News

Image from NY DEC website

Alewife found in Lake Carmi

An alewife, a non-native invasive fish, has been confirmed in another waterbody in the Lake Champlain Basin. On New Year’s Day, ice-fisherman found an alewife in a walleye they had caught. It is likely that the fish got into Lake Carmi following an illegal bait bucket release, perhaps of fish originally caught in Lake Champlain. Anglers who accidentally or intentionally release bait fish from one body of water into another violate the law and threaten the ecological integrity of the waterbodies. In addition to invasive fish species, many fish diseases can be spread through illegal release of baitfish. Any fish caught or used as bait should be left in the water they originally came from unless they’re headed for a frying pan.