,000 square miles of Vermont and is home to some of the state’s most scenic locations.

Bordered by Canada and northern New Hampshire, the Kingdom is known for its fishing, outdoor recreation, and natural resources.

For more information on fishing in Vermont can be found on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website (vtfishandwildlife.com).