Dam Removal

[calbo]

OK - for some reason I've tried to post this three times and keep getting blocked before I can post - one more try.

I commented about the dam removal on the Raritan a while ago. I've fished the Raritan for over 50 years - grew up in the town of Raritan and fished the Nevius street area - and 5 miles up-down stream while growing up. During the 50's and 60's we caught tons of fish - large and smallmouth bass, black and white crappie, white and yellow perch, channel, bullhead, and white catfish, eels, carp, pickeral, carp, trout - during stocking periods, and many other species. And, we ate them. Nobody told us the river was polluted back then - and we needed the extra food. I've been fishing the same area for the last 20 years - after laying off for several years.

I caught most of the same fish - plus - about 10 years ago, began catching stripers and shad early in the season. And, over the winter I was catching large rainbow, brook, and brown trout - probably the result of fall stockings.

Over the last 3 years - since the dam removal began - fishing has been mediocre - at best. Winter fishing has been totally unproductive - and the rest of the year basically sucks - a few small rockbass and smallmouths.

I attribute the decline in the fishery to ther dam removals - and a new population of foreigners that keep everything they catch - and there a tons of them fishing this area now.

My brother-in-law bought property on the Musky 17 years ago - built a home - and had access to ~ 1 acre of Musky shoreline. Three years ago TU came in and decided to remove the dams above and below his property - and a 100+ year old burm on his land. This, according to them, was going to allow andromonous species to more easily move from the Delaware up the Musky.

I used to fish his property often - caught trout, bass, walleyes, stripers, pike, and other species year-round. I taught my grand-children to fish on this property - they had a ball - catching sunfish, bass, walleyes.

After the TU crew decimated the lower Musky - the river on his property and several miles upstream and downstream is dead water. They removed all of the holding areas, deep pools, and debris that used to hold fish. He lost ~ 30feet of his shoreline - and his upstream neighbor lost over 60 feet of shoreline during high-water periods after storms. They destroyed what was a prestine, productive fishing run.

The most dangerous software ever developed was Microsoft's Power-Point - it gives the impression that the person presenting a proposal put some thought and analysis into his plan. The TU dudes apparently convinced the local politicians they had a sound plan - not. The river will never be the same. They've destroyed one of the most productive fisheries on the Musky. Lawsuits are underway - but it's too late.

I'm concerned the Raritan is going in the same direction - the andromonous species returned to the river after pollution clean-up efforts were implemented. Removing the remaining dams will not improve the fishery - it will simply remove natural holding areas that will no longer hold fish.

Just an old farts comments. Sad to think the current and next generation will not enjoy the river the way we did.