The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced the opening of catch-and-release fishing for the Lower Fly-Fishing Section of the Salmon River on Saturday, October 31. The opening of the season marks the successful actions taken by the Salmon River Flow Management Team in order to mitigate the effects of low water flows on the salmon population at the start of the salmon run.
The Salmon River seasonal baseflows are usually increased from 185 cubic feet/second to 335 cubic feet/second on September 1, under federal license, so long as the water levels in the Salmon River Reservoir are above a critical threshold. Water levels in the reservoir were low and declining due to a dry summer, and the annual September 1 increase in baseflow was delayed, and the scheduled whitewater releases over Labor Day weekend was cancelled. These actions were taken to conserve the reservoir waters to maintain suitable flows throughout the salmon spawning run.
Wilderness Training to Match our Mountains
None of what gets debated weekly about the High Peaks is truly untethered from these historical roots. As Almanack contributor Ed Zahniser has written, “take courage for your own work for visitor use management in wilderness. It has a history, a history set in concern for the common good, a history stemming from the American people’s long-standing concern to protect some remnant of our public lands in their wild, natural state. “
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