BERLIN, Connecticut — The State Fish Hatchery in Kensington was especially busy for a Monday.
Just a few times a year, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) team at the hatchery has their hands full --- with Atlantic salmon – and the focus is on spawning.
“We’re working to get the next generation out, the next generation of Atlantic Salmon,” said Mike Beauchene, the supervising fisheries biologist for the DEEP. “We specifically grow Atlantic salmon at the Kensington Hatchery.”
Connecticut is unique when it comes to the thrashing, fighting Atlantic salmon.
“We’re the southernmost state to do an Atlantic salmon program,” Jamie Hays, the hatchery supervisor in Kensington, said. “You’d have to go to northern New York or Maine to get wild-caught Atlantic Salmon, so we are very unique in New England.”
The biggest of the Atlantic salmon have yet to be released this season but that will happen soon, some fish well over ten pounds will be released into management areas like the Naugatuck River.
“The Atlantic Salmon is known as the ‘King of the Sport Fish’, they can put up an amazing fight,” Beauchene said.
He then added that keeping the Atlantic salmon program thriving is a win-win for the Fishing and Wildlife staff and anglers alike.
“It’s a highlight because these fish are so big, so beautiful and unique,” he said.
To learn more about Connecticut DEEP’s Atlantic Salmon program click here.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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