Electrofishing surveys on Farmington, Housatonic

The DEEP Inland Fisheries Division recently completed annual electrofishing surveys on the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers.

The trout and smallmouth are doing well, with some very impressive fish sampled, according to the DEEP.

Electrofishing is a non-lethal method to efficiently collect fish from a waterbody. In large rivers like the Farmington and the Housatonic, the sampling crew walk slowly upstream with 2 probes powered by a generator towed behind in a canoe. The stunned fish are netted and quickly transferred into “live cars”, large wood and wire containment boxes, which are kept downstream of the electrical field so the fish can recover.

Click here to see some photos on the DEEP Facebook page.