It’s been six years since a Vermont Supreme Court ruling opened Berlin Pond up for fishing. Until that time, recreational uses of the pond were banned because it’s a water source for Montpelier.
Now the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife wants to hear from the people who fish there.
Anglers are invited to share their experiences and observations with the department at a public discussion on Wednesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fish and Wildlife Annex building in Berlin.
“We just kind of want to reevaluate things, get an idea of, you know, people who are out there and hear about their experiences and what they're catching," said fisheries biologist Bret Ladago. "And then kind of present them with the most current data and get their feedback.”
More from VPR — Drinking Water Vs. Recreation: Striving For A Compromise On Berlin Pond [May 26, 2017]
Ladago said right now there are lower than normal limits on the number of fish that can be caught at the pond and that those stricter limits are because of some unusually big, old fish there.
"Fisheries that are unexploited that are opened to fishing can sometimes be impacted," Ladago explained. "And because we were only seeing these really large, old perch, we just wanted to make sure that they weren’t being over-harvested."
The limits have been extended a couple of times since they were implemented and expire at the end of this year.
