The Mountain Lake Fishery Habitat
Enhancement Project will commence on Monday, October 18 and run through
Wednesday, October 20. The project is
being led by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with Liberty
Township, the Mountain Lake Community Association, and the NJ Chapter of
Muskies Inc.
The project will involve the placement
of 18 structures, known as Pennsylvania Porcupine Cribs, in several locations
in Mountain Lake. The cribs will be set
at depths ranging from 10 to 15 feet in clusters of 3 or 4 cribs per
cluster. The fish habitat structures are
intended to improve the underwater
habitat for all species of fish by giving forage fish an area to hide and
congregate while also enabling predatory fish to feed – thus helping to maintain
and enhance the lake’s ecology and recreational fishery.
Four cribs
are already in the lake, clustered just off the concrete pier on the east
side. They were installed a few years
ago. With the addition of 18 more cribs,
Mountain Lake will have a total of 22.
The cribs have a proven track record in a number of lakes in
Pennsylvania. The Mountain Lake project
is the first of its kind in New Jersey.
On Monday,
October 18, staff from the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife will set 18 buoys
at the spots designated for the cribs. Also
on Monday, the materials for the cribs will be delivered to the boat ramp. On Tuesday, October 19, staff from the NJ
Division of Fish and Wildlife will
begin deploying the cribs at the designated locations. The deployment will conclude on Wednesday,
October 20.
It will take
some time for the new habitat structures to become colonized. In the years ahead, the Mountain Lake
Association will coordinate with the Division of Fish and Wildlife and Muskies,
Inc. to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the project.
Questions regarding the project may be directed to Ross
Shramko, Principal Fishery Biologist, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, at
908.236.2118 or Ross.Shramko@dep.nj.gov.
