Schoharie Reservoir Electrofishing Survey (2008)
The 1,145 acre Schoharie Reservoir, a New York City water supply impoundment, was electrofished at night on October 21, 2008, to determine the abundance of fingerling and yearling walleye. No walleye of any size were collected or observed. In a similar 1997 survey, 98 fingerling and yearling walleye were collected. The absence of young walleye indicates a recruitment problem that is probably related to the growing alewife and/or white perch population. This survey supports the findings of an ongoing angler diary program which indicates a low catch of sublegal (<= 15 in) walleye by cooperators. During the 2004 through 2007 open water season, the catch of sublegal walleye averaged 24, 9, 15, and 7 percent annually, respectively. This was low when compared to a similar study in nearby Canadarago Lake where the cooperator catch of sublegal walleye averaged 38%. To prevent a total collapse of the walleye fishery in this reservoir, it was recommended that the stocking of 22,900 pond fingerling walleye be implemented in 2010 for five years and once every three years after 2014.
