The wind was howling through Franconia Notch as the group assembled. The topic for the day was removing a small barrier dam to the historical Breeder Pond at Profile Lake.
Profile Lake got its name as the place where the Old Man of The Mountain’s reflection could be seen. For decades, the lake was the top tourist spot in the state. Thousands still visit every year to walk around the lake and to view the place of the “old stoneface.”
The current abundance and size of nonnative, and highly invasive to brook trout, yellow perch in Profile Lake is the highest it has been in years. Profile Lake is also heavily stocked with brook trout, and per NH F&G, there is no intention to suspend stocking regardless of what happens as a result of the potential dam removal. The status of Breeder Pond above and its inlet is unknown. It is however possible, and some say likely, that there are at least some level of wild native minnows (dace and/or chub) and even wild native brook trout. Both the perch and the large stocked brook trout would pose a threat to any fish living above the dam. From an ecological standpoint, chemical reclamation of Profile Lake would help mitigate some of the risks by eliminating the perch. From a recreational standpoint, this would reduce competition for food and space between trout and perch, as well as reduce pressure on the forage base in the pond which is not what you would call robust. While common elsewhere in the country, NH F&G has not reclaimed a water in twenty-five or so years. Native Fish Coalition would like to see more done to lessen the negative impact on the unstocked water and wild fish above the dam, especially since there is no intention of trying to create a wild brook trout fishery in Profile Lake.
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The current abundance and size of nonnative, and highly invasive to brook trout, yellow perch in Profile Lake is the highest it has been in years. Profile Lake is also heavily stocked with brook trout, and per NH F&G, there is no intention to suspend stocking regardless of what happens as a result of the potential dam removal. The status of Breeder Pond above and its inlet is unknown. It is however possible, and some say likely, that there are at least some level of wild native minnows (dace and/or chub) and even wild native brook trout. Both the perch and the large stocked brook trout would pose a threat to any fish living above the dam. From an ecological standpoint, chemical reclamation of Profile Lake would help mitigate some of the risks by eliminating the perch. From a recreational standpoint, this would reduce competition for food and space between trout and perch, as well as reduce pressure on the forage base in the pond which is not what you would call robust. While common elsewhere in the country, NH F&G has not reclaimed a water in twenty-five or so years. Native Fish Coalition would like to see more done to lessen the negative impact on the unstocked water and wild fish above the dam, especially since there is no intention of trying to create a wild brook trout fishery in Profile Lake.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.