New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

August 1, 2001

According to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, fish salvage efforts were recently completed at Franklin Pond located in the Borough of Franklin, Sussex County. Approximately 7,800 fish were salvaged as the lake was partially drained by the borough to repair the existing dam and outlet structures. In cases where a private contractor's services are not available, such as this one, the Division assists state and local governments with fish salvage efforts on public waters.

"The Franklin Pond fish salvage was a successful cooperative effort between state and local government," said Division Director Bob McDowell. "Division staff worked closely with employees from the Franklin Public Works Department in extreme heat and mucky conditions to salvage and relocate as many fish as possible."

After lowering the water level, several remaining pools were seined turning up numerous largemouth bass, yellow perch and sunfish. State-of-the-art electrofishing equipment was also used to capture live fish, which were then transferred to a hatchery truck and transported to nearby Silver Lake and Heater's Pond. Unfortunately, due to the sweltering heat, some fish, mostly suckers, were lost.

Approximately 5,000 fish went to Silver Lake and about 2,500 fish went to Heater's Pond. Included in that total were 525 largemouth bass with more than a handful in the 4 to 7 pound range. These lunkers and several chain pickerel in the 24-inch range will be available to anglers at both locations along with the thousands of other game fish that were salvaged from Franklin Pond. Upon completion of dam repairs, Franklin Pond will be refilled with water and stocked by the Division with suitable fish species.