| New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife |
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There are three targeted species: northern pike, muskellunge and walleye - species which need to be collected from the wild and brought back to the hatchery for spawning. These fish are held at the hatchery until they become "ripe", at which time they are spawned by hatchery personnel.
The spawning procedure is a process by which the eggs and milt (containing sperm) are gently forced out of the fish into a collection bowl.
The eggs and milt are gently mixed to obtain the highest possible rate of fertilization. The eggs are then incubated in plastic hatching jars that hold approximately 200,000 eggs each. Eggs take about 10 to 15 days to hatch depending upon the species of fish. After the fish are spawned all broodstock are returned to the waters from which they were taken.
Low water levels in March and April of 2002 in several broodstock lakes made collection more difficult than usual. However, wildlife workers from the Hackettstown Hatchery were up to the task and caught all the fish they needed to carry out the northern pike, muskellunge, tiger musky and walleye rearing programs. In fact, in terms of average size, the 2002 broodstock season was among the best ever.
Some outstanding fish were brought into the hatchery, spawned, and then returned back to their home lakes. Included were a 51-inch muskellunge from Greenwood Lake (the longest musky we have ever collected), and two whopper walleyes from Swartswood Lake that exceeded ten pounds each. If their offspring grow to be anything like these fish, the future will be bright indeed for New Jersey anglers. (Click for larger images of walleye and muskellunge.)
Below are tables showing the numbers and sizes of fish captured from the waters where the trap nets were set in 2002
NORTHERN PIKE
|
WATER BODY |
# DAYS NETS WERE SET |
# FISH CAUGHT |
AVERAGE LENGTH (INCHES) |
LARGEST FISH (INCHES) |
AVERAGE WEIGHT (POUNDS) |
LARGEST FISH (POUNDS) |
|
BUDD LAKE |
15 |
181 |
23.4 |
39.5 |
3.38 |
20.5 |
MUSKELLUNGE
|
WATER BODY |
# DAYS NETS WERE SET |
# FISH CAUGHT |
AVERAGE LENGTH (INCHES) |
LARGEST FISH (INCHES) |
AVERAGE WEIGHT (POUNDS) |
LARGEST FISH (POUNDS) |
|
GREENWOOD LAKE |
10 |
10 |
38.4 |
51.0 |
17.7 |
34.5 |
|
MONKSVILLE RESERVOIR |
9 |
2 |
32.0 |
7.0 |
||
|
MOUNTAIN LAKE |
6 |
0 |
WALLEYE
|
WATER BODY |
# DAYS NETS WERE SET |
# FISH CAUGHT |
AVERAGE LENGTH (INCHES) |
LARGEST FISH (INCHES) |
AVERAGE WEIGHT (POUNDS) |
LARGEST FISH (POUNDS) |
|
SWARTSWOOD LAKE |
12 |
303 |
18.8 |
29.0 |
2.65 |
11.7 |
|
GREENWOOD LAKE |
10 |
96 |
No Data |
No Data |
No Data |
No Data |
|
MONKSVILLE RESERVOIR |
9 |
51 |
21.6 |
26.2 |
3.93 |
6.8 |
 |
 |
 |