BURLINGTON, Conn — The staff at the fish hatchery in Burlington has been busy of late continuing a commitment to Connecticut fishermen and the anglers who come to the state from elsewhere to provide something no other state in the eastern United States provides.
It is spawning season for the Kokanee Salmon – a fish native to western states but one that lives in three Connecticut lakes thanks to the efforts of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP).
“Connecticut is the only state that still has a Kokanee Salmon program east of the Mississippi,” said Tom Chairvolotti, a supervising fisheries biologist at the Connecticut DEEP who also oversees the hatchery program.
When the leaves turn color, so do the Kokanee Salmon, Chairvolotti noted and said this is the time they turn from silver to bright red.
“It’s when the sun sets earlier and earlier and that triggers them,” he said.
Known as a small fighting fish, Chairvolotti said that fishermen come to bodies of water like West Hill Pond in New Hartford to cast a line for the Kokanee Salmon, “because they are just like a Sockeye Salmon."
While unique to Connecticut, Chairvolotti added that the Kokanee Salmon program in the state shows no signs of stopping.
“It’s still successful and as long as it stays successful, we are going to keep doing it," said Chairvolotti.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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